13 New Mysteries and Thrillers for Your 2022 Reading List

From celebrated author George Dawes Green, The Kingdoms of Savannah beckons you to the dark and beguiling streets of Savannah, Georgia—where nothing is as it seems. The fabled Southern city is turned upside down by a murder and a disappearance, and high-society doyenne Morgana Musgrove becomes the unlikely detective on the case. Along with her four grown children, all of whom are wary of their mother’s scheming ways, Musgrove must break through Savannah’s romantic facade and enter into its shadowy core, traversing both the homeless-settled outskirts and the mansions of the wealthy in search of answers. A dazzling tale of literary suspense cloaked in city lore and compelling family dynamics, The Kingdoms of Savannah should be top of your to-read list.

Publication date: July 19, 2022

New York Times bestselling author Lucy Foley serves up an “exceedingly clever” (Booklist) locked-room mystery with her latest narrative, The Paris Apartment. Having left behind her old and uninspiring life, Jess decamps to Paris to stay with her half-brother, Ben. Upon her arrival, Jess is shocked by Ben’s suspiciously chic Parisian abode (how can he afford this?). But the more pressing mystery troubling Jess’s mind: Ben is nowhere to be found. The longer he remains missing, the deeper Jess digs into his life—and the more she notices the shady goings-on of Ben’s neighbors. An eccentric bunch roam the halls of this apartment building, and it soon becomes clear that not everyone is telling the truth about what they know.

In her new crime thriller, which has already hit the New York Times bestseller list, celebrated author Lisa Gardner delivers a “gripping sequel” (Publisher’s Weekly) to Before She Disappeared. This time, amateur sleuth Frankie Elkin heads into the Wyoming wilderness in search of a missing young man, Timothy O’Day. Frankie may not know this rugged region as well as the missing Timothy does, but she is an expert at finding people—and so she joins a search party and heads into the wilds of Wyoming. It isn’t long, however, before the rescue team at the heart of One Step Too Far realize they’re not alone. Someone—or something—is trailing them in the darkness, determined to keep them from taking one more step into the woods.

Publication Date: January 18, 2022

New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke (The Wife) delivers a gripping psychological thriller with her latest release, Find Me. Fifteen years ago, Hope Miller awoke from a car accident with no idea of who she was. Doctors had assumed her amnesia would be temporary, yet her memories failed to return. Flash forward to the present: Hope has built a new life for herself and plans to move to East Hampton, New York—until she vanishes entirely, with just a drop of blood left behind at the scene. The disappearance sends Hope’s best friend and a NYPD homicide detective on a deep dive into Hope’s murky past and a newly discovered connection to a notorious serial killer case. The secrets they uncover will disrupt everything they thought they knew.

Publication date: January 11, 2022

In Jane Pek’s highly anticipated debut, we’re introduced to a 21st-century sleuth named Claudia Lin. Despite her family’s expectations for her to settle down with a nice Chinese boy (she doesn’t even like boys) and pursue a conventional career (she likes what she does), Claudia’s thrilled to be working for an exclusive online-dating detective agency in New York City. But when one of her clients goes missing, Claudia breaks protocol to launch her own investigation—and uncovers a sea of deceit and corporate criminality. “Cool, cerebral, and very funny” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Verifiers weaves together modern family drama and digital-age romance into a whip-smart mystery.

Publication date: February 22, 2022

Prolific crime fiction author Gary Phillips returns with this powerful new crime novel. Set in 1963 Los Angeles, One-Shot Harry follows Harry Ingram, an African American Korean War veteran who now works as a news photographer and occasional process server. When news breaks of a fatal car accident and the vehicle described matches the one Harry’s good friend drives, he races to the scene. Cops declare the crash an accident, but Harry’s photos tell a different story. Determined to find out what truly happened to his friend, Harry plunges into the underbelly of L.A., navigating the racial tensions of the era in search of justice.

Publication date: April 5, 2022

The It Girl by New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. April Clark-Cliveden was Oxford University’s ultimate campus It Girl and Hannah’s first college acquaintance. During their first term together, April and Hannah became fast friends and formed a close-knit group of companions. By the end of the second term, April was dead. Ten years later, John Neville, the man convicted of killing April, dies in prison, and Hannah sees his demise as a chance to finally move on—until newly discovered evidence suggests that he may have been innocent. As Hannah looks back into April’s death and reunites with her college crew, she discovers that her old friends may be hiding something.

Publication date: July 12, 2022

From “world-class crime writer” (The Sunday Times, U.K.) Ragnar Jonasson, Outside is a chilling psychological thriller that you don’t want to miss this summer. Four friends become stranded in the Icelandic highlands after a punishing snowstorm strikes. Though they may be cut off from the rest of the world, they most certainly are not alone. As night descends and the weather worsens, a past tragedy resurfaces that may hold the key to the unfolding mystery on their doorstep… and keep everyone alive until morning.

Publication date: June 28, 2022

In Portrait of a Thief, debut author Grace D. Li crafts an electrifying narrative that’s part heist thriller, part crime mystery, and part examination of cultural identity and the lasting impact of Western colonialism. The West has stolen plenty throughout history, and William Chen is about to steal some of it back. A mysterious benefactor has hired Will and his ad hoc heist team of fellow Chinese Americans to repatriate five priceless Chinese sculptures to Beijing. If the team succeed, there’s a $50 million reward waiting for them. If they fail? Well, then everything is lost all over again. Inspired by the true story of Chinese art disappearing from Western museums, Portrait of a Thief is a searing look at the colonization of art and the Chinese American identity, all wrapped up in a dazzling mystery novel.

Publication date: April 5, 2022

New York Times bestselling authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen return with this seductive new domestic thriller. The Golden Couple introduces us to Marissa and Matthew Bishop, a wealthy suburban couple who seem to lead the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. After Marissa is unfaithful, the married couple seek out a therapist to help salvage their relationship. They soon find one in Avery Chambers, a renegade therapist who lost her professional license yet still counsels others using her own unconventional methods. Avery expects her clients to adhere unquestioningly to her atypical approach. The Bishops agree, but as their sessions begin and secrets are spilled, it’s not just their marriage that’s put on the line.

 Publication date: March 8, 2022

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough (Behind Her Eyes) is back with a twisty new thriller that’s “creepy as all get out—a gaslighting masterclass” (Ian Rankin). Insomnia introduces us to Emma, a mother who’s about to turn 40. Emma is restless, she can’t get to sleep. Her birthday is fast approaching, and she fears the madness that consumed her mother at the same age is about to take hold of her too. So, Emma paces through her home, double-locking the doors and peering in on her sleeping children. Yet sleep won’t come. What’s happening to her, and why can’t she quiet her mind?

Publication date: April 12, 2022

In Daisy Darker, bestselling author Alice Feeney invites us to a perilous tidal island where long-buried family secrets clash with an unfolding murder mystery. Members of the Darker family gather to celebrate Nana Darker’s 80th birthday at her crumbling Gothic abode. It’s the first time in at least a decade that they’ve all been together. When the tide comes in, the Darker family will be trapped on their ancestral island for the next eight hours. How many secrets will surface by the time the tide recedes? And who will be alive to keep them? Clever, creepy, and compelling, Daisy Darker is sure to keep you reading long into the late-summer night.

Publication date: August 30, 2022

Monsters are everywhere in Jennifer McMahon’s brilliant new supernatural thriller, The Children on the Hill. In 1978, famed psychiatrist Dr. Helen Hildreth brings Iris—a feral and strange young girl—to stay with her at her family home in Vermont. At first, Iris is wary of others. Slowly, however, she emerges from her shell and befriends Helen’s grandchildren, Violet and Eric. Soon the three children are spending hours together, playing “monster club” and chasing the otherworldly beasts that roam the Vermont hills. Flash forward to 2019: A young girl vanishes, and locals are convinced that a creature is prowling around their town. Paranormal podcaster Lizzy Shelley travels to Vermont to hunt down the monsters that she knows are real—after all, her sister is one of them. Few authors know how to craft atmospheric literary chillers like Jennifer McMahon, as fans of The Winter People or The Invited will surely tell you. Pick up McMahon’s newest haunting narrative for a suspenseful read inspired by Mary Shelley’s legendary Frankenstein. 

Publication date: April 26, 2022