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 The Saugatuck Conspiracy

Christopher Church Author Of Signs Point to Yes

From Christopher's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Detailed Reader Scientist

Christopher's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Christopher Church Why did Christopher love this book?

I quickly got sucked into the political intrigue of this story, as well as the secrets of the main character, Kelsie.

Throughout the book, the tension mounts as she plots revenge on her deadbeat father. I loved how she gradually started to open up to a relationship with her coworker and then had to figure out how to manage her feelings and balance it with work and her larger goals.

The author has a lengthy pedigree, having written screenplays and best-selling thrillers, and this novel shows the best of his skills in building tension, surprising me with a couple of unexpected twists.

Book cover of The Lazarus Solution

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?

This gripping historical thriller has World War II intrigue and Norwegian spies, so it can be described as a wartime murder mystery interwoven with a gripping espionage thriller. It’s a layered story that resonates with that era's tensions, conflicts, and mistrust. I felt like I was there; it was so rich in historical details.

The plot captures the real tensions between Nazi-occupied Norway and neutral Sweden. I learned so much and gained insights into the murky motivations of the time. For someone who pays attention to politics, the complex interplay of different interest groups and their political maneuvering had interesting parallels to the present.

The story has it all: layers of family drama, shared history, divided loyalties, and deep-seated hatred, with storylines weaving in political ideology, the true nature of war, and distorted notions of patriotism, ambition, and revenge. There is so much to think about and apply to today's…

By Kjell Ola Dahl, Don Bartlett (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When a courier for Sweden's Press and Military Office is killed on his final mission, the Norwegian government-in-exile appoints a writer to find the missing documents ... breathtaking WW2 thriller.

**International NUMBER ONE bestseller**

'A stylish stand-alone thriller from the godfather of Scandi noir ... Ola Dahl ratchets up the tension from the first pages and never lets go' Sunday Times

'Absorbing, heart-rending and perfectly plotted' Denzil Meyrick

'Expertly crafted' John Harvey

_________

Summer, 1943. Daniel Berkak, who works as a courier for the Press and Military Office in Sweden, is killed on his last cross-border mission to Norway.

Demobbed…


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Book cover of Edge of the Known World

Edge of the Known World by Sheri T. Joseph,

Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024…

Book cover of Dempsey

Tori Eldridge Author Of The Ninja Daughter

From Tori's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Ninja Hiker Love Boat Mermaid Mom

Tori's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Tori Eldridge Why did Tori love this book?

Whether I’m writing, reading, or watching a show, I enjoy action thrillers with multilayered protagonists and emotional depth. Andrews and Wilson deliver both entwined with a twisty, action-packed plot that takes the Dempsey so deep undercover in Russia, even the members of his Task Force Ember team believe he is dead. Organized crime, politics, and high, deadly stakes combined with emotional angst and moral conflict packs a punch.

By Jeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The world is more volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous than ever before. To stop the architect of this chaos, Dempsey is given the most dangerous tasking of his career … a mission only he can complete against an adversary he must face alone.

After Task Force Ember’s successful intervention in Ukraine, John Dempsey disappears without a trace—with no notice or explanation given to his teammates. Spotty intelligence eventually places him in Russia where he is rumored to have been captured by the Russian FSB and is now presumed dead. Mourning his loss, Ember is forced to pick up the pieces, restructure,…


Book cover of Calling Ukraine

David A. Taylor

From David's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Traveler Food lover Reader Music lover

David's 3 favorite reads in 2023

David A. Taylor Why did David love this book?

I have never been to Eastern Europe, but this book took me there in an engaging way.

The novel, which takes place before the current war in Ukraine, is a funny and moving story of an American who goes abroad, not fully understanding the job he’ll be doing in that country.

The miscommunications, the awareness he gains, and his growing connections to the people he finds through the story make it totally entertaining and, in the end, meaningful. I was pulled in and came away really appreciating the author’s storytelling skills.

By Johannes Lichtman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Such Good Work Johannes Lichtman returns with a novel that is strikingly relevant to our times—about an American who takes a job in Ukraine in 2018, only to find that his struggle to understand the customs and culture is eclipsed by a romantic entanglement with deadly consequences.

Shortly after his thirtieth birthday, John Turner receives a call from an old college friend who makes him an odd job offer: move to Ukraine to teach customer service agents at a start-up how to sound American. John’s never been to Ukraine, doesn’t…


Book cover of An Honest Man

Matt Cost Author Of Mainely Mayhem

From Matt's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Historian Reader Traveler Golfer

Matt's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Matt Cost Why did Matt love this book?

The best book of the year and maybe the best I've ever read. Okay, I listened to on audio. It had fully fleshed out and complicated characters, including the setting, which came alive on the pages. The plot danced and twisted and wove itself into the fabric of the book and was a joy to read. A true masterpiece.

By Michael Koryta,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Israel Pike was a killer, and he was an honest man. They were not mutually exclusive.

After discovering seven men murdered aboard their yacht - including two Senate rivals - Israel Pike is regarded as a prime suspect. A troubled man infamous on Salvation Point Island for killing his own father a decade before, Israel has few options, no friends, and a life-threatening secret.

Elsewhere on the island, 12-year-old Lyman Rankin seeks shelter from his alcoholic father in an abandoned house only to discover that he is not alone. A mysterious woman greets him with a hatchet and a promise:…


Book cover of The Secret Hours

J.T. Greathouse Author Of The Hand of the Sun King

From J.T.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

J.T.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

J.T. Greathouse Why did J.T. love this book?

The Secret Hours makes an excellent companion piece to the Slough House series with some of Herron's best characterization and plotting. I've been a massive fan of Mick Herron's slightly sideways and subversive spy novels since watching Slow Horses S1 and immediately binging the books available at the time. While not part of the main series, The Secret Hours tells its own compelling story of Cold War espionage and goes a long way towards fleshing out the backstories of some of the Slough House series' most fascinating and enigmatic characters.

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Book cover of Kurtz

Kurtz by John Lawson III,

Annie Kurtz joins the Marines, deploys to Afghanistan, and has to make a split-second decision. She can follow her orders. Or she can follow her conscience. Nick Willard is a journalist who has pined for Annie since they were in prep school together. While doing his job, he discovers what…

Book cover of The Last Orphan

E.A. Field Author Of IRL

From E.A.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Cosplayer Reader Animal lover Artist Mama

E.A.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023

E.A. Field Why did E.A. love this book?

I loved this book because, as always, I’ve come to expect amazing writing from Gregg Hurwitz. He mixes action prose with beautifully drawn scenes in a rare combination of accuracy and emotion.

This is the eighth book in the Orphan X series, and it still delivers great intrigue, heartfelt moments, life questions, and the quirky but deadly protagonist Evan Smoak. I like how Evan evolves from an elite assassin and the choices he has to make in a hard double life. Side characters like Candy are fun to root for.

Joey, Evan’s “adopted” daughter, makes the perfect companion for Evan, and the real family moments they share make the book have such heart that it’s very relatable. 

By Gregg Hurwitz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A heavily-armed counter-assault team, sedatives strong enough for large animals, a hood, mouthguard and Secret Service Agents asking for selfies.

Not your average meeting with the President.

But Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books Orphan programme, Evan was trained to do his government's dirty work. Until he escaped.

Now the President makes an offer: kill a man, or be executed.

Evan spent years atoning for his former life. If this mission betrays the very principles he now follows, what is left?

Putting Orphan X in an impossible spot only makes him more dangerous...


Book cover of Moscow X

Michelle Styles Author Of Tempted by Her Forbidden Warrior

From Michelle's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Avid reader Romance novelist History fanatic Overwhelmed gardener Spaniel wrangler

Michelle's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Michelle Styles Why did Michelle love this book?

McCloskey is brilliant at teaching the reader about a country's internal politics while providing a fast and page turning read. His first book Damascus Station gave me a lot of insight into Syria and in Moscow X he does the same to Putin's Russia. It is spy-tainment at its best.

By David McCloskey,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Moscow X as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

CIA operatives Sia and Max enter Russia to recruit Vladimir Putin's moneyman. Sia works for a London firm that conceals the wealth of the super-rich. Max's family business in Mexico-a CIA front since the 1960s-is a farm that breeds high-end racehorses. They pose as a couple, and their targets are Vadim, Putin's private banker, and his wife, Anna, who is both a banker and an intelligence officer. As they descend further into a Russian world dripping with luxury and rife with gangland violence, Sia and Max's hope may be Anna, who is playing a game of her own. Careening between…


Book cover of Rouge

Ayser Salman Author Of The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit in

From Ayser's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Ayser's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Ayser Salman Why did Ayser love this book?

Eyes Wide Shut meets Alice in Wonderland. This one is deliciously twisted and had me captivated from page one. Plus, I adore this author.

By Mona Awad,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Rouge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother's unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty.

Can she escape her mother's fate and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 in The Guardian, i newspaper, The New York Times, Time, Globe and Mail, Bustle, The Millions, LitHub, TOR, Good Housekeeping, Our Culture Mag, and more!

'You think, "She's not going to go there...yes, she is.' Margaret Atwood

'The trancelike, rhapsodic language and deepening…


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Book cover of The Fornax Assassin

The Fornax Assassin by J.C. Gemmell,

In 2038 a devastating pandemic sweeps across the world. Two decades later, Britain remains the epicenter for the Fornax variant, annexed by a terrified global community.

David Malik is as careful as any man to avoid contact with the virus. But when his sister tests positive as an asymptomatic carrier,…

Book cover of The Flatmate

Miranda Rijks Author Of The Homemaker

From Miranda's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Mountain-lover

Miranda's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Miranda Rijks Why did Miranda love this book?

I love a book set in a work setting, especially as I’m a full-time author, so I no longer have dodgy colleagues! The Flatmate follows Ria, who has returned to work following an enforced sabbatical after the shocking death of her colleague and best friend, Livvy.

Enter Amanda, her new flatmate, and Livvy’s replacement. When Ria starts receiving messages and gifts from dead Livvy, her colleagues think Ria is losing her mind.

Author Gemma Rogers is great at pacing and creating believable and sometimes unpleasant characters. I loved the believability of this story and read the book in one sitting.

By Gemma Rogers,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Always trust your very basic instincts or prepare for the consequences...

It was surreal returning to work after a sabbatical following the suspicious death of my best friend Livvy.

On my return to the company apartment, I was surprised to find Livvy's replacement, Amanda Dowd firmly entrenched as my new flatmate.

She'd seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

But something didn't feel right. I felt on edge.

Everyone seemed to love Amanda, even my ex-Jayden was blinded by her outgoing personality and model-like looks.Yet her desperation to become friends felt unnatural.

When I began to receive calls, photos and presents from…


Book cover of The Saugatuck Conspiracy
Book cover of The Lazarus Solution
Book cover of Dempsey

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