Being a homebody is easy when you live in Upstate New York and have to deal with incredibly harsh winters. But one thing that I really look forward to every year? Summer reading. That’s right, I absolutely love summer reading. Although I am hours from any beach, I have a great outdoor space with a pool to lounge around and use that space to immerse myself in sunshine, water and, you guessed it, summer thrillers. As we’re heading into spring, I have already received some fantastic ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) that have made me ridiculously excited for the hot months ahead. Here are the most anticipated thrillers of summer 2019.*

The Night Before by Wendy Walker

When I think back on some of the summer reads that really solidify my love for warm weather reading, Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker is a top contender that blew me away. Wendy is a sweetheart (I’ve met her before) and one amazing storyteller. So, when I heard her next novel is about a woman searching for answers about her sister’s disappearance after using an internet dating site, I was immediately obsessed. With Walker’s stunning prose, her ability to write dazzling characters and what I can only imagine is going to be a phenomenal ending – this is the perfect read to kick off the summer.

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

I read Anna Pitoniak’s debut The Futures on a whim and completely by accident. I was really drawn to it based on the cover alone and even though it wasn’t a suspense or thriller novel, I loved the story (which had some twists and turns of its own) and the characters in the novel. When I saw the cover for Necessary People and realized that this one is, in fact, a psychological thriller, I immediately hit that Wish List button. A story set behind the scenes of TV news, this is a tale about rivalry between two friends that leads to disaster. Not only am I excited for a women’s fiction novel with psychological thriller elements, but when it takes place in the world of entertainment, I am sure this is going to be the best read for Memorial Day weekend – which just so happens to land right around my birthday if you are reading this, Little, Brown!

The Island by Ragnar Jonasson

Ragnar Jonasson is the Stephen King of Icelandic thrillers. His novels are haunting, fantastically atmospheric and exceptionally clever. This is the second book in his The Darkness series and takes readers back to 1987 which is right up my alley as that is the year yours truly was born – and into one of the earlier cases of our protagonist Hulda Hermannsdottir. This novel features two crimes, 10 years apart, on an island that may or may not be connected. The Island also features a fierce and genius detective who is willing to put it all on the line to find out the truth. I gobbled up The Darkness in a single Monday night and something tells me that The Island may be even more delicious.

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

Kaira Rouda blew up Bookstagram when Best Day Ever was released. It was an exceptionally well done psychological thriller that featured one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever read. Taking place in Orange County, The Favorite Daughter is an emotional psychological thriller about a woman and her family approaching the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s death. There is an ominous feeling that someone out there knows not only more about her daughter, but what happened on the day of her untimely death. I can already hear the crickets trying to sing me to sleep while I devour this one late into the night.

Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea

One of my favorite summer reads and one of the very first books I covered on GareIndeedReads was the novel The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea and it completely captivated me. He also blew me away last summer with Don’t Believe It, which intertwined a psychological thriller with a Netflix-inspired documentary storyline. Well, it looks as though Charlie Donlea is going to be captivating me yet again with his newest thriller. Some Choose Darkness focuses on a forensic reconstructionist looking into a cold case about five women in Chicago who went missing in the summer of 1979. Need I say more? The anxiety and deep cleansing breaths will be a must with this serial killer thriller.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Megan Miranda is a tour de force when it comes to eerie psychological thrillers that are so cinematic, I’m surprised that one of them hasn’t hit the big screen yet. Her female protagonists are some of the best I’ve ever read and her novels are always so twisty and fun to read. Taking place in the summer in Maine in a very wealthy community, this one seems like her most thrilling read yet. Over the years, summer visitor Avery has developed a surprising friendship with local girl Sadie and the two are inseparable every summer – that is, until Sadie is found dead of an apparent suicide. Not believing this for a second, Avery is bound and determined to clear her name after being blamed for Sadie’s suicide. I know I’ll be needing a 5 p.m. latté to get me through the night while reading this one.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

This July, Riley Sager is back! Since I’ve started my blog, Sager has released a novel every July and with his third title, I have a feeling a lot of his fans are going to be shivering in the heat of the summer. Lock Every Door is the story of an apartment sitter in one of the most high-profile buildings in Manhattan who begins to uncover a disappearance as well as the building’s mysterious past. Call me crazy, but with Sager’s phenomenal ability to scare the daylights out of me and the way he can weave together some chilling tales, I have a feeling that this July might be the most terrifying time to be a Riley Sager fan yet.

Layover by David Bell

David Bell is a masterful storyteller with a genius ability to combine family dynamics with compulsive psychological thrillers. Layover appears to be his most action-packed and suspenseful novel yet as we follow a man who meets a woman in an airport to only find out after their meeting that she is a missing person. Something tells me that the twists and turns with this one are going to be high octane and the ending is going to be even twistier than his previous titles. Well, bring it on David – as always, I am going to devour every single chapter.

One Little Secret by Cate Holahan

Cate Holahan is the Grace Potter of authors. She is effortlessly cool, down-to-earth and brilliant. After meeting her a year and a half ago, I was immediately drawn to her personality. Since reading Lies She Told, I have been eager for more of Cate’s work and now that it’s here, One Little Secret is one of my top must-reads for the summer. This novel follows a woman on a much-needed getaway with her overworked husband at a beach house. Sounds beautiful, right? Well, one night Susan invites over two other couples and after a few drinks, the tensions mount, the arguments start and someone is found dead on the beach. Between the setting, the cast of characters and the way that Cate Holahan writes, this is going to be one that tons of readers will be discussing over some sangria this summer.

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

Michele Campbell has turned into one of my automatic go-to authors and her third novel is one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. This title is being described as Strangers on a Train meets Fatal Attraction and I couldn’t think of any other comparison when I read the synopsis. This story follows a woman who meets a bartender as her marriage starts to crumble. Feeling alone and vulnerable, she turns to him for comfort and ends up having a fling with him. Soon enough, this man is obsessed with her and the story turns deadly when her husband goes missing and she is accused of his murder. When the time comes, I plan on turning off my phone, pouring a tall glass of red wine and completely immersing myself in this book.

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

Shari Lapena is one of those authors that I automatically get anxious for her next release, the minute I finish her current one. Every single one of her books has been more addicting and complex than the last one and I have a strong feeling that Someone We Know is going to be the most twisted one yet. This novel takes place in the suburbs in upstate New York where a teenager has been breaking into houses and learning the occupants’ dirty little secrets from their computers. Well, if this doesn’t sound creepy and intriguing enough, soon a woman is found murdered and all hell starts to break loose. Shari Lapena – take all of my money and keep bringing the best thrillers to the table.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware is the Agatha Christie of our generation… and don’t @ me. From the minute I began reading her debut novel, I knew this woman was going to be something really special and I was right. I have devoured every single novel she has released and this one seems like her darkest and most terrifying one yet. The Turn of the Key follows a woman who accepts a position as a live-in nanny with a generous salary working for the perfect family. Don’t worry, this is still a thriller as soon enough Rowan is in prison and a child is dead. The novel then progresses back to all of the events leading up to the imprisonment and from my experience with Ruth Ware, it is going to be one wild ride. I cannot wait to read this one while sunning myself by the pool because something tells me I won’t want to be reading this one at night.

The Arrangement by Robyn Harding

Robyn Harding is back! The Arrangement is by far my most anticipated read this season and my ARC is in a safe place where I can occasionally absorb its beauty. Not only is this cover beyond gorgeous, but I have a lot of feelings on Robyn Harding: it is no secret that I have an obsession with her novel Her Pretty Face. That being said, her latest novel, The Arrangement, is so enticing and the cover is both haunting and inviting. The Arrangement is the story of Natalie, a New York City art student who finds herself online searching for a sugar daddy to help make ends meet. After a small affair with married Gabe, Natalie finds herself obsessed and off the rails, abusing alcohol and behaving erratically. A novel featuring murder, sex and stalking, The Arrangement is bound to make August hotter than ever. This is a novel not to be missed.

The Woman in the Park by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist

Teresa Sorkin has worked in film and television for quite some time. When The Woman in the Park was announced, I absorbed the plot and was so excited about this one. I have a soft spot for debut novels and with a plot like this one and with Sorkin’s experience in film and television, I am anticipating one hell of a cinematic suspense novel that will completely blow readers out of the water. When Sarah Rock meets a stranger in the park, it’s the perfect escape from her cheating husband, therapy and temperamental children. Unfortunately for Sarah, her life takes a drastic turn when a woman from the park goes missing and Sarah finds herself the prime suspect. Fighting to prove her innocence, Sarah is left with nothing but the determination to find out what really happened to the woman in the park. Between the tense plot, the setting and the expected twists and turns, this is the perfect novel to soak up the last of the summer days before Labor Day hits!

(Feature image courtesy of @bookbaristas)

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