Looking for a summer thrill that keeps you turning the page long after the sun goes down? Whether you’re lounging on the beach or hiding in the AC, this list of upcoming thrillers will serve up suspense, secrets, and spine-chilling revelations in every chapter. With stories that range from twisted marriages and haunted lakeside cabins to luxurious train rides laced with murder, these summer releases are here to disrupt your peace in the best possible way.
If you loved the breathless pacing of The Last House on Needless Street or the psychological twists of Behind Closed Doors, you’re in for a wild season. Mark your calendars, clear your TBR, and maybe keep the lights on, just in case.
1. It’s Not the End of the World by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Published June 3, 2025
Post-apocalyptic but make it disturbingly plausible, Jonathan Parks-Ramage returns with a biting thriller that throws you headfirst into a world where survival is only part of the story. In It’s Not the End of the World, a global cataclysm has erased all sense of normalcy, and what rises from the ashes is far darker than anything nature could’ve conjured. The novel follows a former influencer turned scavenger navigating a shattered Los Angeles, where morality is as scarce as water.
But this isn’t your average end-times fare. Underneath the chaos is a darkly comic critique of privilege, influence culture, and the myth of rugged individualism. Parks-Ramage blends breakneck suspense with satirical flourishes, making for a sharp, unnerving read that hits uncomfortably close to home. This one is for fans of Station Eleven with a touch of venom.
Why we recommend it: If you like your apocalypses with a side of biting wit and a main course of existential dread, you’re in for a treat. This one’s for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh meets Don’t Look Up, who like their dark humor served in post-civilization ruins.
2. With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
Published June 10, 2025
Climb aboard the Midnight Sun, a lavish 1950s train barreling across the Rockies with secrets in every carriage. In With a Vengeance, Riley Sager returns to his roots with a locked-room mystery soaked in atmosphere, glamour, and blood. When a young socialite is found dead in her sleeper cabin, everyone on board becomes a suspect, and no one is truly innocent.
Told from multiple perspectives, including a war-scarred detective and a mysterious woman with a vendetta, this is Sager at his most cinematic. The setting hums with old-Hollywood energy, but the horror feels modern, raw, and deliciously claustrophobic. Lovers of Murder on the Orient Express or The Last Time I Lied will devour this in a single night.
Why we recommend it: Think Murder on the Orient Express, but sassier, bloodier, and with a femme fatale who probably keeps secrets in her lipstick. Perfect for readers who love vintage noir with a twist, and aren’t afraid of a little vengeance with their champagne.
3. Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine
Published June 17, 2025
In Don’t Open Your Eyes, Liv Constantine taps into our darkest subconscious fears, crafting a psychological thriller that plays out like a fever dream. A woman plagued by inexplicable visions begins to suspect they may be premonitions, not hallucinations. Her once-predictable life collapses into a terrifying blur of insomnia, gaslighting, and creeping dread.
The Constantine sisters are known for their sleek, high-stakes thrillers, but this latest release veers into the surreal. Expect reality to twist and shatter as the protagonist unravels the line between imagination and truth. Sharp, paranoid, and utterly consuming, this book asks: what if the only thing you can trust is your worst nightmare?
Why we recommend it: For those who enjoy yelling “Don’t go in there!” at fictional characters, this book is your chaotic playground. A perfect pick for fans of psychological thrillers that toy with reality like a cat with a mouse, sharp claws included.
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4. A Happy Marriage by A.R. Torre
Published June 24, 2025
On the surface, it’s a picture-perfect life: successful husband, beautiful home, Instagram-worthy dinners. But behind the glossy facade lies something rotten. In A Happy Marriage, A.R. Torre strips back the curtain on a seemingly idyllic couple whose secrets begin surfacing after a neighbor disappears.
As the investigation tightens its grip, past betrayals and buried bodies come back to haunt them (figuratively and maybe literally). With her signature flair for domestic suspense, Torre blends glamour with dread, creating a chilling portrait of what happens when love turns toxic. This is Desperate Housewives meets Gone Girl, and the result is devilishly satisfying.
Why we recommend it: It’s like Desperate Housewives met Gone Girl at a cocktail party and decided to hide a body together. Recommended for anyone who enjoys slow-burn tension, morally grey choices, and just enough spice to make you raise an eyebrow.
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter5. Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams
Published June 24, 2025
Set against the eerie tranquility of a remote lakeside retreat, Whispers of the Lake delivers ghostly chills with a side of emotional heft. Shanora Williams spins the tale of a grieving woman who retreats to her family’s summer cabin, only to discover that the past is far from dead. Mysterious noises, cryptic journal entries, and a local legend all point toward a long-buried truth.
But this is no simple haunting. Williams probes the complexities of grief, memory, and generational trauma, making this more than just a standard horror-thriller. Her lyrical prose grounds the supernatural elements in raw, relatable emotion. It’s the kind of story that lingers long after the final page, whispering in your ear.
Why we recommend it: If lakes could talk, they’d whisper dirty secrets and generational trauma, and this book delivers both. Ideal for readers who crave atmospheric tension, family drama, and a protagonist with something to prove (and something to hide).
6. Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft
Published July 8, 2025
Imagine your voice reaching thousands every night, and one of those listeners is hunting you. In Night Watcher, true-crime podcaster and debut novelist Daphne Woolsoncroft blurs fact and fiction in a thriller that feels eerily real. A late-night radio host begins receiving anonymous messages referencing a murder case she covered years ago: a case she thought was closed.
As past victims, suspects, and betrayals resurface, she realizes the killer might have been closer than she ever suspected. Drawing from her own background in true crime commentary, Woolsoncroft infuses the story with insider detail and psychological grit. If You met I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, it might look like this.
Why we recommend it: This one’s for true crime junkies who leave their lights on after watching Mindhunter. Eerie, grounded, and unsettling in all the right ways: it’s a must for readers who fear the dark but can’t look away.
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7. Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon
Published July 8, 2025
Isolation, temptation, and murder simmer in the Mojave Desert in Our Last Resort. Clémence Michallon’s follow-up to The Quiet Tenant is a slow-burn thriller set in a luxury resort that promises healing and reconnection for couples in crisis. But when one guest turns up dead, everything unravels.
Told from alternating perspectives, including a guilt-ridden wife and a charismatic resort host with too many secrets, this is both a taut mystery and a meditation on emotional manipulation. Michallon excels at making you question every character’s intentions until the final, brutal twist. Equal parts elegant and explosive.
Why we recommend it: Come for the couples therapy, stay for the murder. Fans of locked-room thrillers, toxic relationships, and sandy secrets will find this one impossible to put down, even if you’ll be side-eyeing your partner for a week.
8. She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena
Publishing July 29, 2025
Shari Lapena does it again with a twisty, small-town mystery that will make you second-guess every friendly smile. In She Didn’t See It Coming, a woman vanishes without a trace during her morning jog. Her keys, her phone, even her smoothie cup: all right where she left them. Except she’s gone.
As police dig deeper, the facade of suburban peace begins to crumble. Secrets, affairs, and hidden grudges bubble to the surface, and no one is above suspicion. Lapena’s talent for tight plotting and gasp-worthy reveals makes this the kind of thriller you’ll lose sleep over. Think Big Little Lies meets The Couple Next Door.
Why we recommend it: Like a suburban nightmare wrapped in polite smiles and passive-aggressive casseroles. This is for readers who love their mysteries clean, their twists nasty, and their neighbors suspiciously perfect.
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9. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
Publishing August 12, 2025
A brand-new detective. A small town brimming with secrets. And a crime that everyone saw but no one can explain. In We Are All Guilty Here, Karin Slaughter introduces a gritty new protagonist who moves to a sleepy Georgia town hoping for a fresh start. What she gets instead is a tangled web of lies, half-truths, and vendettas.
Slaughter blends emotional intensity with procedural intrigue, offering a story that is as much about community rot as it is about justice. With whip-smart dialogue and a plot that refuses to slow down, this is the kind of thriller that leaves claw marks. A chilling reminder that sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones smiling at you in church.
Why we recommend it: Karin Slaughter doesn’t just write thrillers, she detonates them, and this one’s no exception. A juicy, small-town mystery for fans of layered detectives, dark pasts, and secrets buried deeper than bodies.
This summer’s lineup of thrillers is nothing short of electrifying. Whether you crave psychological mind games, domestic darkness, or high-stakes whodunits, there’s something here that will grip you by the throat and not let go. So grab your sunglasses, your cold drink of choice, and maybe a flashlight, because some of these stories don’t play well with daylight.
Which of these are you adding to your summer TBR?
