It’s dark and late, but you’re not sleepy; this is not the time to do chores, as you’ll wake the entire household up. So, what can you do? The Internet or television? How about trying something that will both excite you and keep your mind sharp? How about reading a thriller?
Thrillers, by definition, are not going to lull you to sleep as they offer a challenge, but perhaps lead to interesting dreams, as they pique one’s interests and, when well-written, keep us guessing till the end. Thrillers, like most genres today, are fluid, offering various opportunities to investigate crime, view romance from a new angle, revisit history, explore the repercussions of espionage, examine politics, understand the psychology of the story, or even delve into horror.
A thriller includes high stakes, tension, and suspense, a fast-paced plot, an active protagonist and antagonist, an emotional connection, twists and turns, an ‘all is lost moment’, and a satisfying climax. All these elements keep us guessing, which leads to a feeling of satisfaction when we close the book. The following book list includes many offerings for 2025, most of which are from best-selling authors who offer all the thrills and intrigues we need.
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10. King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
This recent release is part of the Southern Noir/Crime Thriller category and tells the story of the Caruthers family members, namely the eldest son Rowan, who had managed to escape the family business but is forced to return when his father, Keith, is hospitalized after a suspicious car accident. He has to contend with his younger brother Dante’s drug and debt to mobsters
All the while, his sister, Neveah, tries to solve their mother’s disappearance some twenty years ago.
Why we recommend it: The setting captivates you as it explores the ethical and moral dilemmas of family loyalty. The well-developed characters navigate themes of duty, loyalty, and revenge, revealing how far one is willing to go to protect loved ones while confronting danger in a corrupt criminal underworld.
9. Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
A debut novel by a Canadian Chinese author that’s not to be missed. The plot features a doppelganger; you see, Chloe VanHuusen is dead, but not her identical twin, Julie. The two sisters were separated at birth. As Julie decides to step into her shoes, she leaves her supermarket cashier job and takes over her life as a glamorous influencer. She becomes entwined in a complex web of deception over a weeklong island retreat to find the answers she seeks.
Why we recommend it: As a debut novel, it offers a fresh take on the thriller genre, exploring today’s world of social media and its pressure to achieve online fame, while also delving into one’s identity. It offers many twists and turns to solve the mystery.
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter8. You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
This premier novel by Ande Pliego is an original take on the classic locked-room mystery. A group of mystery writers is invited to a writing retreat by a famous and completely anonymous thriller author.
J. R. Alastor has his agenda for the event. An event coordinator aids him, Mila des Angél, who also has a dark reason for accepting the job. As expected, the retreat takes a deadly turn because all the guests harbor their dark secrets; it becomes a real-life thriller where everyone is a suspect, and no one can be trusted.
Why we recommend it: It is a masterful blend of the classic with a new fictional twist. The intricate plot is a puzzle that must be solved, keeping everyone guessing because all the writers have a reason for being there, but the outcome is difficult to predict. It holds not only multiple perspectives but also high stakes as the body count rises. If you enjoy whodunits, you will enjoy this tale.
7. The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
This murder thriller features Dan Garvie, a criminal profiler who returns home to investigate his father’s mysterious death. He cannot get past his own experience with a serial killer from his childhood; in fact, Dan thinks that this new case may be linked to the serial killer he encountered as a child. What makes the case unusual is its supernatural-tinted link to urban legends. Mr. North merges horror and crime with unnerving accuracy.
Why we recommend it: Alex North has a talent for mixing shock and suspense. His story delves into the emotional relationship between father and son, with specters lurking about, leaving the trauma of the past behind, finally.
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6. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
The novel is a thriller set in a world dominated by men, but this time the protagonists are a group of successful female crime writers themselves who team up to solve a murder. Dorothy L. Sayers leads the group, which includes famous writers such as Agatha Christie, Sayers’ legendary rival, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy.
It is a historical crime story set in 1930, which is based on an actual event in Ms. Sayers’ life. The five women form a secret society to solve the locked room murder of a young woman in France who may have been connected to the highest British establishment. The women quickly learn that they are stronger together and have to protect Ms. Sayers as the killer threatens to expose a dark secret of hers.
Why we recommend it: It’s based on a true story, uniting five talented women writers who collaborate to help a friend and prove themselves in a male-dominated world as they solve the mystery, to protect one of their own.
5. Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
Does the perfect man exist? This is what Nina and especially her daughter Ash question. After her husband Alistair’s mysterious ways and his unexpected death, Nick Radcliffe, an alleged old friend and a man of refined taste, contacts Nina, but her daughter Ash finds him too good to be true and begins looking into this flawless individual. Is he the perfect man, or is it an ideal lie?
Why we recommend it: Jewell has a knack for domestic thrillers, and this entry does not disappoint. The mounting suspense and character depth lead us to the connection between three women and one man.
4. The Crash by Freida McFadden
A plane crash, a pregnant woman, an escape? Tegan finds herself desperately escaping, heading to her brother’s to put her life back together. However, life has a different destiny in mind for her. She then finds herself alone, stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and a broken ankle, eight months pregnant, and heading into a blizzard.
All seems lost until a man and a woman come to her rescue and offer her warmth and shelter, but not everything is as it seems. She comes to realize that she is in danger. She must now do everything in her power to escape and save her unborn child.
Why we recommend it: This psychological thriller involves amnesia, a plane crash survivor whose past holds a dark secret. The story contains many twists and turns, and a complex narrative that keeps the reader guessing.
3. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
The story centers around author Grady Green, who suffers from writer’s block after the mysterious disappearance of his wife Abby, one year ago. His agent, Abby’s godmother, offers a solution to Grady’s problem: a retreat to a remote Scottish island called Amberly. Although the opportunity seems perfect, Amberly is completely isolated without even cell service and with limited access to the mainland.
In addition, he finds strange occurrences happening in the cabin, and the entire situation leaves him feeling uneasy and affects his mental state. He even finds a manuscript written by the former owner, Charles Whitaker, whose death is also linked to the island.
Why we recommend it: It is an excellent tale of beauty, love, betrayal, and concealed secrets, with a dual timeline that deals with the dark side of marriage, with many intertwined characters and storylines. This psychological thriller has many twists and turns that help unravel what happened and why.
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2. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
This entry also explores the unanswered questions in a marriage, but in this case, it’s the husband who vanishes, leaving his family and a life of crime behind. Seven years have passed, and although his wife, Cam Deschamps, continues to live and raise their daughter, Polly, she has more questions than answers.
Along with Cam, there is also Niall Thompson, the police hostage negotiator who was unable to prevent the tragedy seven years ago, and he becomes obsessed with understanding Luke’s involvement in the hostage situation.
Why we recommend it: Gillian McAllister brings us a legal thriller with an integrated time loop. Again, this situation addresses the timely question of how well we truly know the people who are the closest to us. The suspense mounts until the end when all the questions are answered.
1. Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn
The final entry is the sequel to Killers of a Certain Age, which follows a group of retired assassins who go on another deadly mission. These formidable women, Bille, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie, embark on another mission: to prevent the secrets of their organization, the Museum, from being made public.
They must not only identify the mole within their ranks and track down the deadly gangster and her assassin, but also prevent them from causing further harm. The action-packed story takes them around the globe, as their nemesis proves to be more devious than expected.
Why we recommend it: Well, if you read the first installment, the second should have piqued your interest. The characters are witty and always up for a new adventure, and doesn’t everyone want to see how senior ladies deal with assassinations?
Here you have it, a variety of new and exciting thrillers for you to enjoy. Although all suspenseful stories have different ways to relax, they still keep the reader intrigued and guessing until the last page. To conclude, all the entries are worth your time, but the number of options allows for everyone’s tastes and interests. So, enjoy!
