2025’s Most Anticipated New Thrillers, Suspense and Mystery Books

Mystery & Thriller Releases By Month

• January Mystery & Thriller Releases
• February Mystery & Thriller Releases
• March Mystery & Thriller Releases
• April Mystery & Thriller Releases
• May Mystery & Thriller Releases

All The Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
Out January 7, 2025

At a glance: romantic suspense, true crime podcast, small town setting

A true crime podcaster travels the country seeking justice for the cold cases she features — a career fueled by her own twin sister’s disappearance years ago and answers she still doesn’t have. Her latest case brings her to a small town, protected by a local sheriff who irritatingly gets in her way at every stop, and unknowingly puts in the crosshairs of danger with the answers she seeks.

I’ve never read this author but I’ve been hearing great things about this one from trusted readers and apparently she is fantastic in the romantic suspense genre.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
Out January 7, 2025

At a glance: slow burn mystery, atmospheric, siblings, family secrets, small town setting, twin telepathy

I always love Adrienne Young’s atmospheric books and this one seems to be less magical realism compared to others but still with a hint of it to go with this mystery.

It’s about a woman who comes home to her small California town, for the first time in 20 years, after she learns her complicated twin brother has been killed in what has been ruled an accident – something her twin connection told her before she even got the call.

When she begins to sense there is more to his death than just an accident, she digs into the life her brother has lived since she’s been gone and piece together what really happened to him. Haunted by the ghost of the life she left behind, she begins to unravel the secrets of her brother’s life and their past.

Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin
Out January 14, 2025

At a glance: slow burn psychological suspense, motherhood, eerie vibes

I read this one in one day — something I rarely ever do as a busy mom – because it hooked me from start to finish with its perfectly laid suspense and continuous unsettled feeling coursing through every page. It reminded me a bit of how I felt reading The Push by Ashley Audrain where I’m like IS THE MOM NUTS? THE KID EVIL? SOMETHING ELSE STRANGE?

It’s about a pregnant mother to a highly sensitive and intelligent little girl who becomes increasingly concerned with the abrupt change in her daughter’s whole personality and behavior after the death of her beloved babysitter. Nobody besides her seems very concerned when her previously disruptive and socially offbeat child becomes more agreeable and less like her old self.

Increasingly more worrying is just how many traits of her former babysitter her daughter is displaying — her odd phrases and speaking pattern, distinct changes in her eating habits, etc. All she knows is something is wrong, despite people thinking it is all in her head, and she must figure out how to get her daughter back to herself.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
Out January 14, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, deadly cat-and-mouse game, obsession

A heart transplant patient becomes obsessed with the husband, a well-known author, of her heart donor and makes her move to grow closer to him in hopes of romance. But, as she gets closer to this man who she thinks might be “The One”, she’ll start to wonder if there was more to the wife’s accident.

A Serial Killer’s Guide To Marriage by Asia Mackay
Out January 14, 2025

At a glance: thriller, dark humor, vigilante serial killers, marriage & motherhood

This one sounds fun! Very Mr. & Mrs. Smith vibes!

Hazel and Fox have traded in their life of vigilante justice killings for life as regular suburban parents to an infant. The transition hasn’t been easy and especially so for Hazel who misses the thrill of her old life and that itch to murder gets more intense. When she gives into it without Fox’s knowledge and unleashes a world of trouble, they’ll stop at nothing to keep their little family secret.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Out January 14, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, domestic thrills, atmospheric Scottish setting

I will always be excited for a new Alice Feeney thriller! I just know she’s going to have me gagged over whatever twist she comes up with.

Author Grady Green is on the phone with his wife when she disappears without a trace after stopping for something she saw on the road. A year later, he still has no answers on what happened to his wife and his grief is still heavy. He heads to a tiny Scottish island to write and start to cobble some semblance of a life back together. It’s there he sees the impossible: someone who looks exactly like his wife and things start to get strange on the island.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
Out January 21, 2025

At a glance: Succession meets murder mystery, dysfunctional family drama, rich people behaving badly, secluded island setting

I always love a “rich people behaving badly” mystery or thriller and this one looks like it serves up a hearty dose of that along with some dysfunctional family drama.

The Agarwal family come together on their private island off Scotland for a family reunion — a family reunion where the patriarch will announce his succession plan for his empire. As the family anticipates his decision, every one has their own secrets and desires going into this weekend that set off the unraveling of this family where someone will wind up dead.

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove
Out January 21, 2025

At a glance: crime thriller, Indigenous, missing women, social issues, identity/culture

A former Chicago detective, in need of a new job and at rock bottom after her daughter’s murder, takes a new role as tribal marshal on the reservation her father grew up on but moved away from before she was born. As she settles in, feeling very distant from this heritage she never got to know and drowning in memories of her daughter, she gets pulled into the investigation of a recent missing young woman — another one in a long line of missing women over the past decade whose cold cases she’s been tasked with looking into. As she works to find the missing girl and dig deeper into the reservation, she starts to see glimpses of the Deer Woman from her father’s stories making her wonder just what her appearance might be and how it could be connected.

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological suspense, true crime podcast, revenge

This one sounds so intriguing!

Poe is a podcaster who allows people to come on her show and anonymously confess crimes they’ve committed — something she can relate to have a secret crime herself. When her latest podcast guest admits to killing Poe’s mother many years before, she finds herself taken aback considering she already killed the man who killed her mother….or so she thought. And it seems this man knows exactly what she did….but how?

The Crash by Freida McFadden
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, wintry thriller, claustrophobic & isolated setting

Miss Freida and I have a love/hate relationship but one thing I will ALWAYS say is that she will always keep me furiously tearing through her books no matter how I feel about it.

This one is about a young woman who is 8 months pregnant, without a job and being threatened by the father of her baby. Desperate for help, she sets out for her brother’s house during a storm and ends up stranded after she’s in an accident. An older couple on a remote farmhouse come to her aid but the more she’s there she starts to think maybe she ran from one bad situation to another.

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: murder mystery/crime thriller, “fixer” to the wealthy and powerful, Silicon Valley setting

This one looks a little different than what I normally gravitate to in this genre but it looks like it hooks you from start to finish and has been getting some good buzz. Also, I really like the “fixer” type characters.

This one is a murder mystery, set in the underbelly of Silicon Valley and written by an industry insider, and features a an ambitious woman who is a “fixer” for a huge venture capitalist.

Her latest problem to resolve involves one of her boss’s biggest investments being frozen (dead money) after the murder of the CEO of this new, hot startup and the clause he added recently to his. It’s up to her to find out who murdered him among the suspect list, which means investigating some of the Valley’s biggest players, and resolve the money issue for her boss.

We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological suspense/thriller, conspiracy theories, paranoia

A family begins to realize, after even more strange encounters and threats occur, that a deadly accident that changed their family forever might not have been an accident after all and they are being targeted because of something from the past.

This one looks SO good but also kind of scary plausible in the times we are living in watching people latch on to things that spread online and becoming unhinged.

The Psychopath Next Door by Mark Edwards
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological suspense thriller, neighborhood thriller, revenge

A family moves to a brand new neighborhood for a fresh start — a fresh start that is dampened a bit when their 12 year old daughter gets bullied by the boys across the street. But they are relieved when the lady who lives next door steps in and offers to keep an eye on their daughter. Little do they know that this woman is the last person they’d want to take their daughter under her wing.

P.S. This one is on Kindle Unlimited.

So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, toxic friendship drama, bachelorette party setting, multi POV

Three high school friends, whose friendship dynamic has been tense in their adult years, travel to Wales for a bachlorette party for one of their own with hopes of relaxation and quality time together at a secluded B&B. Before the weekend is over, somebody winds up dead as the girls contend with long-buried secrets they’ve kept from one another and guests who might not be what they seem.

The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: crime thriller, set in Ireland, serial killer, police detective main character

A retired detective, living a life of peace and seclusion in a seaside village, is lured out for the very case that haunts her and drove her to this life — Ireland’s most prolific serial killer whose capture launched her career now has a copycat.

The Family Inside by Katie Garner
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, domestic suspense, creepy house setting

I’ve HEARD this one has some Frieda McFadden vibes if you are into her books but I will be sure to update when I do read this one if I think that’s accurate. This one sounds so intriguing!

Life has unraveled for Iris ever since her husband’s murder three years ago. Facing eviction and needing to provide for her teenage daughter, she takes up her perfect new boyfriend’s offer to give them housing in his mother’s old mansion while he works on the renovation of the home.

The living arrangement isn’t quite what she thought it’d be she finds his entire family will also be living there but that’s not where the surprises end as she learns more about the family she’s sharing a roof with.

Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan & Greg Wands
Out January 28, 2025

At a glance: suspense, game of cat & mouse, con/grifter, dysfunctional family

Two estranged siblings must work together to track down the man who they believe had a hand in their mother’s death and ran off with their inheritance in order to clear their own names off the suspect list.

Mystery & Thriller Books Out In February 2025

A Girl Like us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: thriller, Succession vibes, early 2000s setting, glitz and glamour, family drama, locked room vibes

Maya Miller is a former reality tv star and has just married into one of the most famous and wealthy families in the world. When the family’s heiress to the fortune is found murdered, Maya is shockingly the one to become the new heiress but also the prime suspect. Forced into a family lockdown at the family’s ancestral home, Maya knows she needs to figure out who actually killed her – someone she assumes is there right now – to clear her name but she’ll have to unravel family secrets as well as guard her own to do so.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: murder mystery, writer retreat setting, locked room, revenge

An aspiring writer uses a chance at hosting an exclusive writer’s retreat to carry out a revenge murder plot on one of the invitees in a group of thriller writers. Using their elaborately planned week of games and riddles as cover for her murder plot, she is shocked when a murder happens and it is NOT the one she planned leaving her to realize she’s in the middle of someone else’s game.

The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: dark academia mystery/thriller, elite boarding school, “the dark side” of the entertainment industry vibes, female friendship

The story centers around the ultra-elite and secretive Dollhouse Academy — an intense boarding school that is incubator of talent in the entertainment industry. The story follows aspiring actresses and best friends who have been accepted into the Dollhouse Academy after years of trying to make it in the biz. As they get deeper into the intense program, the darker side of things reveals itself with varying levels of success start paving the way to jealousy and threatening messages that become increasingly more disturbing. The other perspective is from the diary of one of the program’s biggest stars that chronicles something darker going on and what the true cost of fame is here.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: historical mystery, 1930s setting, literary world

The Queens of Crime is a secret society of sorts that is formed by the greatest women in crime fiction during the 1930’s as a way to to prove they are just as good as the male crime writers of the day. Their mission is to work together to solve a high-profile murder to prove themselves but, as they investigate the crime, one of them is targeted by the killer.

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: dark thriller with some Thursday Murder Club vibes, senior citizens amateur sleuthing, small town setting

Best friends Shelby and Mackenzie, living in a sleepy small Minnesota town, lives both changed one night 15 months ago when Shelby was brutally attacked and Mackenzie’s husband has just up and disappeared. Shelby has finally started to move past the attack when she receives a threatening note with something reminiscent of what the attacker said. Things get even worse and more intense with targeted threats when a podcast run by some well-meaning local senior citizens goes viral and puts Shelby’s case in front of a lot of eyes.

The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: police procedural meets Gothic locked-room mystery, Scottish island setting, atmospheric, folklore

Two detectives are sent to a tiny island, notorious for the unsolved mystery of three lighthouse keepers who vanished, after a young man is found dead near the same lighthouse. They are met with hostility by some of the islanders, who aren’t going to make the case easy for them to solve, and one of them feels a creeping feeling that something feels off about this community.

No Comfort for the Dead by R.P. O’Donnell
Out February 11, 2025

At a glance: mystery, 1980s setting, Ireland setting, character driven

A small town librarian (and ex-cop who had to leave the force) witnesses a murder and is forced to investigate the crime herself when the police don’t believe her about what she saw and arrest who she believes to be the wrong man.

The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose
Out February 18, 2025

At a glance: young adult, dark academia thriller, boarding school, revenge, twins

A teen pretends to be her dead twin sister and takes her place at boarding school in order to find out why she didn’t want to go back there and then ended up dead. The police say it was an accident but she knows someone is to blame so she’ll infiltrate to uncover the secrets and truths she knows are out there and avenge her sister when she finds out who is to blame.

White Out by R.S. Burnett
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: survival thriller, claustrophobic Antarctica setting, isolation

A research scientist, who has been working at a remote field station deep in the Antarctic for the past four months away from her loved ones, loses all communications with her base camp and receives an ominous emergency radio transmission that nuclear war has broken out. Wondering if she’s one of the last humans on earth and knowing the valuable research she has that could help save the planet, she fights to stay alive with dwindling supplies and harsh conditions.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: thriller, hostage situation, domestic/family themes

I love the “how well do you really know those close to you?” setups in my suspense and thriller books. This one looks absolutely nail-biting!

It’s about a woman who, on her first day back to work after having her new baby, wakes up to her husband already gone for the day and a short cryptic note. Little does she know today will change her life when she’s informed there is a hostage situation in an abandoned warehouse and her quiet, sweet husband is the one holding them hostage much to her surprise.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: a speculative literary mystery, character study/case study, psychological, memory

I love Karen Thompson Walker’s books and this one looks so interesting and thought-provoking while weaving a mystery throughout. Definitely more on the literary fiction side.

A psychiatrist is called by police to see a young mother at a psychiatric hospital to figure out if she really is having some psychological distress that has caused her to lose the last couple days completely from her mind or if she faking it. The book dives into Dr. Byrd trying to tackle this mystifying case and sort through her blackouts, premonitions, the hallucinations that feel real talking to someone whose been long dead and her hyper-specific memory.

The Younger Woman by Cate Ray
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: domestic thriller, cat-and-mouse game, slow burn, secrets & betrayal

A newly empty nester realizes she actually hates her husband and says as much, after a few too many drinks, to a woman she meets at a bar — even saying she wishes he was dead. Unfortunately she has no idea that the mysterious young woman may not be who she says she is and she just made a big mistake in confessing that to a woman with her own secret.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: psychological horror thriller, creepier vibes, witchy, Midsommar meets Haunting of Hill House, remote English village setting

If you like your thrillers a bit creepier or on the more horror side, check this one out.

It follows a recently graduated child psychologist who, with a journalist she met recently at a grief group, travels to aid in the case of a young teen who claims to be haunted/possessed by a witch. As she tries to help figure out what is going on, the symptoms get worse and more disturbing and she finds the small town and its people to be quite unsettling.

Seems Perfect by Rebecca Hanover
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, roommates from hell

A woman, whose finances are falling apart, puts out an ad for roommates to help things financially and she ends up choosing Pip who seems like the perfect choice. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know that Pip is a professional squatter with a teenager in tow and plans to totally make herself at home. The standoff between the two warring roommates intensifies when a neighbor is murdered and they both are suspects.

Close Your Eyes And Count To 10
Out February 25, 2025

At a glance: action-packed thriller, reality tv, extreme hide and seek game, survival

This one seems like the perfect fast-paced, action-filled slump breaker when you need something to really hook you!

It’s about a single mom, in need of money, who decides to compete in a streaming reality competition for influencers called Extreme Hide and Seek hosted by a daredevil social media star and his company. It’s all fun and games until it turns into a race for survival between the relentless competition, a strong storm blowing in and a deadly threat.

Mystery & Thriller Books Out In March 2025

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
Out March 4, 2025

At a glance: suspense thriller, unreliable narrator, nanny to a wealthy family, secrets

I always love a good unreliable narrator, if it’s done right, and this one sounds compelling since we know the main character is a compulsive liar off the bat.

Sloane worms her way into the life of a wealthy family with a lie that gets her a job as their new nanny. As she becomes more embedded in their lives she realizes she might not be the only liar and secrets might be lurking in this picture perfect family.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Out March 4, 2025

At a glance: literary mystery, slow burn, climate fiction, nature, character-driven

This is one of my most anticipated books for the year as Charlotte McConaghy’s books just hit all the right notes for me.

This one is a slower burn literary mystery that focuses on climate crisis and nature with a romantic subplot. It’s less genre mystery/thriller than many on this list but if you like more literary books, climate fiction or a slower burn mystery — check this one out.

A father and his children are the last residents left on a small island off the coast of Antarctica, once teaming with researchers, as they look after the world’s largest seed bank until they can pack the seeds all up and take them along with them to safety. With rising sea levels and worsening storms, it’s become time to leave. One awful storm brings a mysterious woman to their shores and they take her in after her harrowing experience. As they spend more time together, the family wonders what the real truth is about her appearance on this isolated island and the woman discovers she isn’t the only one holding tight to secrets.

You Killed Me First by John Marrs
Out March 4, 2025

At a glance: psychological domestic thriller, fast-paced & over the top, suburbia, deadly friendships

I discovered John Marrs books a few years ago and went on the most intense binge because I really love his books! While I do tend to love his speculative thrillers more, I will read any thriller he writes and this one looks SUPER fun.

It’s the story of new-to-the-neighborhood Liv and two women in the neighborhood who befriend her. All three harbor their own secrets and 11 months later one woman will see just how deadly some secrets are as she wakes up, moments from being engulfed in flames, bound and trapped in the middle of a giant bonfire.

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi
Out March 11, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, murder, obsession

Claire, a woman who endured a rough childhood thanks to her mother, is finally in her happily ever after with her fiance. Or at least she thinks until she shows up to his work to surprise him with lunch and is told her fiance doesn’t work there. When he ignores her completely, she starts digging and realizes her fiance has a whole other life with another woman. This plunges her into an obsession for answers and to get her dream life back.

All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
Out March 11, 2025

At a glance: humorous domestic suspense, social satire, amateur sleuthing, mom MC

This one sounds fun and I love a bit of a irreverent, anti-hero type character and humor in my amateur sleuthing.

Flo, once a member of a semi-popular girl group, is now a hot mess single mom to a 10 year old boy who she loves fiercely. They aren’t exactly popular at the posh school her son goes to — the moms don’t like her and her son is being constantly bullied by the son of one mom.

When her son’s tormentor goes missing and he becomes a suspect in his disappearance, she goes into full mom mode to find the missing boy and clear her son’s name — even though she thinks her son knows more than he’s telling.

You Deserve to Know by Aggie Blum Thompson
Out March 11, 2025

At a glance: domestic suspense, suburban neighborhood scandal/drama, D.C setting

Neighborhood suspense is sub-genre I genuinely can’t get enough and just love the delicious dive into suburban scandal and the darker side to otherwise idyllic looking neighborhoods.

A neighborhood and close-knit friend group unravels when one of their husband’s is found murdered. What was once a close support system turns into a web of deception, betrayal and revenge as old tensions and secrets come to the surface.

The Usual Family Mayhem by Helenkay Dimon
Out March 11, 2025

At a glance: humorous cozy mystery, romantic caper, dessert-filled

Looking for a good cozy mystery to curl up with? Check out this humorous new release filled with what looks like pie-making, vigilante old ladies.

A woman impulsively pitches her grandmother’s small dessert business to the investors at her job, without her knowledge, and must get them on board when the pitch delights her boss. When she goes home to sell the idea to her grandmother and her business partner/live-in “bff”, she gets the idea something strange is going on with the business.

The big kicker, amidst all the secretive business at the shop, is the report of mysterious deaths amongst abusive men in the area and all of them had a pie delivery from her grandmother recently. She teams up with her long-time crush (and nephew to her grandmother’s friend) to figure out what they are hiding.

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch
Out March 18, 2025

At a glance: literary thriller, Thelma & Louise vibes, murder-y, dark humor, social commentary

The thing that really put this on my radar was a comment saying to check this one out if you liked My Sister, The Serial Killer because I have been looking for more books in that vein.

Evie, an SAT tutor, stumbles upon the bodies of her rich employers who seem to have been brutally murdered and a woman being held captive in the home. Fearing that they will be suspects after being spotted, the two women flee the scene and become the fugitives at the center of the manhunt – with Evie becoming a bit of a celebrity in the news – as she tries to figure out the real killer before the police close in.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead
Out March 18, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, true crime communities/sleuths, ripped from the headlines

I really enjoyed In My Dreams I Hold A Knife (a great dark academia mystery) and The Last Housewife (a disturbingly dark cult thriller) and I’m so excited for this new one from Ashley Winstead!

After the death of her father, a college student becomes obsessed with true crime and finds herself in community with true crime aficionados and armchair detectives who teach her all about hunting killers from afar.

When news breaks of three college girls being murdered in Idaho and the case has the eye of everyone, Jane and her amateur sleuthing friends are determined to solve the crime first which catapults them into danger in a case far more elaborate than any they’ve seen before.

Salt Water by Katy Hays
Out March 25, 2025

At a glance: slow burn suspense & murder mystery, family drama & secrets, atmospheric Capri setting

When Sarah Lingate was found dead below the cliffs of Capri, it was ruled an accident despite the suspicion on the family. Every year since her death the family spends the anniversary of her death together in Capri. When the family comes together for the 30th anniversary of her dead, they are shocked to find a surprise waiting for them that will turn this family reunion upside down.

Retreat by Krysten Ritter
Out March 25, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, beachy Mexico setting, con artist, wealthy & elite community

Liz, a serial con artist adept at fitting in any circle, takes a job at a wealthy socialite’s luxurious beach retreat. When she’s mistaken for the wealthy socialite herself, she decides that she’ll go along with it and impersonate this woman. As she dives deeper into the woman’s life, she’ll realize there may be more to the woman’s life than she could have understood and she is caught up in a dangerous world.

Mystery & Thriller Books Out In April 2025

10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte
Out April 1, 2025

At a glance: cozy crime/mystery, for fans of Only Murders in the Building & Thursday Night Murder Club, amateur sleuthing, London setting

My husband and I can’t get enough of Only Murders in the Building and I’ve been looking for some books that might take away the pain of waiting for a new season.

This looks perfect as it is set in a small residential block of flats in London and two residents – at the behest of the landlady – who are hired to investigate the murder of one of the residents. Amateur sleuthing, an eccentric group of residents and plenty of secrets!

The Last Session by Julia Bartz
Out April 1, 2025

At a glance: locked room thriller, wellness cult, New Mexico desert, trauma

A social worker meets a troubled patient who brings up a dark and traumatic time in her past. When the patient abruptly disappears, she’s unable to let it go and follows clues that lead her to infiltrate a remote wellness center in New Mexico run by a charismatic couple.

Murder At Gulls Nest by Jess Kid
Out April 8, 2025

At a glance: cozy historical mystery, 1950s setting, seaside town, amateur sleuthing

I LOVED Jess Kidd’s Things in Jars so I am excited for this cozier historical mystery about a former nun who sets out for a small seaside town, in hopes to find answers in the mysterious disappearance of her pen pal, and finds some interesting group of characters in town and an accumulating body count.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
Out April 8, 2025

At a glance: mystery, sabotage, matchmaking family business, romance subplot

I’ve only read Aisha’s YA book Written in the Stars (loved!) and her picture book with my daughter but I’m excited for her adult debut!

It’s about a high end society matchmaker who has taken over her family’s business and realizes she’s being targeted when it becomes clear that someone is sabotaging the weddings of her clients in disturbing ways.

This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen
Out April 8, 2025

At a glance: murder mystery, locked room mystery in a mansion, amateur sleuthing

A grandmother and granddaughter duo are at the mansion of a local socialite for a charity auction when the party gets snowed in and the socialite host is found murdered in the mansion. The duo must use their talents to narrow down the suspects and survive the night in this mansion full of secret passageways, plenty of suspects and a piece of blackmail the host was holding over one of them.

Eat Slay Love by Julie Mae Cohen
Out April 8, 2025

At a glance: dark comedic thriller, friendship, revenge, feminist

Three very different women are brought together after they realize they have been lied to by the same man and get themselves in a mess of revenge and danger.

What Remains Of Teague House by Stacy Johns
Out April 8, 2025

At a glance: literary suspense, dysfunctional family saga, family secrets, multi-POV

When a family matriarch passes away, three adult siblings come home for their mother’s funeral and must contend with the dark secrets of their past after multiple graves are discovered behind their family home.

The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
Out April 15, 2025

At a glance: domestic suspense, character-driven, set in Paris, obsession, cat-and-mouse, multi POV

A woman didn’t expect she’d be arriving in Paris for her honeymoon alone in the way she had. In her sadness, she comes across a honeymooning couple who she quickly becomes intrigued with as they are living out a picture perfect life she wanted and starts following their every move — not hard to do since the wife posts everything on social media. But the couple has their own secrets and are not what they seem and her obsession with them could be deadly.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt
Out April 15, 2025

At a glance: mystery thriller, slower burn, inspired by a true crime, 1960s orphanage

This one is based on a true story related to St. Joseph’s Orphanage and the investigation of a writer into what really happened there after hearing stories from survivors.

It’s about a down-on-her-luck true crime writer who is hired to investigate and tell the story of an unsolved disappearance of a boy at a Vermont orphanage in the 1960’s and sort through the stories of the orphanage’s dark past.

As she works to solve this cold case and untangle what happened there many decades before, her investigation sets off a new murder that she believes is tied to the case and the orphanage’s past furthering her resolve to figure out what happened to the missing boy.

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Out April 15, 2025

At a glance: psychological suspense meets crime thriller, serial killer, marriage ripped apart by a crime/trauma

This one tells the story of a couple who survived a serial killer’s invasion into their home but whose marriage was shattered in the aftermath. Now, almost 30 years later, the divorced couple is reunited at the man’s sentencing and must relive that awful night and the loss of their marriage as they try to grasp for some sort of closure.

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
Out April 29, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, influencer/social media culture, dark secrets, twin identity switch

Separated at a young age after the death of their parents, two identical twins have barely had any contact in the years that followed and have completely different lives — one a supermarket cashier and the other a successful influencer who grew up wealthy.

A worrisome call sends Julie to New York where she discovers her twin is dead and lets a mistaken case of identity plop her right into her twin’s privileged life. As she steps into Chloe’s world and tries to take over her influencer life, she discovers not everything is what it seems from her twin’s social media life.

Mystery & Thriller Books Out In May 2025

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
Out May 6, 2025

At a glance: mystery, true crime vibes, missing persons, sisters, amateur sleuthing

Two women, their only bond being that their sisters went missing within weeks of each other seven years ago, come together to figure out the connection between the cases and finally figure out what happened to both of their sisters all those years ago.

The Tenant by Frieda McFadden
Out May 6, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, domestic suspense, roommate from hell, male MC

I said this earlier this year (because apparently Frieda is a writing machine with 2 releases out this year) but Frieda and I are always so up and down but I ALWAYS look forward to them. This one sounds dark and full of secrets.

After being abruptly fired from his job and struggling to make his mortgage payment on his new home, Blake and his fiance open up their home to a tenant in order to keep afloat. Everything about Whitney, the new tenant renting a room, seems perfect until things start to go wrong and he’s not sure Whitney is who she says she is.

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra
Out May 6, 2025

At a glance: psychological suspense thriller, dysfunctional family, family secrets

The Jansen family, recently relocated from Australia to L.A. for the patriarch’s career, unravels in one weekend when 20-something Olivia Jansen wakes up after a party covered in bruises and remembering nothing.

Both Olivia and her brother Caspar notice their parents are acting strange, the daughter’s bedroom door is padlocked until further notice and Casper keeps noticing his sister keeps disappearing in the middle of the night which leads him to find out what really happened that weekend if nobody else will talk about it.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Out May 6, 2025

At a glance: fun popcorn thriller, missing persons, family secrets/dysfunction, campus setting, true crime-y, multi POV

Five families are having a great time at the opening festivities of Parents Weekend to celebrate their children’s freshmen year at their small Northern California college. After a late night, everybody plans to reconvene for dinner but the students never show up.

Hours pass with still no word from them prompting a massive search to find them, especially in light of a recent student death, and plenty of time for each student’s parent to wonder if something in their life is the reason for the disappearances.

I’m excited that FBI Agent Sarah Keller makes an appearance again in this one as I loved her in The Night Shift. This book wholly stands alone though if you don’t know that character.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
Out May 13, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, serial killer, father/son relationship, trauma, psychology

Ooh I love Alex North’s books and I still recommend The Whisper Man often.

After witnessing a crime and narrowly escaping a serial killer as a child, Dan Garvie has taken what has haunted him and used it to become a criminal profiler.

When his dad is presumed dead under mysterious circumstances, he returns to the community he grew up in to figure out what happened to his father and wondering if the monster from his childhood has returned.

The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield
Out May 20, 2025

At a glance: crime thriller, small town Australian setting, true crime/investigative journalist, fugitive MC, corruption & injustice

I really enjoyed some of Vikki Wakefield’s YA books back in the day (some of the best of Aussie YA!) and I’m excited for an adult mystery/thriller from her.

Twelve years ago started then 17 year old Sabine’s life as a fugitive after being the prime suspect of a fire that killed nine people in a trailer park community — including her mother and sister.

When she comes face-to-face with Rachel, a journalist who closely followed the case and has long suspected Sabine had stayed near the river she grew up on all these years, she decides it is time to break her silence and take the risk to clear her name.

The Safari by Jacklyn Goldis
Out May 20, 2025

At a glance: thriller, murder mystery, vivid South African safari setting, Succession-esque family vibes, rich people behaving badly, family drama

A wealthy family heads to South Africa for a wedding and an all-expenses paid luxury safari to celebrate with everyone at their favorite vacation spot. Amidst all the adventure and wedding buzz, family tensions spark and the soon-to-be bride is found murdered. It becomes clear though, as those suspected try to prove their innocence, that the killer isn’t done with the family yet.

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
Out May 20, 2025

At a glance: slow burn suspense, Southern Gothic-esque, small town secrets, atmospheric Bayou setting, social commentary, poverty, family bonds

A young woman has recently moved back to her rural Louisiana town when her estranged childhood friend, a girl who came from a family known as troublemakers, is found dead in the bayou.

Her death is ruled as a suicide but the young woman, wracked with guilt over her betrayal years ago and suspecting there’s something more with her death, decides to do right by her friend and find out what really happened.

As she investigates with the help of a ragtag group from the local paper, they find themselves in a deeper web of lies and corruption.

The Ascent by Allison Buccola
Out May 20, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, cults, unsolved mystery, trauma, motherhood

Lee Burton has done everything she can to put her past behind her and forge a new identity for herself apart from being the girl who, twenty years ago, was left alone when every member of the cult/commune her family was apart of vanished without a trace.

Now married and struggling in new motherhood, her secret as well as the safe & stable life she’s tried to build is threatened when a woman shows up claiming to have answers to her past.

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough
Out May 20, 2025

At a glance: eerie psychological suspense/thriller, Gothic vibes, creepy haunted house, marriage in peril

I actually just finished Behind Her Eyes (finally! I know!) and I’m really pumped for this one. It sounds definitely on the line of horror and thriller/suspense.

After an almost fatal accident and with a lot of healing left to go, Emily and her husband move from the city to a house in the country. But, while gorgeous, the house feels deeply off to Emily and strange things happen that only Emily seems to notice or only happen when she’s alone.

She begins to believe the house is being haunted by a murder victim, without any hard evidence besides the growing count of bizarre happenings, and becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the house even as her marriage is slowly crumbling. even more than it was before they came.

Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush
Out May 27, 2025

At a glance: psychological thriller, “good for her” vibes, trauma, grief, high school setting, small town

After ten years, Ren has reluctantly accepted a job at her high school — a past marred by the scandal that ruined her childhood and killed her sister who is still immortalized in town.

When she meets the charismatic psychics teacher, she notices the way everyone falls at his feet and she definitely notices his closeness to one of the female students in one of his classes. Refusing to allow the past to repeat itself, she vows to protect the girls in her small town at any cost and find out the truth when it appears girls are going missing again.