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 I Will Ruin You

Marion Scherer Author Of The Cage: A Human Trafficking Thriller

From my list on psychological books mysterious worlds and twists.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the thrill of the chase and have always been passionate about the dramatic. In school, I was always the evil sorceress in plays. Later, as a professional actress, I sought dramatic roles or outrageously funny characters. Psychological thrillers fulfill the need to make my world more dramatic than it actually is. I call good thrillers “fudge reading.”  Because having them in my life is like pigging out on the best fudge you can find, now, as a writer of psychological thrillers, I try and give my readers a roller coaster ride on daring topics just the way these five writers have inspired me to do.

Marion's book list on psychological books mysterious worlds and twists

Marion Scherer Why did Marion love this book?

I love the way this author puts ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances. I read the book in gulps, and as I neared the end, I slowed down to savor the mind-blowing story as it was unfolding. I became fully absorbed in the lives of people I now knew well and liked. I rooted for the good people and knew the bad would finally meet their end. This was an utterly unpredictable story that kept me guessing and surprised me all the way through.

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Will Ruin You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A page-turner... you'll get your money's worth out of this one' Stephen King 'Linwood Barclay is a flat-out master of the modern thriller, and I Will Ruin You is impossible to put down. You need this book in your life.' David Koepp

WHEN IT'S LIFE OR DEATH, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

Teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to his quick thinking, Richard averts a major tragedy…


Book cover of Adrift

A.A. Chaudhuri Author Of The Final Party

From my list on whodunnit thriller set in idyllic locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love writing about the dark side of human nature, and the devastating secrets and resentments that can simmer beneath the surface between friends before reaching boiling point in the most dramatic and sinister way.  It’s a theme pivotal to my latest thriller, which sees friends reuniting in a beautiful yet isolated location for the seemingly perfect celebration, but where things go horribly wrong. I enjoy exploring this topic through multiple characters, all with their own dubious backstories that stir suspicion in readers’ minds and keeps them guessing, while the settings I use play a key role in enhancing that sense of unease and tension conducive to the classic whodunnit.

A.A.'s book list on whodunnit thriller set in idyllic locations

A.A. Chaudhuri Why did A.A. love this book?

The story focuses on six friends reuniting for a stag do on a private yacht in the Balearics, a setting I found both fascinating and original.

They are all looking forward to partying hard in the beautiful sunshine, but when one of the crew meets a grisly end in a shark cage, it seems that a terrible event in the group’s university days has come back to haunt them.

Being trapped together at sea really ramped up the tension and sense of isolation for me, while Hunter deftly drip-feeds clues into the narrative through flashbacks as well as present-day narrative, piquing the reader’s interest as further sinister events ensue and meaning they are never quite sure who the killer is.

By M A Hunter,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A stag do, six old friends ... and a secret they'd all kill to protect.

-

When Pete and his friends set sail on a private yacht in the Balearics to celebrate Fergus' upcoming wedding, they're all looking forward to sun, sea and copious quantities of alcohol.

But there's a reason they are still entwined in each other's lives a decade after leaving university. A terrible event they've all been trying their hardest to forget.

They say you can't outrun the past ... And these six friends are about to find that out the hard way.

* *

'A nightmare…


Book cover of The Last Devil to Die

DK Coutant Author Of Evil Alice and the Borzoi

From DK's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Professor Cross Cultural Psychologist Dog Lover Traveler Reader

DK's 3 favorite reads in 2024

DK Coutant Why did DK love this book?

I’ve grown to love the characters in this series. This book reveals the growth that occurs at every age when one is open to it. And grief, while more frequent as one ages, is no less painful. Last Devil to Die brought me to tears as well as laughter. It’s beautiful, brutal truth has stuck with me over these many months. It is a cozy mystery, with just a touch of dark reality.
I adore this series, but I understand why Osman took a break after this one, to switch to a new series with different characters. I just hope he comes back to it. I will miss these old codgers.

By Richard Osman,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Last Devil to Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman

You'd think you be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club.

On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise – including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club--as our gang face an impossible search, and their most deadly opponents yet.

With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper’s Chase, has their…


Book cover of The Christmas Guest: A Novella

Greta Boris Author Of The Cliff House

From Greta's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Greta's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Greta Boris Why did Greta love this book?

This was actually a novella, not a full-length book. I listened to it in one or two days. It was the perfect ghostly Christmas story complete with creepy British mansion, dark woods, and a psychopathic killer. Nothing says happy holidays like a haunting!

By Peter Swanson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Christmas Guest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE PERFECT STOCKING FILLER FOR BOOK LOVERS

'The twist will make you rethink everything.' New York Times Book Review
'A murder mystery set at a cosy Christmas country estate? We're so here for it.' Cosmopolitan
'Funny, clever and gripping.' Irish Independent

When Ashley Smith - a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London - is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate's family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll.

And for Ashley - who records it all in her diary - there's the added romantic potential of her friend's twin brother, Adam, who she…


Book cover of Yule Island

H.R. Kemp Author Of Lethal Legacy

From my list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an Australian writer. I came to creative writing late in life but have been an avid reader since my early school years. My fascination with mystery thrillers started with Enid Blyton and included Raymond Chandler books—not usually recommended for an 11-year-old. I have always had an inquisitive mind, asking difficult questions and seeking understanding. My first degree was a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry. My diverse working life spanned a variety of roles, building a rich tapestry of experience. I relish layered, complex, and thought-provoking stories both as a writer and a reader. I hope you enjoy my recommended books as much as I have.

H.R.'s book list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers

H.R. Kemp Why did H.R. love this book?

I was enthralled by this dark, terrifying historical thriller, and its being based on a true story made it more unsettling. The gothic horror vibe of Scandinavian dark winters and the island setting heightened my dread as I read. The rising tension had me on the edge of my seat.

Gustawsson has created an atmospheric mystery story that connects past and present murders—9 years apart. I didn’t know who to believe or trust, and I didn’t figure out the motive until the end. Multiple viewpoints and numerous twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, another piece of information took me in a different direction, only to be thwarted yet again. I couldn’t have predicted the ending. It’s masterful storytelling.

There are great, believable, but also sinister characters, making it a complex read. The plot is rooted in Viking rites and sinister secrets…

By Johana Gustawsson, David Warriner (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An art expert joins a detective to investigate a horrific murder on a Swedish island, leading them to a mystery rooted in Viking rites and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter. The Queen of French Noir returns with a chilling, utterly captivating gothic thriller, based on a true story. FIRST in a new series.

'A dark, dark slice of Scandi Noir' Heat magazine *Book of the Month*

'Gustawsson's writing is so vivid, it's electrifying' Peter James

'Remember her name. Johana Gustawsson has become a leading figure in French crime fiction [and] Yule Island is impossible to put down' Le Monde

***Winner of…


Book cover of Moscow Exile: A Joe Wilderness Novel

Mark McKay Author Of A Terminal Agenda

From my list on the authentic world of espionage.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been into spy stories for many years. I love the intrigue, the deception, the secrecy of that world. Of course, real spying may involve lots of periods of doing nothing, possibly followed by manic, dangerous action. All while dealing with the anxiety of hiding the fact that you might be a traitor to your country or simply not the person the world thinks you are. It’s a fascinating world, and that fascination is what draws me in.

Mark's book list on the authentic world of espionage

Mark McKay Why did Mark love this book?

I really love the characters in this book. It’s the fourth book in a series, but I read this out of order, which meant I didn’t have the benefit of some of the backstory for one or two people. This is a story of treachery and betrayal, and spies that stay in the game for years before getting out or getting caught. 

By John Lawton,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From "quite possibly the best historical novelist we have" (Philadelphia Inquirer), the fourth Joe Wilderness spy thriller, moving from Red Scare-era Washington, D.C. to a KGB prison near Moscow's Kremlin

In Moscow Exile, John Lawton departs from his usual stomping grounds of England and Germany to jump across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., in the fragile postwar period where the Red Scare is growing noisier every day.

Charlotte is a British expatriate who has recently settled in the nation's capital with her second husband, a man who looks intriguingly like Clark Gable, but her enviable dinner parties and soirees aren't…


Book cover of The Beach Party

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 Beach Party is a brilliant ‘destination thriller’ set in the exotic world of Mallorca – plus it has a brilliant retro feel with the ‘past’ narrative set in 1989.

I adore books about friendship dynamics and explosive secrets, so this was right up my street! Nikki Smith’s books are always great page turners, but also beautifully written, with sophisticated charaterisation and plotting – which is exactly the kind of psychological thriller I’m after.

By Nikki Smith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Beach Party as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Bound to be the hit thriller of the summer!' T. M. Logan, The Holiday

-----

Six friends.
The holiday of their dreams.
One night that changed it all . . .

1989: The tunes are loud and the clothes are louder when a group of friends arrives in Mallorca for a post-graduation holiday of decadence and debauchery at a luxury villa.

A beach party marks the pinnacle of their fun, until it isn't fun any longer. Because amidst the wild partying - sand flying from dancing feet and revellers leaping from yachts - an accident happens. Suddenly, the night of…


Book cover of I Will Ruin You
Book cover of Adrift
Book cover of The Last Devil to Die

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