The best mystery and thriller books of 2026

Book recommendations

Jun 7

Written By The Bookish Bulletin

Best 2026 thriller mystery books

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What are the best mystery and thriller books of 2026?

If you're looking for the best mystery and thriller books of 2026, this list highlights the new releases I believe every suspense reader should have on their radar. From psychological thrillers and murder mysteries to crime fiction, domestic suspense, and supernatural thrillers, these are the books generating the most excitement for me this year.

Featured authors include Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, Riley Sager, Tana French, Louise Penny, Alice Feeney, Shari Lapena, Mary Kubica, Simone St. James, and many more. Whether you're searching for shocking twists, chilling cold cases, unreliable narrators, family secrets, or can't-put-down suspense, you'll find plenty of books to add to your TBR.

This list is entirely subjective and reflects the mystery and thriller books I'm personally most excited to read, recommend, and follow throughout 2026. It's also an evolving list that I'll continue updating as new titles are announced and additional releases catch my attention.

If you're building your 2026 reading list or searching for your next great page-turner, these are the mystery and thriller books I think deserve a place on every suspense fan's radar.

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Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena

Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena

$0.00

From the bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

They wanted to protect their dream home. Now Jill and Ted are planning a murder and realizing too late that the real danger might be each other.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead

$0.00

From national bestselling author Ashley Winstead

When Hollywood's hottest murder case makes pop star Scout the prime suspect, solving her sister Georgia's death becomes her only chance at survival.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 4, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Wife Between Us

In 1964, four women vanished during secret psychic experiments. Decades later, Riley enters a house untouched by time and steps straight into the aftermath.

PREORDER NOW

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Divorce by Freida McFadden

The Divorce by Freida McFadden

$0.00

From internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden

Naomi’s marriage is over, her life dismantled—but she’s not walking away quietly. As she fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend, she uncovers secrets that could change everything.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Beneath a Broken Sky by Joshua Moehling

Beneath a Broken Sky by Joshua Moehling

$0.00

In the sweltering aftermath of a tornado, Detective Ben Packard hunts a killer through a town fractured by fear, homophobia, and secrets nobody wants uncovered.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Unknown by Riley Sager

The Unknown by Riley Sager

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 4, 2026

From the bestselling author of eight novels

In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

PREORDER NOW

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

$0.00

From the author of million copy bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time

In the Texas desert, Simone's daughter vanishes. A phone demands Simone commit a crime for Lucy's return, but becoming a wanted woman brings escalating dangers.

AMAZON (Canada/US)

AMAZON (UK)

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

$0.00

From the New York Times bestselling author of Darling Girls

Eighty-one-year-old Elsie harbors a deadly secret: people in her life mysteriously die. When a curious new girl moves in and befriends her, Elsie's carefully hidden, murderous past threatens to come crashing down.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Keeper by Tana French

The Keeper by Tana French

$0.00

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 from the bestselling author of The Searcher

A girl’s death divides a quiet Irish village, and Cal Hooper is forced to choose sides until the truth reveals something far more dangerous than anyone expected.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Miss Wolcott's Ghost by Louise Penny

Miss Wolcott's Ghost by Louise Penny

$0.00

COMING OUT
OCTOBER 20, 2026

Part of the bestselling Three Pines crime series

The new mystery in Louise Penny's number one New York Times-bestselling Three Pines crime series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

PREORDER NOW

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung

$0.00

From the bestselling author of the Armand Gamache series

When alarms erupt worldwide, Vivien and Alice race to uncover a hidden message while powerful forces try to silence them.
Read my book review

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

$0.00

From New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

Ana's brunch with friends quickly turns dark when news of her ex's fate and a friend's illness make her a prime suspect. She and her sister must uncover a secret vengeance network before Ana is framed.
Read my review

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

$0.00

From the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods, No One Can Know, and A Killing Cold

Stranger is trapped in the dark, with only her imagination and the scribbles on the wall left by long-dead girls to keep her company. Nearly out of food and water, she makes one last attempt to escape.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding

Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding

$0.00

From the bestselling author of The Drowning Woman

Curtis swears the affair meant nothing. But when Sydney lets two travelers into their Spanish hideaway, she learns betrayal is only the beginning.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

$0.00

They survived the shame of their husbands’ crimes. When fresh bodies appear, Beverley, Elsie, and Margot decide survival isn’t enough—they want justice.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

$0.00

From the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

A lakeside scream leads Courtney Gray to a double murder, a missing teenager, and an investigation that forces her to question everyone—including her own family.

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

$0.00

From the bestselling author of The Housemaid

As her career collapses and her marriage fractures, advice columnist Debbie Mullen decides to solve her own problems the same way she solved everyone else’s.

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

$0.00

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Ugly

Eden Fox discovers her new home harbors a doppelgänger, sparking a mind-bending mystery where her identity blurs with a stranger, revealing deadly secrets.

AMAZON (Canada/US)

AMAZON (UK)

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

$0.00

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell

A lost dog leads Jane back to a house she once fled, where a missing girl, a silent woman, and a familiar dread suggest the past is repeating itself.
Read my book review

AMAZON (Canada/US)

AMAZON (UK)

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

$0.00

Sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster The Last Thing He Told Me

Five years after Owen vanished, he reappears at Hannah's exhibition, jeopardizing their new life. Hannah and Bailey flee from danger, risking everything for safety.

AMAZON

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

$0.00

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs

In hurricane-ravaged St. Medard’s Bay, innkeeper Geneva teams up with Lo Bailey, the notorious murder suspect, to uncover deadly secrets—while a new storm threatens to unleash long-buried truths and destroy everyone involved.
Read my book review

AMAZON

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

$0.00

From the bestselling author of First Lie Wins

Two women trade lives for one night to expose secrets—but when a husband turns up dead, only one has an alibi, and trust becomes the most dangerous game.

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

$0.00

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel

Siblings return to the house they fled eighteen years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request to come home.

BARNES & NOBLE

The Housewife by Natalie Barelli

The Housewife by Natalie Barelli

$0.00

From bestselling indie thriller writer Natalie Barelli

Jodie marries Roy and steps into a dream life… until she realizes his perfect house still belongs to his dead wife, and she might be next.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver

The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver

$0.00

Kate doesn’t believe in reincarnation… until a little girl’s memories reopen the cold case that destroyed her childhood.
Read by book review

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine

Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 18, 2026

From the bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish

A romance with a bestselling horror writer turns dangerous when Savannah moves into his secluded home and realizes she may be stepping into the same fate as his missing first wives.

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BOOKSHOP.ORG

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 25, 2026

The highly anticipated sequel to Big Little Lies

Ten years after Big Little Lies, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are back and this time, the secrets threatening them involve their teenage children.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Not a Word by Linwood Barclay

Not a Word by Linwood Barclay

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 25, 2026

From multi-bestselling author Linwood Barclay

After discovering his father murdered beside another woman, Reece learns the real nightmare isn’t the crime scene—it’s the lies his family buried for decades.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier

Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier

$0.00

COMING OUT
AUGUST 25, 2026

One of the most anticipated books of 2026!

A serial killer recants his long-ago confession regarding a small-town high school girl―and her then-best friends are forced to confront what really happened that night.

PREORDER NOW

BOOKSHOP.ORG

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