Best Fiction Book Gifts for Every Reader on Your List

For the book lover who delights in a beguiling murder mystery...

Glamorous landscapes. Beautiful people. Extravagant wealth and a shocking murder. If these delicious elements remind you of a reader on your gift list, then look no farther than Alex Michaelides’s latest bestselling thriller. The Fury weaves a story of intrigue and mystery set on a private Greek island and told by Eliot Chase — “the king of all unreliable narrators” (David Baldacci). Like the best murder mysteries, when someone winds up dead, old friends become enemies and everyone is a suspect. You’ll have to get your hands on this Agatha Christie–esque tale to find out how much of the backstabbing is literal. 

For the thriller lover obsessed with true crime podcasts...

Recommended by Liane Moriarty, Stephen King, and more, Amy Tintera’s bestselling podcast thriller is a captivating whodunit with a wicked sense of humor. Lucy Chase remains haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend, Savvy, years ago. Doubly disquieting? Lucy was found at the scene of the crime dazed and covered in Savvy’s blood, unsure whether or not she took her best friend’s life. When the hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie reopens the murder case for its latest season, Lucy must return to her small Texas hometown to face the event she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape and can barely remember. Is her amnesia the result of trauma, or something far more sinister? 

For the book lover who enjoys tales that blur reality…

In Devil Is Fine, John Vercher delivers a vivid exploration of grief, fatherhood, and identity that blurs the lines of reality. Still reeling from the sudden loss of his son, the book’s biracial narrator finds out that he’s inherited a former slave plantation. The novel traces the cascading impact of these events by jumping back and forth through time and illuminating perspectives of characters both alive and dead as the narrator wrestles with his relationship to the past. Poignant and captivating, Vercher’s transfixing novel puts a modern spin on magical realism as it reckons with complicated family histories, racial identity, and the aftermath of losing a child. 

For the Y2K pop music superfan...

If there’s a book lover in your life who adores the pop culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s, gift them a copy of Honey, Isabel Banta’s take on the dark side of millennial stardom. Anyone who pored over The Woman in Me by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson’s Open Book will lose themselves in this story of pop star Amber Young as she navigates the rocky world of pop fame. After leaving her small-town life to join girl group Cloud9, Amber grapples with her newfound celebrity and the challenges that come with it. Radiating Y2K nostalgia, Banta’s music novel vividly explores the promise and peril of celebrity culture and approaches pop superstardom with a kind of nuance and empathy often ignored by tabloid outlets.

For the book lover who binge-watched The Handmaid’s Tale...

For fans of speculative fiction and books like The Handmaid’s Tale, Alexis Schaitkin’s Elsewhere makes a stellar gift. The acclaimed new narrative whisks you away to a remote mountain village high in the clouds, a place where girls are instructed to become wives and mothers but some women simply vanish without a trace. Schaitkin centers her novel on Vera, who lost her own mother years ago and is now on the verge of becoming a mother herself. As Vera’s due date approaches, she becomes increasingly uncertain about her community and the future of her unborn child. Where do the vanished women go? Why do only some women disappear? Will Vera get to see her own child grow up, or will she too vanish into the mist? Schaitkin’s previous novel, Saint X, dealt with losing a loved one. Elsewhere magnifies the trauma to haunting new heights, adding otherworldly intrigue and rich atmospherics into an unforgettable tale.

For the book lover who enjoys literary suspense and characters going off the rails…

Horror maestro Stephen King recommends this bestselling literary thriller by Jean Hanff Korelitz, so you know it’s going to be good. When your best days appear to be behind you, how far are you willing to go to revive your career? Writing professor Jacob Finch Bonner was once a rising star in the literary world; now he’s teaching at a third-rate writing program and struggling to produce a decent page of prose. Bonner’s desperate for a second chance. So when an arrogant and enviably talented student of his dies unexpectedly, Bonner decides to claim the deceased’s work-in-progress as his own and produce a new novel. The gamble works…at first. Bonner’s newfound fame is so dazzling that he nearly forgets it’s all built on a lie. But then he receives a forbidding message from an anonymous sender: Someone knows about his act of deception and is threatening to expose him. Now Bonner must race to protect his secret while getting to the bottom of the plot’s true origins if he hopes to escape. Korelitz expertly weaves together a dark academia setting with the high-wire suspense of artistic deception in The Plot, making it a killer gift for the discerning thriller fan in your life.

For the book lover who devoured The Plot and enjoys a twisted tale...

If your loved one can’t stop talking about the twists and turns in Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot, then Korelitz’s taut and propulsive follow-up The Sequel makes the perfect gift. And if you have a psychological thriller obsessive in your life who hasn’t yet read either book, then wrap up both spellbinding narratives with a single bow! Korelitz continues her wicked satire of the publishing world in her acclaimed sequel, centering on Anna Williams-Bonner, the enigmatic wife of novelist Jacob Finch Bonner from The Plot. With Jacob’s troubled story finally behind her, Anna decides to embark on a writing career. But Anna has plenty of dark secrets of her own that need to stay hidden. Will she come out on top? Or will the truth about her shadowy past finally be exposed? 

For the book lover with a TBR stack full of witty rom-coms...

If there’s a reader on your gift list whose favorite holiday movies feature will-they-won’t-they romance, Cat Shook’s newest novel is sure to make them swoon. A follow-up to her beloved family dramedy If We’re Being Honest, Cat Shook’s Humor Me is all about what it’s like to chase romance, friendship, and your dreams. Presley Fry is adrift. Her mother is gone, she’s unfulfilled at her job as an assistant at the Late Night Show, her social life is nonexistent, and she’s unsure how to shift into the next gear. Her only comfort comes from exploring the vibrant stand-up comedy scene in New York City. But when she’s taken under the wing of her mom’s best friend — who happens to be married to the head of the network where Presley works — things start looking up. Will Presley take the leap in pursuit of a new beginning...and maybe find an unexpected romance along the way? 

For the book lover in search of a small-town family saga...

In Mercury, Amy Jo Burns crafts an immersive family drama full of heart and mystery that’s set in a blue-collar Pennsylvanian town. It’s perfect for the reader on your gift list who enjoys richly imagined characters and evocative novels set in small towns. When young Marley West moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania, in 1990, she’s drawn into the orbit of the three Joseph brothers. In what feels like a flash, she’s welcomed into their family, marrying one brother and becoming a surrogate matriarch to them all. Once an outsider, Marley loves being a part of this tight-knit clan. But with family comes responsibility, and Marley soon finds herself fighting for the survival of the Josephs and their roofing business as long-buried secrets are revealed. 

For the book lover obsessed with Stephen King and Gillian Flynn...

Granite Harbor is a riveting thriller that will delight fans of smart and twisted tales set in atmospheric small towns. In a quiet community on the coast of Maine (paging Stephen King fans!), a teenager is found murdered at an archaeological site. On the case is failed novelist turned detective Alex Brangwen. Not only is this Alex’s first murder to solve, the victim was close friends with his son. When a second body turns up, it becomes clear that a killer is on the loose in this tight-knit community. Alex joins forces with Isabel, a local parent and an employee at the archeological site, to stop the crime spree before one of their kids ends up dead. Peter Nichols cleverly tells this tale from multiple perspectives, building tension in a way that makes it hard to put down.

For the book lover who adores beautifully told historical fiction...

Perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction and sweeping literary love stories, Laura Spence-Ash’s tale of family and identity will tug at your heartstrings. Beyond That, the Sea tells the story of Bea, a young girl living in 1940s London during the dark days of WWII. When Bea’s working-class parents send her abroad to escape the war, she enters a radical new world, living a life of ease with a wealthy Boston family. But just as Bea relaxes into her new home in the States, the fighting in Europe ends, and she’s summoned back to England — sparking a search for belonging that spans the decades. Anyone who’s felt pulled between two worlds as they try to figure out who they are will connect with the emotional truths of this affecting transatlantic coming-of-age story. 

For the reader who enjoys a good laugh…

Is there no end to Steve Martin’s creativity? In A Wealth of Pigeons, Martin joins forces with New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss to bring a cornucopia of comedic ideas and zany observations to life on the page. It’s a collaboration made in heaven: Martin provides the captions and concepts while Bliss supplies the artwork. Together they create a sidesplitting cartoon collection, skewering everyday absurdities in both life and art. Out now in attractive hardcover binding, A Wealth of Pigeons is an eye-catching gift that will have you and your loved ones laughing well into the new year. And for the comedy superfans on your list, check out Number One Is Walking, Martin’s highly anticipated showbiz memoir with illustrations by Bliss, due out this November.

For the book lover who enjoys a complex coming-of-age tale...

In Like Happiness, Ursula Villarreal-Moura asks difficult questions about art, power, gender, and sexual consent. Tatum Vega has tried to put her rocky relationship with famous author M. Domínguez behind her. But when she gets a call from a reporter asking for comment on a story about sexual assault allegations against Domínguez, Tatum’s life is thrown into turmoil. The story unfolds simultaneously in the present day and through a letter that Tatum writes to Domínguez as she tries to come to terms with what happened between them years ago. 

For the book lover who adored Ask Again, Yes or The Nest…

And you think your family has problems….The Brennans present a unified front to the world. Behind closed doors, however, tensions mount. A few years ago, Sunday Brennan abruptly left her large Irish Catholic family and moved to Los Angeles. But after getting in a drunk-driving accident, she knows it’s time to return home. Sunday’s reentry into the family orbit is challenging enough; she has a bevy of disgruntled relatives to placate and an ex-fiancé to face. Then a dangerous man from Sunday’s past shows up and threatens the family pub business — forcing the Brennans to work through their past traumas if they hope to find a way forward together. Fans of compelling family dramas like The Nest or Ask Again, Yes are sure to love Tracey Lange’s instant New York Times bestseller. Bonus: Lange’s newest novel, What Happened to the McCrays? is set to hit shelves on January 14, 2025, delivering a double-dose of heartfelt drama this holiday season and beyond!

For the book lover who has never met a Southern gothic mystery they didn't like…

In The Kingdoms of Savannah, author George Dawes Green uses a lush Georgia backdrop to pull you into his beguiling Southern mystery. Savannah socialite Morgana Musgrove is a force of nature, a domineering matriarch who inspires fear and admiration in equal measure. When a man is murdered at a local watering hole and his companion “disappeared,” Morgana takes up the case. Soon, she recruits her four adult children — all of whom are reluctant to engage with their mother — to assist in the search. Each Musgrove family member brings a unique skill set to the investigation, butting heads as they peel back the layers of Savannah’s dark history to unravel this baffling crime and find the true culprit. In addition to being a celebrated novelist, Green is the founder of the hit storytelling podcast The Moth. Here he writes of the city he knows so well, guiding readers from the gritty homeless encampments on the outskirts of Savannah all the way up to the city’s gilded mansions in search of the truth. Mystery fans on your gift list will devour this captivating new read.

For the book lover who can’t get enough psychological intrigue…

Anyone who’s read Alex Michaelides’ blockbuster psychological thriller The Silent Patient knows that he’s a master of suspense. In The Maidens, now out in trade paperback, he again mixes mystery and psychology with hints of Greek mythology, drawing readers into the darkened halls of Cambridge University, where a killer is on the loose. Cambridge alumna Mariana Andros uses her skills as a group therapist to launch her own investigation, and she identifies beloved classics professor Edward Fosca as her main suspect. There’s just one hitch to her theory: Fosca has an alibi. Moreover, he’s adored across campus and worshipped by The Maidens, an all-female secret campus society whose members follow in Fosca’s footsteps. Andros knows in her bones that Fosca’s to blame. But how far is she willing to go to reveal the truth and unmask the killer? Thriller fans on your gift list will scream with delight when they receive Michaelides’ gripping new narrative, which is chock full of compelling characters and clever twists.

For the book lover in search of a scary story…

Alex North gave us sleepless nights with his fiendishly entertaining horror thriller debut The Whisper Man. North’s latest release, The Shadows, a stand-alone novel that exists in the same fictional world as The Whisper Man, is just as thrilling — and makes a monstrously good book gift for the horror fans on your list. After decades away, Paul must return home to care for his ailing mother. Being back is far from a pleasant experience for him. Many years ago, when Paul was just a teenager, a brutal ritual murder occurred in the dreary woods near his home that involved two of his classmates and spawned an undying urban legend. Now a copycat killer has struck in a nearby town. Detective Amanda Beck investigates the latest slaying, and soon uncovers a twisted trail of related cases. Paul is also searching for answers, and as their paths converge, both Amanda and Paul must reckon with what really happened in the woods all those years ago.

For the book lover who loves a legal thriller with a side of heart-stopping family drama…

Calling all Liane Moriarty fans! This enthralling read is for you. Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of murdering a businessman almost twice her age. The slaying shocks Stella’s well-to-do suburban community — and the fact that her father is a respected pastor and her mother a well-known defense attorney only fans the flames of gossip. Stella’s parents believe in their daughter’s innocence. Yet as details emerge that cast doubt on her case, mum and dad must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect their family. A Nearly Normal Family is a nuanced domestic psychological thriller told from multiple perspectives that poses as many questions as it answers. It makes an excellent book gift for all the readers on your list who revel in twisting, turning plots where picture-perfect facades hide the darkness within.