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What is it about summer reading that makes me want to read all the best thriller books? Regardless of when you read them, these are some of the buzzy, popular books that will keep you up at night—or keep you turning pages at the pool!
So far, the best psychological thrillers and mysteries of 2024 have been fantastic, in my opinion. Many of the buzzy, best thriller books this summer are by authors I love, like Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware. There are some debut authors in the mix, too, and some surprises.
Here, I share the best thriller books to read in 2024, the new thriller books this summer that I’m currently reading and loving, the new-to-me backlist thriller and mystery books I’ve loved reading this year, and the new 2024 mystery and thriller books I’m planning to pick up as soon as possible!
Best New Mystery, Thriller Books in 2024
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Thank you to @prhaudio for the complimentary book! This mystery thriller published early on in 2024 was such a TRIP! Very twisty, very entertaining. It’s not your typical domestic thriller, and I found the plot pretty satisfying.
First Lie Wins is a clever con book with a cat-and-mouse game. The young woman we follow, Evie Porter, is complex and intriguing. I’m being vague on purpose. I think going into the book blindly is the best way to go!
I wouldn’t say it’s a fast-paced thriller—and I do think the prose and character development could have been stronger—but overall, this is a bingeable mystery that kept my interest the whole way through!
First Lie Wins was published on January 2, 2024, from Pamela Dorman Books.
@molliereadsbooks Best NEW thriller books to pick up in 2024!!! My full list is at molliereads.com #thrillerbooks #bestthrillerbooks #thrillertok #bookclub #mysterybooks #psychologicalthriller #favoritebooks #bestbooksof2024 ♬ original sound – Mollie Reads | Book Blogger
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
Thank you to Celadon Books for the complimentary book! Y’all already know I really enjoyed this mystery/suspense thriller. Check out my in-depth review (with book club questions!) here!
Spoiled, rich people stuck on a private Greek Island when a murder occurs?! I love a game of cat and mouse, and the Greek tragedy format and Agatha Christie vibes really drew me in.
I will say, the reviews are quite polarizing, so you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s good for you. I was gobsmacked that some reviewers felt this was a slow-moving thriller!
I found it enthralling and entertaining the whole way through, especially with Elliot’s narration. For me, this was such a fun suspense thriller, and I’ll definitely be reading all of Alex Michaelides’s books moving forward!
The Fury was published on January 16, 2024, from Celadon Books.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
I already know this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2024, and we’re only halfway through the year!
The Heiress was such a fun gothic suspense mystery. Family secrets, epistolary novel, set in a rich family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains? Yes. Omg, yes.
We got to interview Rachel when we read this book for book club (pssssst, join us?). And it was so fun to hear about how she wrote this book and all the twists and turns! I enjoyed this book to the last page. Overall, this one will make a fantastic book club book for 2024 for most book clubs.
Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (yes, that’s her name!) is one of the best characters I’ve read this year.
The Heiress was published on January 9, 2024, from St. Martin’s Press.
Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Thank you to @libro.fm for the complimentary book! I’ve been a fan of Olivia Muenter since she joined as a cohost on the Bad on Paper podcast! She’s fantastic, and I was so excited to read her debut book.
I think she did a fantastic job with this thriller. I will say, it hit all the right notes for me as someone who loves family drama and doesn’t mind a low-level suspense thriller.
Personally, I loved the characters, the humor, and the big-picture look at the impacts of social media and influencer culture, which is simply fascinating. Young woman and influencer Evie’s disappearance breaks the internet, and her sister, Hazel, finds herself picking up the pieces. I think this is a fantastic book to pick up for summer.
Such a Bad Influence was published on June 4, 2024, from Quirk Books.
RELATED: Book Review: The House in the Pines
New Thriller Books 2024 I’m Currently Reading
These are all the new 2024 thriller releases I’m currently reading and loving! Definitely run, don’t walk, to add them to your summer TBR!
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
I know some people don’t love Riley Sager these days, but I will pretty much always read anything he writes.
I think he’s got this genre pinned down. He knows what he’s doing. And this premise has me hooked: a man reliving the trauma of his childhood best friend’s disappearance almost thirty years later picks at the truth.
The unraveling dark secrets and Ethan’s sleuthing after some eerie circumstances in his childhood home neighborhood bring about new realities, and Ethan begins to realize he’s anything but safe.
I know Riley Sager likes to flirt with the supernatural, so I’m really curious how this horror and mystery/thriller will wrap up!
Also, as a fun little throwback, check out the podcast episode for No Thanks We’re Booked, when Katie and I interviewed Riley Sager after the release of Lock Every Door in 2019 (one of my favorite New York City thrillers)!
Middle of the Night was published on June 18, 2024, from Dutton.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the complimentary book! Lucy, Lucy! I’ve loved her ever since The Guest List. Love her multiple POVs, immersive settings, and twisty, gripping plots—always!
This one is so good so far. We’re following a handful of characters on the first night of The Manor, a luxury seaside retreat in an idyllic English countryside.
The past comes back to haunt the guests, and the book will end in a dead body. So far, I’m finding it highly entertaining, unsettling/creepy, and just plain fun!
The Midnight Feast was published June 18, 2024, from William Morrow.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Thank you to @prhaudio for the complimentary book! I picked up this historical fiction/mystery thriller after seeing so many readers rave about it!
So far, the thrilling drama does not disappoint. This one is about a teenager disappearing from her summer camp and the family secrets that come out of it.
I devoured Long Bright River, one of her bestselling psychological crime thrillers, and it seems like this one is going to be another favorite in my thriller books list.
The God of the Woods will be published July 2, 2024, from Riverhead Books.
New-to-Me Thrillers I’ve Read This Year
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Such a good thriller. This was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller 2023, and as soon as you start this book, you’ll see why.
This mystery crime thriller is inspired by America’s first celebrity serial killer, Ted Bundy. And omg, it’s an unputdownable, chilling read that looks at every side of the story. I loved the POVs and the way Jessica Knoll set up the story. The sorority girls and their unique dynamics were so well written.
Since it came out last year, I knew I’d love it if I just picked it up. It’s one of the best crime novels I’ve read. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you tend to like true crime fiction, Bright Young Women is a must.
Bright Young Women was published on September 19, 2023, from Simon and Schuster.
The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani
Thank you to @prhaudio for the complimentary book! is weird, sick little book was so far from what I normally read—but so good. This one is not for the faint of heart. It’s quite frightening and gruesome, and one glance at the blurb will tell you whether or not you can stomach it.
The characters, the dynamics, the commentary on motherhood and marriage . . . it just pulls you in.
But I will say, this mystery thriller was so well written, and so fascinating, and if you’re looking for a dark, chilling book to shake up your 2024 reading and keep you thinking for a long time, this one might be it.
The Perfect Nanny was published on August 18, 2016, from Penguin Books.
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
This was my first Lisa Jewell, and it won’t be my last. None of This Is True came out last year! I loved this psychological thriller! It was such a unique premise, and the audiobook was so well done.
I couldn’t put down this book. We follow two women on their forty-fifth birthday, Alix and Josie. Their unlikely and strange working relationship and weird friendship is unnerving, and the dark secrets that come out made me gasp out loud.
I read this book next to several of my friends at the pool, and all of them said they were going to read it, too, because of how visibly enthralled I was. 🤣
None of This Is True was published on July 20, 2023, from Atria Books.
2024 Thriller Books on My TBR List
New books! There are so many thriller books coming out this summer—and so many new releases. Here’s what I want to read in the thriller/mystery category as soon as possible!
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
I loved Stacy Willingham’s book, All the Dangerous Things (check out my full review here). And this one looks so addictive.
Only If You’re Lucky is the second novel of Stacy’s that I’m reading.
The story follows a group of roommates at a liberal arts college in South Carolina when a brutal murder occurs at the fraternity house next door.
I love a complicated friendship story, and I’m hoping this one has the psychological suspense I’m looking for!
One If You’re Lucky was published on January 16, 2024, from Minotaur Books.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
I can’t believe I haven’t picked up Ruth Ware’s latest book yet!! This one is billed as a high-tension thriller following five trapped couples stuck on an island with a killer.
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the “deserted island and everything’s gone wrong” plot, and Ruth Ware is, in fact, the queen of psychological suspense.
I will definitely be picking this one up, and I think summer is the perfect time.
One Perfect Couple was published on May 21, 2024, from Scout Press.
What Have You Done by Shari Lapena
Shari Lapena is well known in the thriller-reading community, and this one sounds like the perfect whodunit with a ghost POV.
From what I understand from the reviews, What Have You Done? is easy to read but lacks a bit of character development. A lot of thriller readers don’t mind a plot-centric read!
I’m willing to give it a go, and I suspect it will be an enjoyable murder mystery I won’t be able to put down.
What Have You Done? will be published July 30, 2024, from Pamela Dorman Books.
Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine
I won’t lie, this book cover is not my cup of tea, but it sounds like a propulsive young adult thriller, so I’m giving it a chance!
Two teenagers return to the site of a famous murder cold case. Intriguing, right?
Camp Lost Lake is where a triple homicide occurred many years ago—the same night Olivia, the main character, is born.
Now Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, but someone wants the past to stay in the past, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep it there. Sounds pretty twisty, and the mysterious deaths seem like they’d be a little difficult to stomach.
Two Sides to Every Murder was published June 25, 2024, from G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
More family secrets!! More disputed inheritance stories! Why do I love them so much? It’s giving best book club books of all time energy, to be honest.
This historical fiction mystery thriller looks sooo good. I’ve heard it’s atmospheric, addictive, and rich with very personal storytelling because of the author’s own family history.
I love a good dual timeline (when used correctly), and it seems like this book is full of strong women characters. I’ve also heard the audiobook is fantastic, so I will probably choose that format!
The Sicilian Inheritance was published April 2, 2024, from Dutton.
RELATED: 18 Best Audiobooks of All Time to Pick Up Next
2024 Thriller Books to Keep Your Eyes On
Those are the 2024 mystery and thriller books to snatch up ASAP! From psychological thrillers and gothic mystery suspense novels to detective/crime fiction and more popular books, like domestic thrillers from beloved authors, these are all the best thriller books of 2024, spring and summer!
Which ones have you read? Which ones are you currently reading? And what’s on your thriller/mystery books to-be-read list?
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