2026 is going to be a huge year for publishing, especially if you’re a thriller lover. From historical tales of murder-solving women to serial killers and stalkers, your TBR is about to be full of the best books from your favorite storytellers, both new and old. Here are some of our most anticipated thrillers for 2026!

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney (1/20)

Artist Eden Fox is preparing for her big break with her first exhibition. When she returns home, her key doesn’t work in her house and a woman who looks eerily similar to her answers the door followed by Eden’s husband. He swears that this stranger is his wife, not Eden. Two months ago, a woman named Birdy received a life-changing diagnosis and inherited the same home. Finding a London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person’s date of death, things quickly begin to unravel.

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A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (1/20)

Fell, New York has always been home to the unusual from the mysterious drowning at the roadside motel to the death of a young girl by the railroad tracks. Viole, Vail, and Dodie Esmie were added to the list when a simple game of hide and seek resulted in the vanishing of their brother, Ben. Now, two decades later, Ben is summoning the girls home and he’s ready to tell them everything. Can the Esmie sisters survive the ghosts of Fell even if one is their brother?

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All the Little Houses by May Cobb (1/20)

In Longview, Texas in the mid-1980s, Nellie Anderson is the daughter of the Anderson family dynasty and used to getting whatever she wants. Her mother, Charleigh Anderson, the blonde and beautiful, remembers when she was Nellie’s age and was living on the poor side of town shunned by the popular crowd. She had to claw her way to the top and now a new family moves into town that is the epitome of a perfect family with a trad wife, woodworking dad, and wholesome daughter, Charleigh’s empire is threatened and she simply can’t have that.

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Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane (1/20)

It’s been fifteen years since the Tanner family disappeared. All that was left was a bloodstain by the door and a fire that was eating up the family business. The home remained untouched and the tale turned into an urban legend. The town is buzzing with questions when thirty-year-old Aubrey Tanner returns to her hometown. Why is she back? What does she know? One thing is for certain; a teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist are bonded in knowing way more than they’ve admitted and each holds a dark secret that could explain everything.

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Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (1/27)

After years of being the go-to advice columnist for the unheard wives of New England, Debbie Mullen is losing everything, including her mind. With no job, her teenage daughters acting strange, and her husband keeping secrets, Debbie is done playing nice and ready for good old fashioned payback.

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It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica (2/3)

Courtney Gray’s family vacation takes a turn when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. After finding her brother and sister-in-law dead, her teenage niece is missing and her nephew Wyatt is sleeping upstairs unharmed. As the police investigate the killings, secrets from the family begin to come out that make Courtney question if Reese is a victim or guilty.

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Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman (2/3)

Every time a boy breaks our narrator’s heart, she writes a eulogy for him in her journal. In her senior year at Pembrooke College with her entire future on the line, things take a disastrous turn when the boys in her journal start to show up dead in real life. Now, she has to team up with her frenemy Asher to solve a murder investigation in which she’s the prime suspect.

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We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda (2/3)

Five sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu are reuniting years after college at a Palm Springs vacation home to celebrate an engagement. Roxy was the ruthless queen bee who is dying to prove that she still has what it takes to rule all; Amelia is the widow who still is a pot-stirrer; Jamie is the double-legacy pledge who is now a cardiologist hiding a bad habit; Beth is the scholarship student who never fit in but was always with Sunny; and Sunny is the friend loved by all, until she wasn’t. As they reunite, they are reminded of a tragedy from twenty-five years ago that reignites old tensions that cause secrets to emerge.

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When I Kill You by B.A. Paris (2/17)

Nell Masters thinks she has a stalker. From silent calls to her office to the mysterious bouquet of flowers with no card, she believes this is connected to a secret she’s been hiding from everyone, including her new partner Alex. But Alex is also hiding secrets of his own. Fourteen years ago, Nell was known as Elle Nugent and was the last person to see Bryony Sanders getting into a strangers car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle was sure the perpetrator was Brett Parker, a man she accused. Now, in present time, Nell questions if this is related to that event or if this is much, much worse.

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Adrift by Will Dean (2/17)

Peggy and Drew are both aspiring writers who have moved to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. When Drew becomes jealous of Peggy’s success, he moves the boat further from civilization. The more isolated they are, the worse things get and when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much, Peggy finally has had enough.

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Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams (2/17)

After years of avoiding it, Tess finally gives in and agrees to go caving with her best friend Allie. Though their lives are different, the friendship has survived as Tess works as a paralegal to pay for law school and Allie’s career as a travel influencer has taken off. As the two embark on their journey into the caves, they find they aren’t alone, and a fellow caver begins to harass them. As Allie insults the guy and he fights back, Tess finds herself fighting for survival. Twenty-four-hours later, Tess is in a hospital telling a detective what happened as he let’s her know the attack might not have been random and she didn’t know Allie as well as she thought she did.

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Dollface by Lindy Ryan (2/24)

Scream meets Barbie? Jill is a horror author who has just moved to a new suburb in New Jersey and aims to fit in with the PTA moms. When a serial killer in a plastic face-mask begins murdering one mom at a time, Jill is caught in the murder spree. Will the horror author make it to be the final girl?

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The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott (3/3)

Beverley, Elsie, and Margot have one thing in common: they are all wives of convicted murderers. Forming an unlikely friendship in the summer of 1966, they all find themselves on a new path after their husbands are either dead or behind bars. Beverley tries to keep control of her life, Elsie wants to make a name for herself in the newsroom, and Margot refuses to let what happened take away from her glamorous looking lifestyle. When a string of local killings hits the news, the three women are determined to solve the case. Who better than to solve a string of murders than women who lived with a killer?

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Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding (3/3)

Sydney Lowe’s life is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to an affair. To prove that he still wants their marriage to work, he suggests they go to a couples retreat in Spain. Shortly after arriving on the remote hilltop house, a pair of Australian travelers knock at their door looking for help. Inviting the couple in, Sydney and Curtis put themselves in a position they might not survive.

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This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (3/10)

Joy Moore and Benny Abbott had one of the most popular podcasts about survival. The podcast took off from episode one about Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy and they have built an empire with the help from Joy’s husband, Xander. Things take a turn for the worse when Benny shows up to record at Joy and Xander’s house, but the couple has disappeared leaving behind one clue: Joy’s first draft of her memoir. As the police zero in on Benny as the main suspect, he must prove his innocence and find out what happened to the couple by unfolding their secrets one by one.

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The Missing Ones by A.R. Torre (4/14)

Crestmore Estates looks like the perfect place to live with its guarded gates and perfect laws, but it hides a scary past. Five years ago, three of its residents vanished only leaving behind rumors. When human remains are found, three women have their suspicions. Andrea believes her surgeon husband had something to do with his first wife’s disappearance; Sara is still fighting the allegations she killed her first husband; Katie, the new trophy wife still can’t escape the suspicions from her husband’s ex-wife. As the investigation brings new information to light, all three women must decide what they are willing to do to protect their lives and reputation.

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Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu (4/28)

Elizabeth Zhang has never been the most beautiful or most popular girl but she knows she has ambition and brains to achieve her biggest goal of getting into Harvard Law School. When she is rejected for not standing out enough, not only is her life plan over but she’s dismayed to hear that Laura Kim got in. What makes Laura so interesting compared to Elizabeth? Out of curiosity, Elizabeth begins to follow Laura to see what her interests are but the more time goes on, the more Elizabeth knows that she deserves that spot and she just has to do one thing: get it back.

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The Anniversary by Alex Finlay (5/12)

In 1992, two seventeen-year-olds’ lives change forever. Quinn Riley, the boy from the wrong side of town, is arrested for trying to break up a fight and almost killing someone. Jules Delaney survives a brutal attack from a serial killer dubbed the May Day Killer. A year later and Jules is reeling with survivor’s guilt as Quinn is released from juvenile detention and looking to solve the murder of his mother. Every May 1st following for a decade, their lives intertwine again as they both look for answers and the May Day Killer is still on the loose.

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Marion by Leah Rowan (6/2)

Flipping the movie Psycho on its head, here’s a different direction for Marion. After stealing money from the Manhattan ad agency she works at in order to help her sister escape an abusive marriage, Marion finds herself stranded in a small town with only an old set of cabins for a place to stay. Upon arriving she chats with Norm Billings, the handsome innkeeper who is a little hung-up on his elderly mother. When Marion goes to take a shower, she finds Norm with a knife. Before he can strike, Marion gets the knife and stabs him. Now a thief and a murderer, Marion must do whatever it takes on the run to save herself and her sister.

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Helpless by Jessica Knoll (7/7)

Twelve years ago, Faye Heron broke her college boyfriend’s heart. When a former and beloved college professor suddenly passes away, Faye is now face to face with Henry Spalding again for the first time in twelve years. Both have their own separate lives and partners, but the spark is still there. An innocent drink ends up with Henry drugging and kidnapping Faye, holding her hostage in his mountain cabin.

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Sisterhood Above All by Kathleen Barber and Amayah Shaienne (7/14)

At the Southern State University, being a Gamma is the most elite sorority on campus. For Ava, it’s a chance to connect with her late mother. The Gammas don’t just let anyone in and the queen bee, Madison, has a test for Ava to earn her letters. Meanwhile, rival sorority Theta is doing whatever they can to be the top sorority on campus and president Shay is up for the challenge. As the three lives collide within two houses, no one is prepared for how far Ava will go to become a Gamma…and now a dead body is thrown into the mix.

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Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier (8/25)

Seaside is a small coastal town known for its amusement park. Twenty-five years ago, a serial killer dubbed the Carnival Killer confessed to murdering a local high school girl named Lorelei, Barb and Nicolette’s best friend. Twenty five years ago the three girls met a guy at the amusement park, and then a few days afterward, Lorelei’s body was found in a cranberry bog. Now, Barb’s dreams of leaving Seaside are fading quickly as she writes anonymously about celebrities for a gossip website, including the Trophy Wives reality show. Nicolette married rich and changed her name to Cole Lennox, and is the star of the Trophy Wives. When it’s announced the amusement park is about to reopen, the Carnival Killer recants the two-decade old confession and the body of a young woman is found.

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