Caution: The best new thriller books are so addicting you’ll find yourself glued to the page. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Summer is here, which means it’s time to curl up poolside with a good book.
Of course, my summer reading list is full of all the best new thriller books I could find.
If you are a fan of page-turning mysteries, you’ll love this list of all the best summer thrillers of 2022. On my search for the best thrillers books of the year, I’ve included all the best thriller books I could find.
Whether you are looking for the best new psychological thriller books or prefer a good domestic mystery, there’s something for everyone!
New Psychological Thriller Books
The It Girl
Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware always tops my list of best new thriller books with her suspenseful writing. April was the first person Hannah met at Oxford, and they quickly became inseparable with their group of friends until April was killed. A decade after April’s murder, Hannah learns that the recently deceased convicted killer may have been innocent. With a journalist probing for details and the murderer likely still out there, Hannah reconnects with her old friend group to uncover their long-buried secrets.
The House Across the Lake
Riley Sager
A list of the best new thriller books of summer 2022 would not be complete without a new release from Riley Sager. After a slew of negative press, a recently widowed actress retreats to her family’s Vermont lake house. Casey passes the time spying on her neighbors across the lake: Tom the rich tech innovator and his gorgeous wife Katherine, a former model. When Casey and Katherine become friends, she realizes their marriage isn’t as idyllic as she assumed and becomes even more suspicious when Katherine disappears.
Reputation
Sarah Vaughan
As a politician, Emma knows it only takes one slip-up to ruin your reputation. When her teenage daughter is bullied and a classmate commits suicide, Emma lobbies to tighten laws against online bullying. After a dead body is found in Emma’s house, she must do everything in her power to protect her family and save her reputation.
Two Nights in Lisbon
Chris Pavone
When Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon, her husband’s side of the bed is empty. She immediately knows something is wrong. But as she goes to hotel security, the police, the American embassy, she begins to realize that she doesn’t know nearly as much about her new husband as she should. Why is he even in Lisbon and why did he bring her on his business trip? The clock is ticking and Ariel becomes so desperate she might even turn for help to the last person she ever wanted to ask.
The Lies I Tell
Julie Clark
Meg. Maggie. Melody. Whatever name she’s using at the moment, she’s a con artist who slides into your life and takes everything when she leaves. Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years to expose the con artist who upended her life. Yet, when the con artist returns, Kat finds matters much more complicated than she realized.
ICYMI: Psychological Thrillers From Spring 2022
New Mystery Thriller Novels
The 6:20 Man
David Baldacci
David Baldacci will keep you on your toes with one of the best new thriller books of summer 2022. Every day, Travis Devine takes the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, staring out at all the mansions of the uber-wealthy. When his coworker and former girlfriend is found dead in a storage room at their investment firm, Travis is forced to secretly investigate the firm, uncovering a high stakes conspiracy that lands him directly in the crosshairs of a killer.
Girl, Forgotten
Karin Slaughter
While protecting a judge getting death threats, newly US Marshal Andrea Oliver can’t resist investigating a cold case. On prom night in 1982, the popular Emily Vaughn is killed. Emily was hiding a secret, but her wealthy family and friends closed ranks after her gruesome murder. Not Andrea is determined to use her powers to find out what happened to Emily.
The Last to Vanish
Megan Miranda
Even after a decade in her small North Carolina mountain town, Abigail Lovett feels like an outsider. Known for its outdoor recreation, Cutter’s Pass also has a history of mysterious disappearances. When a man arrives looking for his missing brother, the town closes ranks and Abigail learns how much she doesn’t know about her friends and coworkers.
The Retreat
Sarah Pearse
In the sequel to her hit thriller, The Sanatorium, Sarah Pearse returns with a new mystery for Detective Elin Warner. Back from her extended leave, Elin investigates a woman who fell to her death at an eco-wellness retreat on an island off the English coast. When another guest dies, Elin begins to suspect something more is going on, possibly tied to the island’s past connection to a serial killer.
Alias Emma
Ava Glass
On her first assignment as a secret agent, Emma Makepeace has 12 hours to deliver the son of a Russian dissident into protective custody. When Russian assassins hack into the city’s widespread security camera network, Emma must use all her training and skill to deliver him across town without being spotted.
All Good People Here
Ashley Flowers
My list of the best new thriller books of summer 2022 would not be complete without this exciting debut from the host of the true podcast Crime Junkie. When she was six years old, Margot’s next-door neighbor and best friend, January, was murdered in their small hometown. Now a big-city journalist, Margot returns home to help care for her uncle when another girl disappears. Determined to find the missing girl and solve January’s murder, Margot begins to wonder how well she knows her neighbors.
ICYMI: Mystery Thrillers From Spring 2022
New Domestic Thriller Books
The Family Remains
Lisa Jewell
In a sequel to her dark thriller, The Family Upstairs, Lucy takes center stage. Living in London with her two children, Lucy is trying to help the family process their traumatic past, thinking she got away with the murder of her ex-husband, Michael. The police suspect gang influences, but Michael’s wife Ruth knows Lucy is the real killer and will let nothing stop her from proving it.
Family of Liars
E. Lockhart
After a resurgence of popularity, E. Lockhart has penned a prequel to her TikTok sensation We Were Liars (a book I wholeheartedly recommend). Every summer, the Sinclair family vacations on their private island off the coast of Massachusetts. In Family of Liars, Lockhart takes you back a generation, to the parents’ youthful summer of secrets and sorrows that ends in betrayal, mistakes, and lasting consequences.
Things We Do in the Dark
Jennifer Hillier
When Paris Peralta is arrested for her celebrity husband’s murder, found covered in blood standing over his dead body holding a straight razor, she knows she’s looking at a murder charge. Yet, Paris is more worried about her past secrets. Twenty-five years ago, Ruby Reyes was convicted for a similar murder in Canada. Unexpectedly released from prison, Ruby threatens to expose Paris’s past, which might force Paris to face two murder charges.
My Wife is Missing
D. J. Palmer
While on vacation to New York City, Michael Hart is shocked when his wife, Natalie, and their kids disappear. When he realizes she left voluntarily after discovering secrets about his past, Michael will stop at nothing to find them. Meanwhile, Natalie’s escape plan hits a hurdle when she begins to have crippling insomnia which makes her question who she can trust.
The Favor
Nora Murphy
Although from the outside her life appears perfect with all the trappings of success, Leah knows that you can never know what goes on behind closed doors. When Leah notices another woman, McKenna, whose life seems headed down a similar path, she surreptitiously begins to watch over her. Despite having never met, Leah decides that even if she can’t save herself, she might be able to save McKenna.
ICYMI: Domestic Thrillers From Winter 2022
Bestselling Mystery & Thriller Series
More Upcoming Thriller Books of 2022
Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
August 30, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads
The sixth entry in the Cormoran Strike series has the private investigator and his partner Robin involved in another twisted case.
Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
August 30, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
An intern at a true-crime show investigates the unsolved murder of one of her high school teachers with the help of her ex-best friend.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
August 30, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
While celebrating Nana’s 80th birthday on a remote island, the members of the Darker family begin dying one by one.
The Butcher and The Wren by Alaina Urquhart
September 13, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
In the Louisiana bayou, forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller gets drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer.
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
September 27, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
A small superstitious town is rocked when a suspected killer returns to bury his mother and confront his high school sweetheart.
The Prisoner by B. A. Paris
November 1, 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
After marrying a billionaire with a lavish lifestyle, a woman wakes up a prisoner in a pitch-black room and begins to feel safer than she was with her husband.
Which of the best new thriller books are you most excited to read?
Trish M says
I don’t think I can wait for all of these awesome books to come out this summer. I’m impatient! lol!
I’ve got a fantastic summer read for you that is a psychological thriller with suspense and a truly haunting spiritual twist. It’s called “Deciduous” by Michael Devendorf. This book was really incredible and you could tell the depth of feeling that went into it. The main character, Sienna, suffers an enormous loss in the beginning when she loses both of her children. What follows is a thrilling and sometimes terrifying journey through the characters’ psyche. Was she responsible for the deaths? Is there something more sinister at play? Every chapter is a new dark turn and I loved every minute of it. Definitely check this one out! Happy Summer and Happy Reading!
Diana P says
I am really excited for “Survive the Night” – It’s great to see there are so many awesome thrillers due to come out. I love thrillers, sci fi and horror and I just finished a book that delivered on all fronts. “Shimmers” by author J.P. Strecker is my favorite read so far this summer.
Ann says
A great list as always Rachel! Thank you!!
I started a Flicker In The Dark, but it just did not grab me. I may pick it up again as it was my BOTM pick.
I have cancelled my BOTM, bc I found I was getting the bulk of my books from the library. Now the library seems to have slowed down getting my wait listed books. Hope I made the right decision.
The Greenwich book looks intriguing. And the one with the broken plate on the cover. Sorry cannot scroll to look as I comment.
Also the Dolly Parton James Patterson collab.
I am currently reading an Anne Tyler book as 1. on the Reading Challenge. By an author I love. I chose A Spool Of Blue Thread, which also fits my local library’s prompt of: a title with a color in it. ❤️