We’re officially more than halfway through 2024, which feels like the perfect time to look back at the very best mysteries and thrillers that have already hit bookstores.
(Don’t worry; we’ll soon share our list of the most anticipated books still set to be released this year.)
Whether you’re into throwback whodunits that are perfect for fans of Golden Age mysteries or prefer hard-hitting action, there has been a deep and diverse list of new books worth checking out—and for our money, the titles below represent the best of the best must-read new mysteries and thrillers.
Happy reading!
(Note: it’s no secret that when I’m not writing reviews and breaking news under The Real Book Spy name, I’m also churning out thrillers under my real name, Ryan Steck. In June, my latest novel, Out For Blood, finally hit bookstores. The most action-packed adventure I’ve written yet, this is my favorite in my series so far, and even if you didn’t read my first two books—Fields Of Fire and Lethal Range—you could absolutely jump right on it with no problems whatsoever. I’d be honored if you’d give it a read. For those who are planning to buy a copy, while supplies last, every hardcover edition will come signed by me, no matter where you get it. Just order here or anywhere else books are sold.)
Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Release Date: January 8th
Little, Brown and Company
Crime! Murder! Who are you going to call?
In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts?
Brendan Holmes—The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic.
Margaret Marple—The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated.
Auguste Poe—The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.
The agency’s daring methodology and headline-making solves attract the attention of NYPD Detective Helene Grey. Her solo investigation into her three unknowable competitors rivals the best mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Edgar Allan Poe.
From TRBS: Patterson’s first hit of the year became a fan-favorite among his legion of readers, with many calling for a sequel. If you’re in that camp, well, good news—the follow-up, Holmes Is Missing, Patterson’s most requested sequel ever, is slated for release in 2025.
Release Date: January 16th
Thomas & Mercer
A gated dream town for the megarich becomes a murderous nightmare in a riveting Eve Ronin thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.
Hidden Hills is a private celebrity enclave of white picket fences and horse trails that seems to exist in a dreamworld. But when reality superstar Kitty Winslow is killed within their gates and corpses are found in the vast state park outside them, LASD detective Eve Ronin realizes there is a deadly, razor-thin line between what’s real and what’s imagined.
Eve discovers that Kitty’s surreal on- and off-camera life, a blur of fact and fantasy, shockingly mirrors her own as she struggles to investigate the killings, wade into a music industry war, and battle a vicious Chilean gang―all while her life is being turned into a fictional cop show directed by her estranged father.
Eve’s grip on reality and the case is strained to the breaking point as the slayings continue, the media frenzy reaches a fever pitch, and the only inescapable truth she can see is death…and it’s coming for her.
From TRBS: Prepare to be captivated. Goldberg masterfully blends suspense, intrigue, and a touch of Hollywood glamour with his latest thriller—where the dreamworld of the rich and famous becomes a chilling nightmare.
The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan
Release Date: January 23
MIRA
“This latest installment will likely satisfy Quinn and Costa’s loyal followers and attract those curious about the interplay between public policy, law enforcement, and politics.” —Booklist
When a key witness goes missing, Quinn & Costa must find her before a killer silences her for good…
Detective Kara Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a notorious human trafficker, finally moving past the case that upended her life. But when the accused is shot in broad daylight, the chaotic scene of the crime turns up few reliable bystanders. And one witness—a whistleblower who might be the key to everything—has disappeared.
After another person close to the case is killed, it’s clear that anyone who knows too much is in danger, and tracking down the witness becomes a matter of life-and-death. But as explosive secrets surface within the LAPD and FBI, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the life she left behind months ago.
From TRBS: This electrifying thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, blending intense suspense with a complex web of intrigue.
Dead Man’s Hand by Brad Taylor
Release Date: January 23
William Morrow
New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor is back with a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring Pike Logan as he goes head-to-head with Putin’s henchmen.
To finally end the war between their nations, a rogue band of Ukranian partisans known as the Wolves teams up with members of Russia’s military intelligence to assassinate Vladimir Putin.
But Putin is aware of the traitors in his midst and assigns the loyal commander of the Russian National Guard to root them out. It’s a mission Victor Petrov is expected to undertake after he prevents Sweden from joining NATO—by assassinating a deputy minister of foreign affairs.
After receiving intelligence about the threat in Sweden, the United States sends Pike Logan to identify Petrov’s target—only for him to get caught in the crossfire between Putin’s agents and the Wolves. When the smoke clears, Pike makes no effort to stop the Wolves on their ultimate mission, believing it just, until he discovers that their operation has unimaginable consequences.
For Putin is preparing a devastating endgame: activating the Dead Man’s Hand nuclear response that will launch Russia’s missiles in the event of his death . . .
From TRBS: Written with the kind of been-there-done-that authenticity that Taylor has become so known for over the years, Dead Man’s Hand mixes a timely plot with a double dose of action and enough tension and suspense to have even the most seasoned readers on the edge of their seats . . . a real contender for best action thriller of the year.
Release Date: January 23
St. Martin’s Press
In this crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle―and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body―and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.
From TRBS: Sure to keep readers up well into the night as Lieutenant Eve Dallas races against time to uncover the truth behind a string of random, senseless killings, J.D. Robb delivers another masterpiece that fans of the series and new readers alike won’t want to miss.
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Release Date: January 30th
Mariner Books
For fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz, a fiendishly fun locked room murder mystery from the author of the indie darling Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone —this time set on a train full of mystery writers, agents, editors, and fans.
Ernest Cunningham returns in a deliciously witty locked room (train) mystery.
When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.
The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:
the debut writer (me!)
the forensic science writer
the blockbuster writer
the legal thriller writer
the literary writer
the psychological suspense writer
But when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.
Of course, we should also know how to commit one.
How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?
From TRBS: To all the mystery and whodunit fans, the readers who love Holmes, Poirot, and Marple . . . this one is for you. Stevenson’s sharp, witty prose drives this story, which twists and turns its way to a brilliant final act that delivers a truly satisfying ending. The setup takes a little bit of time, but stay patient because when the first body hits the floor, the game is afoot, and the story takes off in a big and thrilling way. The parallels to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express are obvious, with Stevenson clearly paying homage to Chrsutie’s classic, but there are many differences too, so don’t assume you know how this one will play out. This is easily one of my favorite 2024 titles so far.
The Year of Locust by Terry Hayes
Release Date: February 6th
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Terry Hayes, author of the #1 global bestseller I Am Pilgrim, returns with a terrifying and eagerly awaited new thriller.
If, like Kane, you’re a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again—by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide—and when to shoot.
But some places don’t play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane’s experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan meet are such a place—a place where violence is the only way to survive.
Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West—but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart . . .
From TRBS: Coming in at a whopping 800 pages and unlike anything else hitting store shelves this year, Haye’s highly-anticipated second book dominated headlines back in February. While it’s fair to say that you may want to go into this one having already made the decision to suspend all disbelief, those who do will surely enjoy Locust for what it is . . . a big and thrilling reading experience you won’t soon forget.
One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Release Date: February 6th
Forge Books
A heart-racing new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling and multiple award-winning author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.
One wrong word can ruin your life. And no one knows that better than savvy crisis management expert Arden Ward. Problem is, she’s now forced to handle a shocking crisis of her own. Unfairly accused of having an affair with a powerful client, Arden’s life and dreams are about to crash and burn. Then, Arden is given an ultimatum. She has just two weeks to save her career and her reputation.
Is Cordelia Bannister the answer to her prayers?
Cordelia needs Arden’s help for her husband Ned, a Boston real estate mogul. Though he was recently acquitted in a fatal drunk driving accident, his reputation is ruined, and the fallout is devastating not only to the Bannisters’ lives, but the lives of their two adorable children.
Arden devotes her skill and determination―and maybe her final days on the job―to helping this shattered family, but soon, revelations begin to emerge about what really happened the night of the accident. And then―another car crash throws Ned back into the spotlight.
This case is Arden’s final chance to protect her own future and clear her name. But the more she tries to untangle the truth, the more she’s haunted by one disturbing question―what if she’s also protecting a killer?
Gossip. Lies. Rumors. Words like that can hurt you. And Arden knows the reality. Sometimes one wrong word can kill.
From TRBS: When it comes to giving readers the kind of nail-biting experience that’ll have you racing to find someone to discuss all the story’s twists and turns with the second you finish, Hank Phillippi Ryan is one of the best writers on the planet. Right up there with Gone Gire and Girl on the Train, One Wrong Word is absolutely lights-out, and Ryan provides a masterclass on how to grab readers’ attention and never let go.
The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman
Release Date: February 6th
Ballantine Books
Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).
LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.
A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.
An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.
As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?
From TRBS: Kellerman takes readers on a twisting adventure as Milo and Alex dig deeper into a web of secrets, lies, and deadly truths, all leading to a satisfying ending. While you absolutely do not need to read all the prior books in this series to enjoy Kellerman’s latest, readers who’ve yet to discover these characters may want to put this one on their TBR list right away.
The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie
Release Date: February 6th
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Peter Ash must follow his closest friend, Lewis, into the criminal underworld when secrets from the past threaten everything they hold dear in this propulsive new thriller from the bestselling and award-winning series.
Lewis has helped Peter Ash out of more trouble than Peter cares to remember. So he doesn’t hesitate when Lewis asks a favor in return. Lewis has left his criminal past behind, but a former associate may be in trouble, and he and Peter must drive into the teeth of a blizzard to find him. When they discover blood in the snow and a smoldering cabin, both men know things are bad. Then they learn that someone has stolen notebooks full of incriminating secrets about Lewis’s long-ago crimes, and realize the situation is much worse than they’d thought.
To save Lewis’s wife, Dinah, and her two boys, Lewis and Peter must find the notebooks. With Peter’s longtime girlfriend, June Cassidy, they begin the search—facing ruthless and violent foes at each turn, including one powerful person who will stop at nothing for revenge. Will Peter and Lewis be able to keep that dark past buried? Or will they need to step into the darkness to save the people they love most?
From TRBS: Nick Petrie holds nothing back with this one, the eighth book in his popular Peter Ash series and his first novel since 2022’s The Runaway. Many characters have been compared to Jack Reacher, but Petrie’s Ash is the only one who actually deserves it. Whether you’re a fan of Lee Child’s books or the Amazon Prime-produced series, Petrie’s work should be atop your TBR list in 2024.
Release Date: February 13th
Minotaur Books
Once a black ops government assassin known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak left the Program, went deep underground, and reinvented himself as someone who will go anywhere and risk everything to help the truly desperate who have nowhere else to turn. Since then, Evan has fought international crime syndicates and drug cartels, faced down the most powerful people in the world and even brought down a president. Now struggling with an unexpected personal crisis, Evan goes back to the very basics of his mission – and this time, the truly desperate is a little girl who wants him to find her missing dog.
Not his usual mission, and not one Evan embraces with enthusiasm, but this unlikely, tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest mission yet, one that finds him battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin who seems a mirror of himself, and personal stakes so gut-wrenching he can scarcely make sense of them.
Evan’s mission pushes him to his limit – he must find and take down the assassin known only as the Wolf, before she succeeds in completing her mission and killing the people who can identify her – a teenaged daughter of her last target, and Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing if he is to survive.
From TRBS: Gregg Hurwitz seems to have found a new gear as he kicks things up a notch, ramping up the action and tension to deliver the most fascinating and compelling Orphan X novel to date. Think Jason Bourne on steroids . . . Lone Wolf is one of the year’s first must-read thrillers.
The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney
Release Date: February 20th
Berkley
Artificial intelligence leads to shockingly real danger for the Gray Man in this latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
A car accident in Japan.
A drowning in Seoul.
A home invasion in Boston.
Someone is killing the world’s leading experts on robotics and artificial intelligence. Is it a tech company trying to eliminate the competition or is it something even more sinister?
After all, artificial intelligence may be the deadliest battlefield gamechanger since the creation of gunpowder. The first nation to field weapons that can act at the speed of computer commands will rule the battlefield.
It’s an irresistible lure for most, but not for the Gray Man. His quest for a quiet life has led him to Central America where he and his lover, Zoya Zakharova, have assumed new identities. With a list of enemies that includes billionaires, terrorists, and governments, they need to keep a low profile, but the world’s deadliest assassin can’t expect to hide out forever.
Eventually, they’re tracked down and offered a job by an old acquaintance of Zoya’s. He needs their help extracting a Russian scientist who is on the kill list. They reject the offer, but just being seen with him is enough to put assassins on their trail.
Now, they’re back on the run, but no matter which way they turn, it’s clear that whoever’s tracking them is always going to be one step ahead. Since flight’s no longer possible, fight is the only option left, and no one fights dirtier than the Gray Man.
From TRBS: Courtland “The Gray Man” Gentry is back for more action in the latest pule-pounding thriller from Mark Greaney. A lot of authors are touching on AI in their books this year, but Greaney’s take is the most compelling and fascinating that I’ve come across so far. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or new to Greaney’s work, make sure you give this one a read before year’s end.
Release Date: February 20th
Severn River Publishing
A missing CIA officer.
A rogue terrorist faction.
A bioweapon more devastating than anything ever seen…
And that’s just the beginning.
When a rogue military faction in China kidnaps a CIA case officer, global tensions ignite. Desperate to forestall the looming firestorm, the United States deploys an elite team of Navy SEALs to rescue the agent, protected by nothing but their training and a single pilot providing air cover from his FA-18E Super Hornet―normally, it wouldn’t be enough.
But these aren’t normal times…and this is no ordinary pilot.
Fresh off his latest mission, TOPGUN pilot Colt Bancroft is tasked with providing air support to the SEALs. But when Chinese jets engage him just as a bioweapon is simultaneously deployed against Colt’s aircraft carrier, he realizes this is more than a simple kidnapping: it’s a prelude to world war.
Now, aided by Emmy King―an intelligent and beautiful NCIS Agent with a score to settle―Colt will have to use everything he has to figure out who’s behind the attacks. And more importantly, how to stop them before they strike again.
It’s a race between national security and global catastrophe…and only a man used to flying supersonic has a chance in hell of winning.
From TRBS: This is only his second book, but Jack Stewart has flashed real talent in both this and his first novel, Unknown Rider, which came out last year. Not since the early days of Dale Brown have we had an author attempt to bring to the page the kind of action Stewart’s been able to inject into his books. To call them “high-flying” is an understatement. Stewart is the real deal. If you aren’t already reading him, start.
Release Date: February 20th
William Morrow
For fans of Knives Out comes a spellbinding thriller from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Woman in the Window
“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.”
So writes Sebastian Trapp, reclusive mystery novelist, to his longtime correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. With mere months to live, Trapp invites Nicky to his spectacular San Francisco mansion to help draft his life story . . . while living alongside his beautiful second wife, Diana; his wayward nephew, Freddy; and his protective daughter, Madeleine. Soon Nicky finds herself caught in an irresistible case of real-life “detective-fever.”
“You and I might even solve an old mystery or two.”
Twenty years earlier—on New Year’s Eve 1999—Sebastian’s first wife and teenage son vanished from different locations, never to be seen again. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? And why has he emerged from seclusion, two decades later, to allow a stranger to dig into his past?
“Life is hard. After all, it kills you.”
As Nicky attempts to weave together the strands of Sebastian’s life, she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth . . . while Madeleine begins to question what her beloved father might actually know about that long-ago night. And when a corpse appears in the family’s koi pond, both women are shocked to find that the past isn’t gone—it’s just waiting.
From TRBS: In a literary landscape crowded with suspense novels and overused troupes, End Of Story stands out in a big way, offering a pulse-pounding journey into the heart of darkness with a finale that will haunt you long after you’ve closed the book. If you crave a gripping tale with a twist that will leave your mind in knots, A.J. Finn’s latest is an absolute must-read.
The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry
Release Date: February 20th
Grand Central Publishing
From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure, worth billions, known as Yamashita’s Gold.
1945. In the waning months of World War II, Japan hid vast quantities of gold and other stolen valuables in boobytrapped underground caches all across the Philippines. By 1947 some of that loot was recovered, not by treasure hunters, but by the United States government, which told no one about the find. Instead, those assets were stamped classified, shipped to Europe, and secretly assimilated into something called the Black Eagle Trust.
Present day. Retired Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland doing a favor for a friend. But what was supposed to be a simple operation turns violent and Cotton is thrust into a war between the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, a battle that directly involves the Black Eagle Trust. He quickly discovers that everything hinges on a woman from his past, who suddenly reappears harboring a host of explosive secrets centering around bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is being quietly weaponized, readied for an assault on the world’s financial systems, a calculated move that will have devastating consequences. Cotton has no choice. He has to act. But at what cost?
From the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg, to the secret vaults of Switzerland, and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn. Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Maneuver.
From TRBS: Cotton Malone is back and better than ever in this thrilling new novel from Steve Berry. How good is this one? For my money, it’s the best book in the series since The Lost Order (2017). Berry, who is always a good bet to deliver the kind of adventure that’ll both teach and entertain, is in top form here, making this a must-read for fans of Dan Brown and Brad Meltzer.
Release Date: February 27th
Minotaur Books
In a daring, brutal act of terrorism, an explosion rocks and topples the Statue of Liberty. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is awakened by his boss with that news and sent to New York as the agent-in-charge. Not long after he lands, he learns two things – one that Gina Delgado of the FBI has been placed in charge of the investigation as the lead of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and two, that threats of a second terrorism attack are already being called into the media. While barred from the meetings of the Joint Task Force for his lack of security clearance, Walker finds a young boy among the survivors with a critical piece of information – a video linking the attackers to the assault.
As a radical domestic terrorist group, led by a shadowy figure known only as Jeremiah, threatens further attacks against America’s cultural symbols, powerful forces within the government are misleading the investigation to further their own radical agenda.
From TRBS: Landau, the pen name for co-authors Jon Land and Jeff Ayers, is an expertly plotted thriller that starts fast and only ramps up as the story unfolds. You might think you have this one figured out and know how it’ll end, but trust me, you don’t. Clear your schedule and dive in. You’ll thank me later.
Release Date: February 27th
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human—in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.
A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing, among others, the potential fiancé of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison with a special list tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away: the six people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property.
Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates sets out to methodically check off his list. The problem is, both Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett are on it.
From TRBS: Hands down, C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett franchise is the best series in print today, regardless of genre. A fast-read that brings back one of the series most iconic villains, Box delivers his most shocking ending to date . . . one that’ll shake his fans to their core.
Release Date: March 5th
Viking
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Searcher and “one of the greatest crime novelists writing today” (Vox), a spellbinding new novel set in the Irish countryside.
It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.
Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less: he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.
From the writer who is “in a class by herself,” (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.
From TRBS: I think the New York Times nailed it when they said French is in a class of her own. Weaving a tale of suspense, loyalty, and the lengths we’ll go to defend what we love, Tana French, a true master of suspense, continues to deliver unforgettable narratives and richly drawn characters.
Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardne
Release Date: March 12th
Grand Central Publishing
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner comes a harrowing new thriller: Frankie Elkin is an expert at finding the missing persons that the rest of the world has forgotten, but even she couldn’t have anticipated this latest request—to locate the long-lost sister of a female serial killer facing execution in three weeks’ time.
No man truly fears a woman. Not even one who is her father’s daughter.
The case was sensational. Kaylee Pierson had confessed from the very beginning, waived all appeals. She had called herself “death,” but people called her the devil. Despite the media’s chronicling of her tragic circumstances—the childhood spent with a violent father—no one could find sympathy for “the Beautiful Butcher” who had led eighteen men home from bars before viciously slitting their throats.
Now, with only twenty-one days left to live, Pierson has finally received a lead on the whereabouts of the sister who was kidnapped over a decade ago, and she needs Frankie’s help to find her. The Beautiful Butcher’s offer:
When was the last time your search ended with finding the living?
Unable to resist the chance for a rescue, Frankie takes on Pierson’s request. Twelve years ago, five-year old Leilani went missing in Hawaii. The main suspect? Pierson’s tech mogul ex-boyfriend, Sanders MacManus. Now, on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific—the site of MacManus’s latest vanity project—fresh evidence has appeared. In order to learn the truth and possibly save a young woman’s life, Frankie must go undercover at the isolated base camp. Her challenge: A dozen strangers. Countless dangerous secrets. Zero means of calling for help. And then the storm rolls in . . .
From TRBS: With her latest blistering thriller, Lisa Gardner delivers a harrowing tale of suspense, survival, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Don’t miss this unforgettable story where every twist could mean life or death.
The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline
Release Date: March 26th
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Lisa Scottoline, the #1 bestselling author of What Happened to the Bennetts, presents another pulse-pounding domestic thriller about family, justice, and the lies that tear us apart.
TJ Devlin is the charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, all of whom are lawyers at their highly successful firm—except him. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can’t get hired anywhere except at the firm, in a make-work job with the title of investigator.
But one night, TJ’s world turns upside down after his older brother John confesses that he murdered one of their clients, an accountant he’d confronted with proof of embezzlement. It seems impossible coming from John, the firstborn son and Most Valuable Devlin.
TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But in no time, TJ and John find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns might break them first.
From TRBS: Still at the very top of her game, Lisa Scottoline delivers another compelling thriller with The Truth About the Devins, an irresistible story that dares to explore the fragility of familial ties, the quest for redemption, and the consequences of buried secrets.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perrin
Release Date: March 26th
Dutton
“Readers’ 63 Most Anticipated Books of 2024” Goodreads | “The Big Upcoming Mysteries Readers Can’t Wait to Crack” Goodreads | “The Most Anticipated 2024 Book Releases” The Nerd Daily | “Most Anticipated Books of 2024″ Shelf Reflection | “Our Most Anticipated Crime Fiction Novels of 2024” Novel Suspects | “24 Books to Read in 2024″ Borrow Read Repeat | Most Anticipated Books of Winter” The Everygirl
For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.
From TRBS: A witty and fun twist on the classic whodunit, Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder serves up a clever closed-door mystery that’ll keep readers guessing until the very end.
Release Date: April 2
William Morrow
Following City on Fire and City of Dreams, City in Ruins is the explosive, impossible to put down conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow’s epic, genre-defining crime trilogy and the final book of Winslow’s extraordinary career.
Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.
Danny Ryan is rich.
Beyond his wildest dreams rich.
The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.
Life is good.
But then Danny reaches too far.
When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.
Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.
To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.
Ranging from the gritty back rooms of Providence, RI to the power corridors of Washington, DC and Wall Street to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, City in Ruins is an epic crime novel of love and hate, ambition and desperation, vengeance and compassion.
From TRBS: New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow, one of the most gifted and prolific writers of our time, brings his Danny Ryan trilogy to a close and, with it, his iconic career. But before he rides off into the sunset, Winslow delivers one final epic crime thriller for his legion of fans, making City in Ruins the book everyone will be talking about in 2024 . . . providing a powerful reading experience that is not to be missed.
Four Minutes by Andrews & Wilson
Release Date: April 2
Blackstone Publishing
Four Minutes is the latest brilliant techno-thriller from the #1 internationally bestselling duo behind the Sons of Valor series.
It is said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but what if you remove the one thing no one can control: Uncertainty about the future?
Special Operations Chief Tyler Brooks might not know quantum mechanics, or have an eidetic memory, but he is the very best in the world at one thing: leading covert ops. When an unpredictable enemy causes the catastrophic loss of his entire SEAL team, Brooks is recruited by Pat Moody to lead a new elite squad, Task Force Omega. Moody’s promise — access to mind-bending tech that grants a glimpse of the future.
Together with Navy Intelligence Specialist Zee Williams, Brooks leads a new kind of counterterrorism task force, one that collects intel from the future to stop attacks in the present. But there’s a catch. Each mission can only last FOUR MINUTES. Stakes quickly escalate when Omega discovers an unprecedented future attack against America threatening the lives of millions — including Tyler’s daughter.
Despite their prescient advantage, Brooks and Williams find themselves thwarted at every turn as they try to stop the plot. To make matters worse, they have somehow gone from hunter to hunted, targeted by an unknown enemy hidden in the shadows. With the country on the brink of nuclear war, Tyler’s daughter in mortal danger, and a commanding officer they’re not sure they can trust, Omega Team faces a terrible dilemma: Even if you know the future, is FOUR MINUTES enough time to change it.
From TRBS: Andrews & Wilson deliver another brillaintly entertaining mix of cutting-edge technology and heart-pounding suspense that will have you hooked from the first page. This is a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers and military action.
She’s Not Sorry by Marry Kibica
Release Date: April 2
Park Row
The sensational brand new thriller that BookTok is calling “absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G” (@hollylovesbooks1519) and “impossible to put down” (@kurryreads), from the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple
Everyone has secrets, but not everyone has remorse…
A terrible accident.
Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mom and working full time as an ICU nurse, when a patient named Caitlin arrives in her ward with a traumatic brain injury. They say she jumped from a bridge and plunged over twenty feet to the train tracks below.
A shocking revelation.
When a witness comes forward with new details about Caitlin’s fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was Caitlin actually pushed and if so, by whom and why?
No one is safe.
Meghan lets herself get close to Caitlin until she’s deeply entangled in Caitlin’s and her family’s lives. Only when it’s too late, does she realize that she and her daughter could be the next victims…
From TRBS: A pulse-pounding thriller that reads like a masterclass in suspense, with twists and turns that will leave you breathless.
Matterhorn by Christopher Reich
Release Date: April 2
Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: April 9th
Tyndale
When the past scratches its way into the present, it can leave deep scars.
A series of cryptic clues leads Department of Defense redactor Travis Brock to suspect that a grim chapter from his past is not yet over. With the help of his eidetic memory and his newly formed team, he must unearth the truth and stop a terrorist group from stealing one of the military’s most highly guarded technological breakthroughs. With it, the group plans to commit a daring act of espionage that could upend the work of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms and impact millions of people worldwide.
In a high-stakes story of action and intrigue that reaches from a refugee settlement in Uganda to the shores of the Potomac in Washington, DC, shattering secrets from the past will be revealed, loyalties tested, and intimate betrayals brought to light as Brock is forced to decide how to forgive what he cannot forget.
From a novelist that Publishers Weekly has called a “master storyteller” comes an intricate and taut thriller that will have you guessing until the final page.
From TRBS: A must-read for fans of James work, his latest stands out in a big way, in part, because of his effortless ability to seamlessly blend personal demons with global stakes. A nail biter for sure, once you start—there’s no stopping.
Release Date: April 9th
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Lucas Davenport and his daughter, Letty, team up to track down a dangerous scientist whose latest project could endanger the entire world, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.
Gaia is dying.
That, at least, is what Dr. Lionel Scott believes. A renowned expert in tropical and infectious diseases, Scott has witnessed the devastating impact of illness and turmoil at critical scale. Society as it exists is untenable, and the direct link to Earth’s death spiral; population levels are out of control and people have allowed disarray and disorder to run rampant. While most are concerned about deadly disease, Scott knows that it is truly humanity itself that will destroy Gaia. It’s only by removing the threat that the planet can continue to prosper, and luckily, Scott is just the right man for the job…
When Scott then disappears without a trace, Letty Davenport is tasked with tracking down any and all leads. Scott’s connections to sensitive research into virus and pathogen spread has multiple national and international organizations on high alert, and his shockingly high clearance levels at various institutions, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, make him the last person they’d like to go missing. As the web around Scott becomes more tangled, Letty calls in her father, Lucas, help her lead a group of specialists to find Scott as soon as possible. But as Letty and Lucas begin to uncover startling and disturbing connections between Scott and Gaia conspiracists, their worst fears are confirmed, and it quickly becomes a race to find him before the virus he created becomes the perfect weapon.
From TRBS: John Sandford delivers yet another unputdownable reading experience in Toxic Prey, a gripping thriller that combines nail-biting suspense with thought-provoking commentary on the intersection of science, morality, and environmentalism. Longtime fans of the Lucas Davenport series will devour this one.
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
Release Date: April 9th
S&S/Marysue Rucci Books
Release Date: April 9th
Ballantine Books
A Killing On The Hill by Robert Dugoni
Release Date: April 9th
Thomas & Mercer
Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz
Release Date: April 16th
Harper
It Had To Be You by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
Release Date: April 16th
Simon & Schuster
In the latest thrilling entry of the bestselling Under Suspicion series by Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, television producer Laurie Moran investigates the unsolved murder of a beloved couple celebrating the college graduations of their successful twin sons.
The two identical brothers seemed perfect in every way—handsome, intelligent, popular—until a shocking summer night when one brother killed his parents in cold blood while the other brother had an iron-clad alibi. But which twin was where during the murders? And is it possible the two of them planned the perfect crime together?
Years later, the twins are long estranged, each of them claiming to be convinced that the other is responsible for the death of their parents. Married now with children of their own, they may finally be ready to clear one name at the expense of the other and turn to Laurie Moran and her team to reinvestigate their parents’ murder. But as the Under Suspicion crew gets closer to the truth, the danger that was assumed to be left in the past finds its way into the present.
From TRBS: Gripping, atmospheric, and filled with unforgettable characters, Alafair Burke has once again delivered a masterclass in suspense fiction with her latest entry in the Under Suspicion series.
Release Date: April 16th
William Morrow
The Infiltrator by T.R. Hendricks
Release Date: April 23
Forge Books
Circle In The Water by Marcia Muller
Release Date: April 23
Grand Central Publishing
All the Glimmering Stars by Mark Sullivan
Release Date: May 7th
Lake Union Publishing
Inspired by a true story, two teens kidnapped by an African warlord find salvation through love in a powerful and healing historical novel from the #1 bestselling author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Last Green Valley.
Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori are coming of age in Uganda in the 1990s. Outstanding students, they believe in being good humans before they are kidnapped and forced into the fanatical Lord’s Resistance Army.
In a legion of young recruits, no one gets closer than Anthony to powerful messianic warlord Joseph Kony and his darkest secrets. To stay sane as he spirals through chaos, Anthony clings to his childhood lessons about being a good human. Florence’s upbringing grounds her, too, helping her keep her dreams alive even as she’s pulled deeper into the insanity of Kony’s war.
At the lowest points of their lives, certain they’ll never go home, Anthony and Florence meet by chance, fall in love, and begin to dream of surviving their captivity. They devote their lives to helping their fellow child soldiers escape bondage and return to their families and redemption by following the stars.
By turns tender, shocking, moving, desperate, and ultimately triumphant, Florence and Anthony’s story is an epic drama of humanity, a life-affirming tale, and an experience readers will never forget.
Featuring an afterword by Anthony and Florence Opoka.
From TRBS: For readers seeking a profound and unforgettable journey through history’s darkest chapters to moments of enduring light and hope, here it is.
Release Date: May 14th
Grand Central Publishing
How can a man who’s already dead be wanted for murder?
Three years ago, sports agent Myron Bolitar gave a eulogy at the funeral of his client, renowned basketball coach Greg Downing. Myron and Greg had history: initially as deeply personal rivals, and later as unexpected business associates. Myron made peace and moved on – until now, when twofederal agents walked into his office, demanding to know where Greg Downing is.
According to the agents, Greg is still alive—and has been placed at the scene of a double homicide, making him their main suspect. Shocked, Myron needs answers.
Myron and Win, longtime friends and colleagues, set out to find the truth, but the more they discover about Greg, the more dangerous their world becomes. Secrets, lies, and a murderous conspiracy that stretches back into the past churn at the heart of Harlan Coben’s blistering new novel.
From TRBS: Harlan Coben delivers yet again with Think Twice, a gripping, intricately plotted masterpiece that will leave readers blazing through the pages, desperate to unravel the mysteries lurking within. If you’re a fan of heart-stopping thrillers with compelling characters and unexpected twists, Coben’s latest offering is a must-read.
Tom Clancy Act of Defiance by Andrews & Wilson
Release Date: May 21st
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
When a Russian superweapon is let loose under the waves, it’s up to President Jack Ryan to find a countermove in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.
US intelligence says there’s something going on in Russia. While their land forces have been decimated by corruption and incompetence, the Navy seems to be pouring money into some secret project.
Analysts are stumped, until the knot is untangled by one particularly bright young woman at the Office of Naval Intelligence–Katie Ryan, the youngest daughter of President Jack Ryan. Like her father, she sees patterns where other don’t, and she’s determined that the Russians are about to launch a super missile submarine, the Belgorod.
Now the race is on to determine where the sub is and whether it poses a threat to the continental US.
From TRBS: Andrews & Wilson make their presence in the Ryanverse felt immediately with this riveting, heart-thumping adventure that reads like a throwback to the genre’s golden age. Releasing forty years after Clancy’s iconic thriller, Tom Clancy Act of Defiance is not only a worthy follow-up to The Hunt for Red October, it’s the best Jack Ryan novel since Clancy was in his prime.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Release Date: May 21st
Gallery/Scout Press
Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them—from Ruth Ware, the New York Times bestselling author who “is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post).
Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.
But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.
A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.
From TRBS: Think Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with twice the suspense and even more twists and turns. One Perfect Couple is an absolute must-read for fans of nail-biting suspense and those who appreciate a contemporary take on classic mystery tropes.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Release Date: May 21st
Scribner
Fom legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
From TRBS: For fans of horror, suspense, and the power of a master storyteller at his best, You Like It Darker is an essential addition to your TBR list.
Release Date: May 21st
St. Martin’s Press
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.
As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.
Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.
The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them―and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head.
From TRBS: Fans of suspense, psychological drama, and tales of extraordinary resilience will find themselves right at home here.
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham
Release Date: May 28th
Doubleday
#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham takes you back to Camino Island where bookseller Bruce Cable and novelist Mercer Mann always manage to find trouble in paradise.
In this new thriller on Camino Island, popular bookseller Bruce Cable tells Mercer Mann an irresistible tale that might be her next novel. A giant resort developer is using its political muscle and deep pockets to claim ownership of a deserted island between Florida and Georgia. Only the last living inhabitant of the island, Lovely Jackson, stands in its way. What the developer doesn’t know is that the island has a remarkable history, and locals believe it is cursed…and the past is never the past . . .
From TRBS: John Grisham transports readers into a world where secrets lurk beneath pristine surfaces, and justice hangs in the balance. Gripping and thought-provoking, this novel reaffirms Grisham’s status as a titan of the thriller genre.
Release Date: May 28th
William Morrow
The hugely anticipated new Penn Cage novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road, about a man—and a town—rocked by anarchy and tragedy, but unbowed in the fight to save those they love
Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, his old allies gone, and he carries a mortal secret that separates him from the world. But Penn’s exile comes to an end when a brawl at a Mississippi rap festival triggers a bloody mass shooting—one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie.
As the stunned cities of Natchez and Bienville reel, antebellum plantation homes continue to burn and the deadly attacks are claimed by a Black radical group as historic acts of justice. Panic sweeps through the tourist communities, driving them inexorably toward a race war.
But what might have been only a regional sideshow of the 2024 Presidential election explodes into national prominence, thanks to the stunning ascent of Robert E. Lee White, a Southern war hero who seizes the public imagination as a third-party candidate. Dubbed “the Tik-Tok Man,” and funded by an eccentric Mississippi billionaire, Bobby White rides the glory of his Special Forces record to an unprecedented run at the White House—one unseen since the campaign of H. Ross Perot.
To triumph over the national party machines, Bobby evolves a plan of unimaginable daring. One fateful autumn weekend, with White set to declare his candidacy in all fifty states, the forces polarizing America line up against one another: Black vs. white, states vs. the federal government, democracy vs. Fascism. Teaming with his fearless daughter (now a civil rights lawyer) and a former Black Panther who spent most of his life in Parchman Prison, Penn tears into Bobby White’s pursuit of the Presidency and ultimately risks a second Civil War to try to expose its motivation to the world, before the America of our Constitution slides into the abyss.
In Southern Man, Greg Iles returns to the riveting style and historic depth that made the Natchez Burning trilogy a searing masterpiece and hurls the narrative fifteen years forward into our current moment—where America itself teeters on the brink of anarchy.
From TRBS: Coming in at a whopping nine-hundred-plus pages, Greg Iles catapults his beloved Penn Cage series into the present moment where he explores the United States today, delivering a blistering masterpiece that is both relevant and impactful, making Southern Man a must-read for fans of political thrillers and those seeking a compelling exploration of the complexities of contemporary America.
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
Release Date: June 3
Little, Brown and Company
Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have created an unforgettable thriller. A history-making volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a secret held for decades by the military is more terrifying than the volcano.
Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park and Westworld, had a passion project he’d been pursuing for years ahead of his untimely death. Knowing how special it was, his widow held back his notes and the partial manuscript till she found the right author to complete it.
The author she chose is the world’s most popular storyteller: James Patterson. Eruption brings the pace of Patterson to the concept of Crichton—the most anticipated mega-thriller in years.
From TRBS: Impossible to spot where Crichton ends and Patterson begins, Eruption, a landmark achievement in thriller fiction, further solidifies the legacy of two of the most influential authors of our time.
Release Date: June 4th
Grand Central Publishing
The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie in The Unwedding, the adult fiction debut from #1 New York Times bestselling YA author Ally Condie, about a recent divorcee whose vacation at an exclusive Big Sur resort unravels when she discovers a dead body on the day a wedding was set to occur.
Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.
She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?
But now she’s traveling solo.
To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.
When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing.
Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.
From TRBS: Condie servs up a deep dive into the human psyche with here, exploring themes of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of redemption—all wrapped in a brillaint mystery.
Stuart Woods’ Smolder by Brett Battles
Release Date: June 4th
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
In this latest adrenaline-fueled adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Stone Barrington faces his most vindictive threat yet.
Finally enjoying some downtime in Santa Fe, Stone Barrington agrees to attend an art exhibit with a dear friend. There, he encounters an intriguing woman who is on the trail of a ring of art thieves. Always one to please, Stone offers his help.
From Santa Fe to Los Angeles, it quickly becomes clear that her investigation has links to Stone—particularly to rare Matilda Stone art, his mother’s paintings. And when old grudges come to light, Stone is forced to reckon with a familiar enemy. Stone must act fast before whoever is out to get him finally closes in on him . . . for good.
From TRBS: Stone Barrington Series aficionados are in for a treat here. Brace yourself for a roller-coaster ride of twists, turns, and unexpected revelations that will leave you ready for whatever Battles does next.
Release Date: June 11th
Atlantic Monthly Press
In the latest installment in his famous Detective Dave Robicheaux series, New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings Dave’s partner and friend Clete Purcel to the forefront for the first time as Clete and Dave attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug
Clete Purcel – private investigator, ex-member of the New Orleans Police Department, and war veteran with a hard shell and just a few soft spots – is Dave Robicheaux’s longtime friend and partner in detective work. But he has a troubled past. When Clete leaves his car at the local car wash, only to return to find it ransacked by a group of thugs tied to the drug trade from Mexican cartels to Louisiana, it feels personal – his grandniece died of a fentanyl overdose, and his fists curl when he thinks of the dealers who sold it.
Just as Clete starts to trail the culprits, Clara Bow, a woman with a dark past hires Clete as a detective to investigate her scheming, slippery ex-husband, and a string of brutal deaths all link back to a heavily tattooed man who seems to lurk around every corner. Clete is experiencing shockingly lifelike hallucinations and questioning Clara’s ulterior motives when he and Dave start to hear rumors of a dangerous substance with potentially catastrophic effects. The thugs who destroyed his car might have been pawns in a scheme far darker than they could’ve imagined.
Gripping, violent, yet interlaced with Clete’s humor and consistent drive to protect those he loves, Clete brings a fresh perspective to a truly iconic series. James Lee Burke proves yet again that he is the “heavyweight champ” and “great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).
From TRBS: Clete is a gut-punch of a book that explores similar topics and themes found in Burke’s other works, but this time through the eyes of fan-favorite character Clete Purcel, who once again finds himself outnumbered and outgunned, but never in over his head.
The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden
Release Date: June 11th
Poisoned Pen Press
A twisting, pulse-pounding thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid and The Coworker
“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…
I used to clean other people’s houses―now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.
Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills . . .
From TRBS: Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Housemaid series or diving in for the first time, this book is sure to leave you breathless. So buckle up, grab a copy, and get ready for a wild ride through the dark underbelly of suburbia.
What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell-Hall
Release Date: June 11th
Thomas & Mercer
A writer’s search for her missing friend becomes a real-life thriller in a twisting novel of suspense by the New York Times bestselling author of These Toxic Things.
Bailey Meadows has just moved into the remote Topanga Canyon home of thriller author Jack Beckham. As his writer-in-residence, she’s supposed to help him once again reach the bestseller list. But she’s not there to write a thriller―she’s there to find Sam Morris, a community leader dedicated to finding missing people, who has disappeared in the canyon surrounding Beckham’s property.
The missing woman was last seen in the drought-stricken forest known for wildfires and mountain lions. Each new day, Bailey learns just how dangerous these canyons are―for the other women who have also gone missing here…and for her. Could these missing women be linked to strange events that occurred decades ago at the Beckham estate?
As fire season in the canyons approaches, Bailey must race to unravel the truth from fiction before she becomes the next woman lost in the forest.
From TRBS: A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone who relishes a heart-pounding tale of survival against formidable odds. Gripping and evocative, this novel grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go until its startling conclusion.
Release Date: June 18th
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
With the walls closing in, Navy SEAL sniper James Reece is on a race to dismantle a conspiracy that has forced America to her knees in the latest high-octane page-turner that seems ripped from the headlines from the “hottest author on the thriller scene today” (The Real Book Spy), #1 New York Times bestseller Jack Carr.
You think you know James Reece. Think again.
A storm is on the horizon. America’s days are numbered. A Chinese submarine has gone rogue and is navigating towards the continental United States, putting its nuclear missiles within striking distance of the West Coast.
A rising Silicon Valley tech mogul with unknown allegiances is at the forefront of a revolution in quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence.
A politician controlled by a foreign power is a breath away from the Oval Office.
Three seemingly disconnected events are on a collision course to ignite a power grab unlike anything the world has ever seen.
The country’s only hope is a quantum computer that has gone dark, retreating to the deepest levels of the internet, learning at a rate inconceivable at her inception. But during her time in hiding, she has done more than learn. She has become a weapon. She is now positioned to act as either the country’s greatest savior or its worst enemy. She is known as “Alice” and her only connection to the outside world is to a former Navy SEAL sniper named James Reece who has left the violence of his past life behind.
Will there be blood?
Count on it!
Will the forces that threaten to destroy the United States be enough to light the fuse of Reece’s resurrection? From “master novelist” (Ballistic magazine) Jack Carr comes his most intense thriller to date, pressing “emotional buttons that other writers wouldn’t dare explore” (The Real Book Spy).
From TRBS: Get ready for a masterpiece of absolute mayhem because this time around, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and the action never lets up for a single second. In a world teetering on the edge of chaos, James Reece stands as a beacon of hope and resilience in Red Sky Mourning, Jack Carr’s most electrifying work to date.
Release Date: June 18th
Blackstone Publishing
What happens when two serial killers begin to compete with each other?
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner comes a new high-octane thriller in the acclaimed UNSUB series.
FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix faces a case from nightmares.
In a Tennessee prison, Efrem Judah Goode draws haunting portraits of women he claims he has killed. Around the country, desperate families of the missing seek answers in his eerie drawings. And on darkened back roads and New York City streets, a new killer poses duct-taped bodies at the sites of Goode’s murders.
Two serial killers are locked in a twisted rivalry. To stop the brutal slayings, FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix must unravel the connection between Goode and the Broken Heart Killer. Their warped competition destroys anyone in their path. Caught between a manipulative psychopath and a ruthless UNSUB, Caitlin has to dive into not one, but two dark and twisted minds. She will risk everything, plunging into the depths of their depraved clash to hunt down an unstoppable killer.
From TRBS: A total mind trip of a story, Gardiner delivers her most unputdownable book since UNSUB. It’s been four years since the last Caitlin Hendrix novel, but it’s safe to say that the beloved FBI profiler is back and better than ever.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Release Date: June 18th
William Morrow
The deliciously twisty new locked room murder mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Paris Apartment
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP
It all began with a secret fifteen years ago. Now, the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…The Midnight Feast.
From TRBS: Get ready to lose yourself in The Midnight Feast, where secrets lurk beneath every linen-clad surface and the shadows of the past cast long, dark echoes over the present.
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Release Date: June 18th
William Morrow
Award-winning author Wanda Morris returns with a powerful, haunting thriller following a lawyer who after the mysterious disappearance of a local landowner and the death of his sister just months before, uncovers a conspiracy that dates back to Reconstruction and persists in half the United States today.
Deena Wood’s life has fallen apart in the aftermath of losing her beloved mother, her marriage, and her prestigious job at an Atlanta law firm. She needs what the Geechee people of coastal Georgia call a “dayclean,” a fresh start.
She returns to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, to heal. But her return is anything but the respite she thought it might be. To make peace with all her loss, she often drives through the city. One day, she unwittingly finds herself on the oceanfront property of a loner widower who is fighting to keep land that has been in his family since the end of the Civil War. He threatens her and warns her to never return. But shortly after, he disappears, and his very expensive property is quickly put up for sale. Curious about what has happened to the man, Deena digs into his disappearance and finds a family legacy at risk. What starts out as a bit of curious snooping, turns into a deadly game of illegal land grabs and property redevelopment in poor and rural communities with dark and powerful forces at work.
Without realizing it, Deena finds herself caught up in a nightmarish scheme that threatens her community and her family. She’ll need help and finds it in a close but unlikely source because she knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sinister forces at play before she becomes their next target.
From TRBS: Prepare to be enthralled, provoked, and ultimately moved by this haunting tale of one attorney’s quest for justice in a world where darkness lurks behind every corner.
Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins
Release Date: June 25th
William Morrow
“An instant Southern noir classic” –S.A. Cosby
S.A. Cosby meets Don Winslow in the breakout thriller from New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins. A Memphis woman hires a PI to find her missing husband, only to discover that he is involved in a dangerous web of international intrigue—and she and her children are now at risk.
Hell is empty…and Addison McKellar’s husband is missing.
Addison McKellar isn’t clueless—she knows she and her husband Dean don’t have the perfect marriage—but she’s still shocked when he completely vanishes from her life. At first Addison is annoyed, but as days stretch into a week and she’s repeatedly stonewalled by Dean’s friends and associates, her frustration turns into genuine alarm. When even the police seem dismissive of her concerns, Addison turns to her father’s old friend, legendary Memphis PI Porter Hayes.
Porter and Addison begin to dig deeper into Dean’s affairs and quickly discover that he was never the hardworking business owner and family man he pretended to be. As they piece together the connections between a hook-handed mercenary, one of Elvis’s former leading ladies, and a man posing as an FBI agent, it becomes clear that Dean was deeply enmeshed in a high-stakes web of international intrigue, and Porter and Addison aren’t the only ones looking for him.
Dean angered some very dangerous people before he disappeared—people who have already killed to get what they want—and they won’t hesitate to come after his family to even the score.
Don’t Let the Devil Ride is a thrilling adventure about what can happen when you pull back the curtain on your life. Ace Atkins, long known for gritty Southern noir with a witty edge, has crafted an ambitious, globe-hopping story that comes home to Memphis in explosive fashion.
From TRBS: Ace Atkins delivers a rollercoaster of suspense, blending Southern charm with a global conspiracy in Don’t Let The Devil Ride, his biggest, most daring novel to date.
You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan
Release Date: June 25th
MIRA
Nothing brings family together like crime.
Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed.
That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder.
With far more questions than answers and a key suspect on the run, they’ll need the whole family to pitch in. But as they investigate the ever-twisting mystery, Margo isn’t sharing everything. Can she learn to trust her family and heal their once-close relationship before her secrets put those she loves most in danger.
From TRBS: Filled with heart-pounding suspense and intricate family dynamics, Brennan’s latest is a gripping examination into loyalty, betrayal, and the enduring power of familial ties.
Release Date: June 25th
Berkley
An African coup may force Josh Duffy to choose between his mission and his family in this intense thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Gray Man series.
Josh Duffy and his wife Nikki are both working for the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service providing protection for diplomats in the field. They’ve been sent to Ghana with a team of US embassy personnel who are there to highlight American commitment to the construction of a new dam.
Since Ghana is a stable democracy, the Duffy children have come along for a short vacation. But stability proves to be fleeting when a Chinese plan to embarrass the US means the destruction of the dam. Now Josh and his protectees are on the run caught between a Chinese hit squad and a rebel army.
From TRBS: There’s no Gray Man, but Mark Greaney’s trademark lightning-fast pacing and heart-thumping action are on full display in Greaney’s second Josh Duffy novel, proving yet again that he’s one of the most talented authors working today.