New & Upcoming Thrillers to Electrify Your Summer Reading List

The Man Made of Smoke is a propulsive new thriller by Alex North, bestselling author of The Whisper Man, The Shadows, and The Angel Maker. The new novel centers on Dan Garvie, a criminal profiler who has devoted his life to the pursuit of justice after barely escaping the grasp of a notorious serial killer in his youth. When Dan’s father dies under mysterious circumstances, he must return to his small island community to get to the bottom of his father’s puzzling death. It isn’t long, however, before Dan discovers that the monster from his past may not actually be in the rearview mirror. “Fans of Thomas Harris will be creeped out by North’s hair-raising antagonist and gripped by the plot’s dual investigations. This is a winner” (Publishers Weekly).

Publication date: May 13, 2025

Brilliant writer S.A. Cosby has a new crime novel, King of Ashes, and we couldn't be more excited. King of Ashes weaves together an engaging central mystery with an epic family drama, much like Cosby’s acclaimed Razorblade Tears. In the book, Roman Carruthers returns home after his father suffers a terrible car wreck, only to find out that his brother is indebted to dangerous criminals and his sister is exhausted from keeping the family business afloat now that their father is in a coma. Throw in a long-missing mother and the revelation that Roman’s father was clearly not “accidentally” hurt, and you have a gripping summer read. 

Publication date: June 10, 2025

We Are All Guilty Here marks the exciting start of a new psychological thriller series for Karin Slaughter. The legendary author — known for the Will Trent and Pretty Girls series — excels at crafting engaging characters that leap off the page, as she does here with Officer Emmy Clifton. When two teenage girls vanish from the small town of North Falls, Emmy must solve the case. But this particular investigation isn’t so straightforward — one of the missing teens is the daughter of Emmy’s best friend. As Emmy searches for clues, the long-buried secrets of this seemingly idyllic small town begin to emerge.

Publication date: August 12, 2025 

The Woman in Suite 11 is a highly anticipated new thriller by internationally bestselling author Ruth Ware and the second in her Lo Blacklock series. The first, The Woman in Cabin 10, was a smash hit. Lo is ready to get back into journalism after a decade away raising a family, so she’s excited to receive an invite to a luxury Swiss hotel’s press opening, by way of billionaire Marcus Leidmann. Dead-set on getting an interview with the reclusive Marcus, Lo agrees to visit the billionaire’s room after receiving a late-night phone call summoning her. There, she finds a woman who says she’s Marcus’s mistress — and claims to be in danger. This sets off a cat-and-mouse game that you won’t be able to put down. 

Publication date: July 8, 2025 

Acclaimed author Riley Sager knows how to keep his readers hooked. His latest, With a Vengeance, is a propulsive page-turner set on a train that’s ideal for Agatha Christie fans. In 1954, an overnight train speeds from Philadelphia to Chicago. On board is Anna Matheson, with a very specific mission. Twelve years ago, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family; Anna has now lured all six of these people onto the train in an effort to get her revenge. She wants confessions and punishment, but her scheme is upended when one of the passengers is murdered. Turns out, Anna isn’t the only vengeance-driven individual on this locomotive. Now she must hunt the killer while protecting those she loathes the most in the world — all before the train reaches Chicago.

Publication date: June 10, 2025 

Music-loving mystery fans will sing with delight this summer as they read this new literary thriller by Brendan Slocumb, author of The Violin Conspiracy. The Dark Maestro focuses on Curtis Wilson, a cello prodigy raised in the Washington, D.C., projects by a drug-dealing father, Zippy. With the encouragement of Zippo’s girlfriend Larissa, Curtis rises to the top of the classical music world despite his limited resources. But when Zippy becomes an informant on a big court case, he and his family must all enter witness protection. Even after taking on new identities, it becomes clear that Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa will have to use their unique skills to take down the people who want them dead.

Publication date: May 13, 2025

Don’t Let Him In is the latest book from #1 New York Times bestselling thriller author Lisa Jewell. If it’s not already on your summer reading list, you need to add it immediately. The twisting, turning novel follows three women connected to a deceptively charming man named Nick Radcliffe: Nina Swann, a widow who’s dating Nick; Ash, Nina’s daughter, who suspects Nick is too good to be true; and a florist named Martha, who has her own issues with her hard-to-pin-down husband, Alistair.

Publication date: June 24, 2025

When making your summer reading list, do not forget to add Forget Me Not, Stacy Willingham’s latest thriller. The book centers on Claire Campbell, who lost her sister Natalie 18 years ago after she vanished. Though no body was recovered, investigators found Natalie’s blood in a car, and a man was convicted of her murder. Claire, now a journalist, is summoned home by her father and quickly finds herself under the same roof as her estranged mother and starting a new job at a vineyard an hour away from her childhood abode. Galloway Farms seems like an idyllic getaway — one her sister once loved — but the discovery of an old diary points to a dark and dangerous past, possibly leading back to Natalie.

Publication date: August 26, 2025 

The latest book from Shari Lapena, the bestselling author behind The Couple Next Door, rounds out our list of exciting thrillers coming out this summer. In She Didn’t See It Coming, Bryden and Sam are living the perfect life, with thriving careers, an apartment in a luxury building, and a busy social life. One day, Sam receives a call at work informing him that his wife has neglected to pick up their daughter from daycare. When he arrives home, he finds that Bryden’s car is still parked in the underground garage and her laptop is open on the table upstairs. Her phone and keys are also in the apartment. But Bryden? She’s nowhere to be found — setting up a wonderful missing-person mystery with a plethora of plot twists.

Publication date: July 29, 2025