The Hunter by Tana French
What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado,
translated by Nick Caistor
and Lorenza Garcia

Revenge seems so simple in The Princess Bride when the fencer Inigo Montoya faces down his nemesis: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Montoya skewers the villain in a sword fight and—despite a profusely bleeding stomach wound—fulfills his destiny.

Vengeance proves to be more complicated in these three novels, one a Spanish thriller, the other two psychological murder mysteries focused on family tragedies. Revenge is served both hot and cold, and its motivations come in every shade of gray.