Mystery & Thriller Week is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. Enjoy the suspense on audio.

I haven't been stalked. I haven't been kidnapped. I haven't come upon a dead body in the woods. All things considered, I had a pretty idyllic childhood: roller-skating, summers at the pool, an obsession with my Golden Retriever. There was barely any strife in my family worth noting. So why then was I obsessed with books about mysteries and mayhem and secrets at a very early age?

Why did I devour Stephen King novels under the covers? And why, even in my earliest attempts at fiction, were my stories always about girls going missing, or friends found dead, or—my favorite—a young girl being gaslighted by her crazy older sister? It's a good thing my parents never read those stories. They might have been concerned.

I'm not the only person drawn to reading mysteries and thrillers, though. These stories give us a puzzle to solve and they thrill us. They're packed with twists and turns we can't predict. Their plots have a breathlessness to them. The stories offer us an escape, though it's the opposite of the escape we get from a romance novel because there is no way I'd ever want to be a detective, a victim, or even a side character in a thriller.

But I'm still not totally sure why I loved thrillers as a teen even more than I loved my Converse All-Stars, my Nirvana CDs, or my dingy collection of vintage flannels (I was a child of the '90s). Maybe it's this: When I was a teen, my life sometimes felt like a thriller. Not much was in my control…and that was kind of scary.

There were a lot of plot twists about friends and boys and school and family I couldn't predict: some of it good, but some of it not so good. I could relate to that lack of control the characters in thrillers often felt; that horrible things were happening to them and they just wanted all of this to stop…but they couldn't. Sure, my dilemmas were way less dramatic than those I found on the page, but my emotions were big and bold in high school, so everything really did feel like life or death.

And also, so many thrillers feature secrets: kids covering up an awful crime they committed, the secret killer hiding in plain sight, a buried mistake that unravels everything. I had secrets in high school. I wasn't hoping that my secrets would lead to something horrible happening like they did in the books I loved, but it made me feel better that other people, even fictional characters, were keeping some too. Or maybe it's a lot simpler than that. Maybe I just liked the blood-pumping adrenalized feeling of being afraid!

So happy Mystery Week, everyone. Enjoy staying up late to finish your favorite book…and then being too freaked out to fall asleep. It's worth it.

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Enjoy spooky historical mysteries? These are to die for...

What are your favorite YA mystery must-reads? Let us know in the comments!

Check out the complete coverage of Mystery & Thriller Week:
20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
50 Hidden Gems for the Well-Read Mystery Fan
Let's Play: How To Make An Ominous-Sounding Mystery Title

I am drawn to love stories set against a background of something big, something dangerous. A friendship formed in a foxhole can last a lifetime; a relationship forged while facing a common enemy can ignite sudden passion. It all comes down to human nature: We have a better chance of survival if we aren't alone—and our lizard brains know this even if our modern-day sensibilities are screaming at us to be more cautious.

How can I not love romantic suspense? I love the excitement, the adrenaline rush, the passion in the face of death and destruction. I love how people rise above their own self-interest to do what needs to be done. Crisis brings out both the best and the worst in people, and romantic suspense is the perfect box of crayons to show this.

I have favorite romantic suspense writers, of course I do. It's impossible to list them all, but four influential ones spring to mind. In their books, there's romance, and there's suspense. The added elements of fantasy or whatever else only add to those two key building blocks.

First up is Karen Robards. I love me some Robards. I particularly enjoyed her Dr. Charlotte Stone series, beginning with The Last Victim. The love interest in the series is a criminal-turned-ghost. Think there can't be a happily ever after with a ghost? Oh yes there can, and Robards nails it. I'm also enjoying her new series about Bianca St. Ives, a female Jason Bourne-type, who made her debut in The Ultimatum. I can't wait for the second book!

Then there's the legendary Nora Roberts. While I enjoy everything she writes, I particularly love the In Death series (published under her J.D. Robb pseudonym), which is essentially a futuristic police-procedure series, but for me it's all about the relationship between the main characters, Eve and Rourke.

And Thea Harrison! Her Elder series hooked me right from the beginning. Not only is her writing beautiful, but the relationships are stellar. So what if there are fairies and dragons and vampires? The books are about love, set against a fantasy background of suspense. Dragon Bound, the first book in the series, is one I often reread. Who wouldn't want to have a dragon fall in love with you? Especially when there's a battle going on!

Finally, Ilona Andrews and her Kate Daniels series, which begins with Magic Bites. The series is gritty and sometimes heartbreaking, but hero Kate keeps fighting, even against overwhelming odds. And when she finds love with Curran, the connections formed give her more strength, more to fight for, and a mighty ally.

Want to feel your pulse pound and your heart race? Add all of Howard's recommendations to your Want to Read shelf.