The most recommended new thrillers books

Who picked these books? Meet our 162 experts.

162 authors created a book list connected to new thrillers, and here are their favorite new thrillers books.
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Book cover of Snowglobe

Jeanne Boyarsky Author Of OCP Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 17 Developer Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-829

From Jeanne's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Jeanne's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Jeanne Boyarsky Why did Jeanne love this book?

Great book! The premise is that the world is inhospitable with an average temperature of -50F and highs of -17F. There are two domed cities that are better. One is SnowGlobe where almost everyone is on reality tv. The other is for retirees of SnowGlobe. Well some retirees. I say almost everyone as the directors of the reality shows and the ruling family are exempt from being on camera all the time.

Everyone dreams of being in SnowGlobe where it is a good temperature. They want to give up their privacy. Everyone in the world watches. There are stars. People stay in SnowGlobe as long as they are watchable. They all aspire to be stars as the best actor of the year gets a job as the "weather presenter" and stay in SnowGlobe forever.

The weather presenter job idea is cool. Since all weather is artificially it is generated withā€¦

By Soyoung Park, Joungmin Lee Comfort (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Snowglobe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢ The groundbreaking Korean phenomenon that Entertainment Weekly called ā€œThe Hunger Games meets Squid Gameā€ā€”now in English for the first time!

ā€œAn immersive and utterly addictive dark dystopian thriller . . . with the eerie, desperate, and exhilarating vibes of Snowpiercer and The Hunger Games.ā€ ā€”Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter coldā€”but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart.

**The gorgeous first edition hardcover of Snowglobe features two covers in one (aā€¦


Book cover of Looking for Smoke

Vanessa L. Torres Author Of On the Wings of la Noche

From Vanessa's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Vanessa's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Vanessa L. Torres Why did Vanessa love this book?

Looking for Smoke is a thriller, set on the Blackfeet reservation. It is no wonder why this book was chosen as the Fall YA pick for the Reese Book Club. Looking for Smoke is told in five different points of view, one of which is a mystery voice. Cobell's writing is exceptional in it's depth of character and the ability to make each POV distinct and palpable. I was drawn into a world I know so little about. There simply are not enough books out there from indigenous authors. We certainly need more like this one. I was captured until the very end.

By K.A. Cobell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Looking for Smoke as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK - A literary-thriller murder mystery, set within a Native American community for fans of Firekeeper's Daughter, Sadie and the One of Us Is Lying series by a debut own voices author

Since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, Mara Racette has felt like an outsider, taunted by her tight-knit classmates for growing up far away. So, when a local girl includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor her missing sister, Mara thinks she'll finally make some friends.

Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered.
Becauseā€¦


Book cover of Warrior Girl Unearthed

Bradley W. Wright Author Of Infinity Blast and the Space Weapon of Doom

From Bradley's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Teacher Technologist Owl enthusiast Reader

Bradley's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Bradley W. Wright Why did Bradley love this book?

I read this book because I loved Fire Keeperā€™s Daughter. Boulleyā€™s writing is gripping. Her characters are fully realized, and her fast-moving plots are unpredictable.

I have a middle-grade novel in production that is about my great-grandfather (Dakota/Ojibwe ancestry, born and raised in the Minnesota territory). While writing the book, I read every middle-grade and YA novel I could find by native writers.

This YA novel told a great story and told it well. It was good to catch up with the characters from Fire Keeperā€™s Daughter and learn more about the protagonist, Perryā€”a great character with a strongly rendered personality.

By Angeline Boulley,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Warrior Girl Unearthed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A Financial Times Best YA Summer Book 2023

#1 New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley takes us back into the world of Firekeeper's Daughter in this high-stakes mystery about the power of discovering your stolen history.

HONOUR YOUR ROOTS. BREAK THE RULES. UNCOVER THE TRUTH.

Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laid-back twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Whilst her overachieving sister works away at an internship, Perry's holiday plans mostly involve doing absolutely nothing.

But her carefree summer is brought to an abrupt end when she meets 'Warrior Girl', a Nativeā€¦


Book cover of She Is a Haunting

Nicole M. Wolverton Author Of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters

From my list on YA books to launch you into the autumn spooky season.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a Pushcart-nominated writer of (mostly) young adult and adult horror and suspense. I primarily write about the fear of isolated and sparsely populated places, which makes sense: I grew up in the rural hinterlands of northeast Pennsylvania, steeped in dark cornfields, eerie quiet, and weird characters. I now live in the Philadelphia area with my husband and rescue dog in a creaky, century-old house, giving myself agita about the creepy crawlspace in the basement. Iā€™m the author of two novels: A Misfortune of Lake Monsters (YA horror, July 2024) and The Trajectory of Dreams (adult psychological suspense, 2013).

Nicole's book list on YA books to launch you into the autumn spooky season

Nicole M. Wolverton Why did Nicole love this book?

Jade, the protagonist, is just about to start college, so the ā€œWhat I did on my summer vacationā€ essay assignments are likely far behind her, yet I found myself wondering how she would describe her summer trip to Vietnam to stay with her estranged father in his haunted and haunting French colonial villa restoration project.

Come for the colonialism and generational trauma; stay for the ghosts and the bugs and the excellent world-building around food culture (all of which are intertwined.) What makes this book so visceral for me personally is Jadeā€™s anger at her father, so intense that it seems to permeate every inch of the house and the words on the page, and the sense of being Other in so many ways. 

This is the perfect book to read on one of those stormy, sweltering summer nights when each bolt of lightning highlights the shadows lurking in theā€¦

By Trang Thanh Tran,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked She Is a Haunting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

This house eats and is eaten . . . "A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which Jade's father is determined to restore a decrepit home to its former glory and Jade is the only person who feels the soul-crushing devastation of colonialism lingering within its walls." --Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper's Daughter A House with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with herā€¦


Book cover of Your Lonely Nights Are Over

Aaron H. Aceves Author Of This Is Why They Hate Us

From my list on books about queer boys written by queer men.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I never saw myself fully represented in fiction. I only glimpsed pieces of my younger self reflected in novels about queer or queer-coded characters, and so I made it my lifeā€™s mission to give teenage me exactly what he wanted. As a YA author whose queer male readers are not always young adults, the message I get the most is, ā€œI wish I had this as a teen.ā€ While I often feel this way as well, I still know that reading the five books I recommended (as well as my own) at any age is life-affirming for queer men like myself. 

Aaron's book list on books about queer boys written by queer men

Aaron H. Aceves Why did Aaron love this book?

Sassā€™s first novel, Surrender Your Sons, is a favorite of mine, so itā€™s no surprise that this book, a queer horror novel reminiscent of Scream, is a riot and an absolute page-turner.

It contains all the best elements of slasher movies and teen comedies alike, and unabashedly gay characters with wit and sharp edges kept me invested all the way until the storyā€™s climactic ending. 

By Adam Sass,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Your Lonely Nights Are Over as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Scream meets Clueless in this YA horror from Adam Sass in which two gay teen BFFs find their friendship tested when a serial killer starts targeting their schoolā€™s Queer Club.

Dearie and Cole are inseparable, unlikeable, and (in bad luck for them) totally unbelievable.

From the day they met, Dearie and Cole have been two against the world. But whenever something bad happens at Stone Grove High School, they get blamed. Why? Theyā€™re beautiful, flirtatious, dangerously clever queen bees, and theyā€™re always ready to call out their fellow students. But theyā€™ve never faced a bigger threat than surviving senior year,ā€¦


Book cover of Their Vicious Games

Sami Ellis Author Of Dead Girls Walking

From my list on the bloodiest YA books for bad bitches.

Why am I passionate about this?

Maybe it was too much reality TV growing up, especially being raised on figures like Tiffany "New York" Pollard or A Different World's Whitley Gilbert, but bad girl protagonists are insta-buys for me. I love them, and I have a particular fondness for when they're black girls. We're already seen as so angry, but bad girl books show you not only why a girl could get to be so angry but also that you ain't seen nothing yet. I need more people to see how much joy there is in rage, and I chose to explain it with YA horror because it's a genre so driven by catharsis and mood that it's a perfect fit.

Sami's book list on the bloodiest YA books for bad bitches

Sami Ellis Why did Sami love this book?

This book was Beautiful Gowns but make it horrorā€”and I loved every second of it. While more of a thriller than horror, the kills in this one stick with me like its comparative film, Ready or Not did.

Our main character is the resident bad girl of her private school, and once she's lost everything she worked for, she's not afraid to be the villain for the bag. I love reading about ambitious girls who leave scratch marks behind them, and Adina practically plows through the book, telling everyone, "This is not America's Next Top Best Friend." Not afraid to lie, cheat, or steal your man, Iā€™m still glad she got everything she wanted - especially because she took it for herself.

By Joelle Wellington,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Their Vicious Games as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

ā€œA brutally honest and haunting cautionary taleā€¦exposing the lie that is meritocracy and the unrelenting toll that being a final girl takes. A bloody tale spun masterfullyā€¦a dark delight.ā€ ā€”Faridah ƀbĆ­kĆ©-ƍyĆ­mĆ­dĆ©, New York Times bestselling author of Ace of Spades

A Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes arenā€™t just high, theyā€™re deadly, in this ā€œspine-chilling thrillerā€ (Publishers Weekly).

You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time sheā€™s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academyā€”a school forā€¦


Book cover of Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch

Sai Marie Johnson Author Of A Toddling Mystery

From Sai's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Gothic author Screenwriter Poet Activist Humanitarian Earth Wanderer

Sai's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Sai Marie Johnson Why did Sai love this book?

Codie Crowley delivers a fun, enigmatic and badass character in Annie Lane. I truly loved this read and though it was fast paced I took my time to thoroughly enjoy this book and was so happy I did. The lush way Codie writes is breathtaking with detail and immerses you into her world seamlessly. It's a fun, spooky and cozy read that is perfect for spooky season. šŸ‘»

Book cover of Sold: What will it take to find freedom?

Alison Prowle Author Of Strength-based Practice with Children and Families

From my list on finding hope following childhood adversity.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in the South Wales Valleys during the 1970s and 80s, I witnessed firsthand the effects of multiple adversities on the lives of those around me. Life was difficult for many families in the area as they battled with poverty, ill health, and lack of opportunity. I watched many amazing, creative, and talented young people fail to realise their potential. This sparked a passion and a career for supportive intervention with families and young children. It is my aim to help equip the workforce to better understand and respond to childhood adversity, be trauma aware, advocate for childrenā€™s rights, and make a positive difference in the lives of children and young people.

Alison's book list on finding hope following childhood adversity

Alison Prowle Why did Alison love this book?

I am always looking for books that can help children and young adults to understand difficult issues. Endorsed by EmpathyLab, Sold is an extraordinary novel that explores the world of trafficking and modern-day slavery from the perspective of Roza, a fifteen-year-old Albanian girl who comes to the UK expecting a better life but finds herself trapped into a life of domestic servitude.

In this riveting read, Roza exemplifies human resilience, courage, and determination. She is a great example of an individual building on her own strengths and the help of those around her to overcome immense adversity.

Aimed at young adults, this book can also be beneficial to practitioners who can use it to prompt discussion about adversity, human trafficking, and young peopleā€™s resilience.

By Sue Barrow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

15-year-old Roza thinks she's leaving Albania for better things in the UK.

However, when she arrives, she realizes this is a lie. Her father has sold her to get out of debt. The Braka family now consider her their property. They work her hard, beat and starve her, and refuse to let her go out. But she must tell people they are her parents. When she runs to the police, her captors show them a forged birth certificate. She is dismissed as attention-seeking and returned to them for punishment.

She doesn't think life can get much worse. But when sheā€¦


Book cover of The Invocations

Stacy Stokes Author Of The Darkness Rises

From my list on thrillers with a dash of magic.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was in fifth grade when I brought home my first paranormal thriller from the library. It was love at first read. Since then, Iā€™ve broadened my reading horizons to many fiction genres, but fast-paced stories grounded in our world with a dash of magic continue to be my favorite. The same can be said of my viewing habitsā€”give me shows like Severance or Black Mirror, and Iā€™ll be glued to the screen all day long. It probably doesnā€™t surprise anyone that it is my favorite entertainment genre and writing genre. Many of the books on this list have served as inspirationā€”I hope you love them too!

Stacy's book list on thrillers with a dash of magic

Stacy Stokes Why did Stacy love this book?

I love witches and serial killers as much as the next paranormal thriller fan, so I was truly delighted to learn that a book featured both.

Not only that, but the way the witches in this book get their power is truly unique andā€”sorry, not sorry for the punā€”spellbinding. The only thing I didnā€™t like about this book was that it ended.   

By Krystal Sutherland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Invocations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider-that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from theā€¦


Book cover of Darkly
Book cover of Snowglobe
Book cover of Looking for Smoke

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