Best New Thriller Books Coming in 2026

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel, The Last Thing He Told Me.

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The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Rachel Hawkins is back with a thrilling new gothic suspense set in a Gulf Coast beach motel where hurricane season can be murder.

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Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Release Date: January 13, 2026

A tense, feverish thriller about two women’s lives that are forever intertwined when a murder threatens to expose them both.

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Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan

Release Date: January 13, 2026

Debut Author

Two unforgettable women investigate the disappearance of a missing girl in a small Irish town brimming with secrets.

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It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara

Release Date: January 13, 2026

A text message mistakenly sent to the neighborhood group chat leads to a death threat and a murder across town at the same address as the sender. Did the killer get the wrong house or is he still coming for the sender?

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Woman Down by Colleen Hoover

Release Date: January 13, 2026

In this twisty thriller from New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a frustrated author looks for her muse in a remote hideaway, but what she finds defies all expectations…and reality.

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You’ll Never Forget Me by Isha Raya

Release Date: January 13, 2026

In this captivating cat-and-mouse thriller, a struggling actress is only just beginning to enjoy the life sheʼs always wanted after inadvertently killing her rival—but now she must contend with the woman who threatens to take it all away.

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All the Little Houses by May Cobb

Release Date: January 20, 2026

From the author of The Hunting Wives comes a deliciously wicked new thriller about mean girls, mean moms, and the delicious secrets inside all the little houses.

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Dead in the Water by John Marrs

Release Date: January 20, 2026

From the multi-million copy bestselling author comes a chilling tale about life flashing before your eyes―including terrifying scenes you don’t remember.

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My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Release Date: January 20, 2026

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity, and revenge.

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The Society by Karen Winn

Release Date: January 20, 2026

Rumors about the Knox and its influence have swirled through Boston for centuries. While some believe the secret society is merely an elite social club, others are convinced it hides something more sinister.

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Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane

Release Date: January 20, 2026

A gripping domestic thriller in which a family goes missing and a long-buried family mystery resurfaces.

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Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

Release Date: January 27, 2026

A biting, subversive thriller about what happens when women finally choose to take justice into their own hands – with killer results.

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The Exes by Leodora Darlington

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Debut Author

Who hasn’t wanted to murder an ex—figuratively, at least? In this explosive debut thriller, a woman’s seemingly perfect romantic life is on the verge of collapse as she uncovers a hidden history surfacing dark secrets that have deadly consequences.

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Good Intentions by Marisa Walz

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Sly, twisted, and irresistibly provocative, Good Intentions explores the moral gray zones we enter when the unthinkable happens―and the dark places obsession can take us.

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In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka

Release Date: February 3, 2026

As a sensational celebrity libel trial unfolds, a young woman at the periphery secretly wields the power to make or break the case. But with her own hidden past, will she dare to speak up?

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It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Two families at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime in this twisty thriller from the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing.

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We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

Release Date: February 3, 2026

Sisters? Forever. Friends? NEVER. Who knew a reunion weekend could be so deadly?

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The Jills by Karen Parkman

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Debut Author

In this propulsive debut, a Buffalo Bills cheerleader will stop at nothing to solve the disappearance of her best friend and teammate, navigating the dark underbelly of a hardscrabble city, the grime and glamour of professional cheerleading, and her own tangled family history.

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Ours Is a Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Klara never wanted the white picket fence life that her husband Troy always dreamed of. Across the street, Mary is preparing to sell her home while confronting the mistakes of her past, and Henry, recently laid off and living with his parents, spends his days watching the neighbors and sensing that something is wrong. When a murder begins to unfold, it becomes clear that someone has been planning it from the start.

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Adrift by Will Dean

Release Date: February 17, 2026

The author of the The Chamber returns with a high-tension thriller about a family’s descent into darkness that is perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane and Lisa Jewell.

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Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams

Release Date: February 17, 2026

From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition—and the dark truth of what happens deep underground. 

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When I Kill You by B. A. Paris

Release Date: February 17, 2026

Nell Masters is certain someone is watching her, and strange calls and gifts only heighten her fear. She’s been hiding a past she’d do anything to forget. As her paranoia grows, she wonders if her old life has finally caught up with her or if something even more unsettling is happening.

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How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson

Release Date: February 24, 2026

Debut Author

A Scotland Yard detective tries to find the author of a self-help book that promises quite literally to teach readers how to get away with murder, which seems to have inspired London’s newest murderer.

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Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard

Release Date: February 24, 2026

A pulse-pounding thriller about a young woman whose surrogate disappears just days before the baby’s due date, leading to a frantic search that uncovers dark truths and the power of a mother’s love.

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The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

Release Date: February 24, 2026

From the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods, No One Can Know, and A Killing Cold, a new novel about a search & rescue expert, a kidnapped woman, and the lost girls who haunt them both.

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Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson

Release Date: March 3, 2026

From the New York Times bestselling author of Never Have I Ever comes a chilling story of sisters and revenge.

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The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

Release Date: March 3, 2026

A remarkable trio whose lives have been cracked wide open by their husbands’ crimes unite to catch a serial killer in this dazzlingly captivating novel.

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Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding

Release Date: March 3, 2026

From the international bestselling author of The Drowning Woman, a psychological thriller about a couple rocked by infidelity who moves to a villa in Spain’s Costa Brava to rebuild their relationship, only to welcome a pair of visitors who have no intention of leaving.

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A Lie For a Lie by Ren DeStefano

Release Date: March 10, 2026

A deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds when a housewife with a secret life takes on a tech billionaire with secrets darker than her own . . . from the author of How I’ll Kill You.

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Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

Release Date: March 10, 2026

A woman’s brunch with friends quickly turns dark in this gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

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She Fell Away by Lenore Nash

Release Date: March 10, 2026

A State Department diplomat must confront the ghosts of her past as she searches for a missing American woman in New Zealand in this pulse-pounding and unputdownable thriller.

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Robbie McNeil’s Hit List by Brianna Heath

Release Date: March 24, 2026

Debut Author

For fans of This Girl’s a Killer and Joanna Wallace comes a quirky, queer, crime-filled mystery following a contract killer who breaks all her rules when she is hired to kill someone who doesn’t exist.

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The Survivor by Andrew Reid

Release Date: March 24, 2026

Debut Author

A hijacked New York subway train, an anonymous killer, and a young man trapped by his hidden past converge in a breathless, breathtaking thriller.

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Killing Me Softly by Sandie Jones

Release Date: March 31, 2026

Sandie Jones’s next addictive novel is a wickedly twisty tale of obsession, and the deadly consequences of loving someone too much.

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Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh

Release Date: March 31, 2026

The story of two people, both as magnetic as they are dangerous, who get caught in an electric game of cat and mouse. The question is, who is the predator and who is the prey?

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The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

Release Date: April 7, 2026

Debut Author

Six authors.

One private island.

Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives.

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Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Release Date: April 21, 2026

There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies. Meet Mad Mabel.

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The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

Release Date: May 12, 2026

After Jules survives an attack by the May Day Killer and Quinn is arrested the same night, their lives collide each May 1st. Over the next decade, secrets emerge linking Jules’s trauma and Quinn’s family tragedy—while the killer still lurks in the shadows.

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