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 When We Were Silent

Sarah Seltzer Author Of The Singer Sisters

From Sarah's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Sarah's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Sarah Seltzer Why did Sarah love this book?

By Fiona McPhillips,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When We Were Silent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover the dark boarding school psychological thriller, an exploration of power, corruption and retribution, perfect for fans of Girl A, My Dark Vanessa and Anatomy of a Scandal.

'Excruciating suspense' Stephen King
'One of the most compelling books I've ever read...compulsive, tender and chilling' Jessica Bull, author of Miss Austen Investigates
'A powerful, unforgettable read' Andrea Mara, bestselling author of No One Saw A Thing
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"I'm not here for prestige. I'm here for revenge."

Lou Manson is an outsider when she joins the final-year class at Highfield Manor, Dublin's most exclusive private school.

Beyond the granite pillars and the…


Book cover of Seven Sisters

L.A. Larkin Author Of Next Girl Missing

From my list on suspense and mystery about women who fight back.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in gaslighting began when I watched the movie, Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. Until then, I hadn’t understood how someone who appears charming and caring can use someone’s love to control, manipulate and undermine them, to such an extent that the victim doubts their own perception of reality. I started to read accounts of victims of gaslighting. I then realized that someone I knew was going through this. Fiction is a powerful means of creating awareness of issues and injustices, and I hope my new series character, Sally Fairburn, will inspire women to seize back their lives. 

L.A.'s book list on suspense and mystery about women who fight back

L.A. Larkin Why did L.A. love this book?

The premise of the crime-thriller is fascinating: an all-female therapy group meets to share their pain at the abuse and murder of their sisters by their partners/husbands.

The justice system failed to prosecute the killers and the women pursue their own form of justice. They hatch a plan to kill the men who murdered their sisters. The author masterfully establishes how the female victims of abuse find themselves trapped and isolated by their abuser and why they find it so hard to leave them, even when their life is in danger.

Will the sisters who want revenge get away with it?

By Katherine Kovacic,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Seven Sisters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Men get away with murder all the time. Now it's our turn ... A twisty, intriguing crime novel for fans of The Mother and The Family Doctor.

Naomi started grief counselling prepared to run for cover as soon as her therapist, Mia, pulled out a crystal or tried to align her chakras.

When Mia suggests that she join a support group, Naomi is sceptical: how could she begin to describe what it felt like to lose her sister, Jo? How could she possibly share her loss and rage to a room full of people? How could she express her helplessness…


Book cover of The Things We Do to Our Friends

Philippa East Author Of A Guilty Secret

From Philippa's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Author Psychologist Cat Lover Scottish Reading Obsessive

Philippa's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Philippa East Why did Philippa love this book?

The Things We Do To Our Friends is set in Edinburgh, which is where I spent much of my childhood and teenage years – so I was immediately hooked!

It’s a story about the twisted and toxic dynamics that can develop in intensive friendships, which is something I love to explore in my own writing too. I loved the atmospheric writing and the relentless slow-burn Heather Darwent sets up as this disturbing story unfolds.

By Heather Darwent,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Things We Do to Our Friends as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish' Emma Flint, Little Deaths
'Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive' S J Watson, Before I Go To Sleep
'A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out

*Sunday Times Bestseller*
*Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023*
*Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize*
*Top Ten eBook bestseller*
*One of Cosmopolitan's Best Books for 2023*
*One of Apple's Best of the Month*
*One of FT's Best New Debut Fiction*
*Heat Book of the Week*

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In there, them, us, it's…


Book cover of The Eyes Are the Best Part

Talia Tucker Author Of Rules for Rule Breaking

From my list on characters that break all the rules.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Jamaican and Korean American author of young adult romance, and when crafting my stories, I love to create characters who go against the expectations thrust upon them, whether they’re based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, etc. As a woman, as someone with multiple ethnic identities, as someone who isn’t neurotypical, and someone who doesn’t subscribe to the norms of gender and sexuality, navigating intersectionality has been a large part of my life and, therefore, my work. Rules should be broken when they're the ones telling us we can’t do something based on who we are.

Talia's book list on characters that break all the rules

Talia Tucker Why did Talia love this book?

This book breaks all the rules because, well, Ji-won, a young Korean-American girl, literally breaks the rules (and the law) by becoming a serial killer in the face of societal expectations. I love a woman who’s not concerned with being or acting pretty, and we see that in Ji-won far before she ever gets a bite of her first blue eye.

The commentary in this novel is sharp, and much of what Ji-won experiences resonates with me as a Korean-American. Though she is by no means a role model, it was satisfying to see someone who might typically be overlooked go on a grotesque, revenge-fueled violence spree. This book was intelligent and subversive in all the right ways.

By Monika Kim,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Eyes Are the Best Part as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.

Ji-won's life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa's extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying... yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George's, who is Umma's obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family's…


Book cover of Close Enough to Hurt

Michelle Cruz Author Of Even When You Lie

From my list on steaming up your thriller reads this fall.

Why am I passionate about this?

I came of age reading Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Phyllis Whitney by flashlight after my school night bedtimes. Their plots mingled romance and murder so elegantly, heightening the already incredible stakes of whether they would physically survive intertwined with the anxiety over the couple’s relationship surviving. All these years later, I still love a good story that makes me wonder how in the world the pair will make it through danger—and if there’ll be a kiss at the end.

Michelle's book list on steaming up your thriller reads this fall

Michelle Cruz Why did Michelle love this book?

I do love a good revenge story, and Dylan—the main character—is all about vengeance. Aided and abetted by her best friend, Daniel, that she’s carrying a torch for, the will-they-or-won’t-they as they try to bring down the bad guy has the propulsive plot exploding in more ways than one. This is set in the Bay Area, so it feels like a little mini-vacation if you’ve never been!

By Katherine A. Olson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Close Enough to Hurt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Revenge meets Promising Young Woman in this thrilling debut about a vigilante on a mission to take down predatory men, perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Layne Fargo.

Dylan Truman, better known under her alias Lady Justice, is the bane of every grifter, cheater, and bully in the Bay Area. Alongside her best friend and hacktivist, Daniel Haas, she works as a revenge-for-hire vigilante, seeking retribution on behalf of her (predominantly female) clientele. When a prospective client brings up a fraud complaint against pharmaceutical CEO Brent Wilder, Dylan's business becomes personal: Years earlier, Wilder assaulted Dylan’s sister and got…


Book cover of Our Hideous Progeny

Angie Spoto Author Of The Grief Nurse

From my list on gothic set in Scotland.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first visited Scotland, I drove north from Edinburgh, driving through much of the country to catch a ferry to Orkney. This northern archipelago is certainly one of the most magical places I’ve ever been to; the steep sea cliffs and standing stones, windblown grasses, and violent waves put me in a gothic state of mind. I moved to Scotland a few years later to live by the sea. Since that first visit to Orkney, I’ve written my own Scottish gothic novels, as well as presented research on the gothic at various academic conferences. It’s a topic that I’m certain will compel me for a long time to come. 

Angie's book list on gothic set in Scotland

Angie Spoto Why did Angie love this book?

This book is such a smart novel. It draws its inspiration from Frankenstein, and although it is very different from the original (with its likable lesbian protagonist), it loses none of the original novel’s gothic themes and atmosphere.

The story moves quickly yet manages to convey rich language and explore complex themes. 

By Charlie McGill,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Our Hideous Progeny as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A gothic adventure story, a classic tale with a feminist twist, a story of ambition and obsession, forbidden love and sabotage...

'It is not the monster you must fear, but the monster it makes of men...'

Mary is the great-niece of Victor Frankenstein. She knows her great uncle disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the Arctic but she doesn't know why or how...

The 1850s is a time of discovery and London is ablaze with the latest scientific theories and debates, especially when a spectacular new exhibition of dinosaur sculptures opens at the Crystal Palace. Mary, with a sharp mind and…


Book cover of Annie Bot

Nick Lomb Author Of 2025 Australasian Sky Guide

From Nick's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Astronomer Historian Light pollution fighter Reader Ex tennis and table tennis player

Nick's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Nick Lomb Why did Nick love this book?

Annie is the perfect companion. She cooks, she cleans, she never leaves the apartment and she is always ready for physical intimacy. However, she is not human, she is a bot and Doug is not just her partner but her owner and master. Over time as the plot develops Annie’s thoughts become more complex and she develops strong feelings that closely match those of humans, like anger and anxiety.

As I read this intriguing book, I had great empathy for Annie and hoped that she would eventually reach a state of safety and contentment. It’s a timely book as AI and concerns about it have recently come to the fore in public discussions.

By Sierra Greer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Annie Bot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." — Esquire

"Unexpected and subtle...delicious and thought-provoking." — New Scientist

For fans of Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa, a powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for…


Book cover of One of the Good Guys

Rebecca Frost Author Of The Ripper Inside Us: What Interpretations of Jack Reveal About Ourselves

From Rebecca's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author True crime buff Knitter

Rebecca's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Rebecca Frost Why did Rebecca love this book?

This is one where you wonder if everything will actually be tied up in the end - can a twist be that twisty?

By Araminta Hall,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One of the Good Guys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Every single woman out there needs to read this, because you either know this man, or you know a woman who knows this man.' - @bookwormescapes

'Razor-sharp, spine-tinglingly convincing and unputdownable.' - Lisa Jewell, author of None of This is True

'One of the most daring and intriguing writers working today' - Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

* * *

Cole is the perfect husband: a romantic, supportive of his wife, Mel's career, keen to be a hands-on dad, not a big drinker. A good guy.

So when Mel leaves him, he's floored. She was lucky to be with…


Book cover of When We Were Silent
Book cover of Seven Sisters
Book cover of The Things We Do to Our Friends

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