Our 21 top thriller and murder-mystery book picks for 2025

New York Post

5 days ago

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When you approach your library, local bookstore, online lists, or even #BookTok, on what books to read next, it's surely an overwhelming feat (trust us, we've been there).
While we adore the steamy hot relationships of rom-coms and the educational, wellness-based approaches to self-help books, there's just something about a good murder-mystery and thriller book that simply leaves you stunned.
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And, only the best of the best will have your jaws dropping and your minds blown — that said, these are some of the hottest and interesting titles for summertime reading by the beach or pool.
To help make your book hunt easier, New York Post Shopping curated a custom edit of the best murder-mystery and thrillers we recommend — all of which we've read, of course.
Not all of our top picks are psychological thrillers. Some are simply feature incredible suspense-driven plots that we still remember and recommend IRL.
So, grab a cozy blanket (good for any time of year) and a mug of your favorite brew and get reading. We're on the edge of the seats waiting for you to be on the edge of yours. And if reading isn't your thing? We've also reviewed the best audiobooks, so you can sit back and listen in.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.18/5 stars
: 3.18/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
As a Reese's Book Club pick, 'The House in the Pines' centers on Maya, the protagonist who was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead — right in front of the mysterious man Frank who they've been spending time with all summer.
Fast forward seven years later when the past comes rushing back to Maya after a YouTube video appeared. What it was? Another young woman dropping dead in front of Frank. It's a back-and-forth book that'll leave you on the edge of your seat, for sure.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.5/5 stars
: 3.5/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
'The Husbands' by Chandler Baker goes down as one of the best books I've read of all time (seriously, that says a lot; I still think about this enticing book). Here, you'll follow successful attorney Nora Spangler, the 'supermom' who packs all the lunches, schedules the doctor's appointments and, quite frankly, does it all. But, when Nora and her husband purchase a ritzy new home in Dynasty Ranch, things take a turn.
On her block, Nora meets an award-winning therapist who agrees to help with a resident's wrongful death case. As the case unravels, explosive secrets emerge — and you won't believe the ending.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.9/5 stars
: 3.9/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5.5 stars
From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis comes a witty, thrilling adventure that travels from the marbled halls of the Met Gala to the ancient sands of Egypt.
A young, determined Annie Jenkins lands a dream job working for fashion legend Diana Vreeland, just as a priceless Egyptian artifact goes missing from the Met. The only person who might uncover the truth is Charlotte Cross, a reserved associate curator who must confront the past she's spent years trying to forget.
As the two women form an unlikely bond to solve the mystery, they're pulled into a journey filled with secrets, curses, and a hope for a second chance.
This read is as vivid as real life but more charming, colorful, and the vacation you needed from the state of the world.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.5/3 stars
: 3.5/3 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
Brought to you by the author of The Quiet Tenant, Clémence Michallon has done it again. Our Last Resort has already become a national bestseller just days after its release.
Our Last Resort follows Frida and her brother Gabriel as they check into a remote luxury resort in Utah, hoping to reconnect after years of estrangement. But when a woman turns up dead and Gabriel becomes the prime suspect, Frida is forced to revisit the dark past they've tried to bury, starting with the cult they barely escaped as teens.
With each novel, Michallon cements her place as one of the most spellbinding thriller writers of our time, and we're already counting down to whatever she writes next.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.25/5 stars
: 3.25/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
I love a juicy novel about rich-people suburbia these (think: 'Gossip Girl' meets a murder-mystery spinoff of 'The Real Housewives.') That's preciously what 'Good Rich People' is about and, beautiful cover aside, it's one of the best books I've read this year.
Lyla has always had a competitive bone but, once she marries wealthy Graham, she realizes he and his mom invite self-made success stories to their up-for-rent guesthouse — and then destroys their identity. Then, meet Demi, the near-poverty-stricken girl who takes up the opportunity to be someone else, who just so happens to be the subject of the wicked couple's entertainment. Where paths cross, pages turn.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 4.3/8 stars
: 4.3/8 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4.5/5 stars
From USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing, whose debut, My Lovely Wife, had readers hooked from page one, comes Too Old for This, a sharp thriller with a killer sense of humor.
Lottie Jones has spent decades hiding in plain sight. New name, quiet town, and a life that revolves more around bingo nights than body counts. But when an investigative journalist comes knocking about her connection to a string of cold cases, Lottie realizes escaping her past may not be the final chapter after all. It's darkly funny with a character you'll be strangely rooting for throughout.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.90/5 stars
: 3.90/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
If you're a Gen Z or millennial, read this book. Not only is there a shocking plot twist at the end of 'The Social Climber' but it's surprisingly *not* predictable — and you'll adore all of the NYC descriptions and lululemon-wearing characters.
The week before Eliza's wedding, all of her ducks seem to go in a row: she's marrying into the prominent blue-blood Walker family, has a high-powered PR job and has all the riches at her fingertips. But, when Eliza's past attendance at her alma mater — an Evangelical college — comes to the light, she has to question marrying into wealth or seeking true justice. Oh, and there's a shocking mystery they follow.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.82/5 stars
: 3.82/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
A Good Morning America Book Club pick, 'The Maid' by Nita Prose follows 25-year-old Molly who works as a hotel maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She notices the suite of wealthy Charles Black, only to find Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. For lovers of 'Clue' and all things mysterious, this one is both gripping and delightful.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.9/5 stars
: 3.9/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
Enter another book I've read in one sitting: 'The Family Game' by Catherine Steadman. This rich, eccentric family has an annual tradition of a savage (and risky) cryptic game they play at their studded mansion. Harriet, when offered a tape that plays a shocking confession from her father-in-law, is now on a quest for her own survival in this psychological thriller that's a surefire must-read.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.6/9 stars
: 3.6/9 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4.5/5 stars
Hazel and Kagan Bailey haven't spoken in years, but their mother's mysterious death forces them back together—and puts them squarely under suspicion.
When a smooth-talking con artist, the very person they once trusted as 'family,' disappears with their inheritance, the siblings must put aside their differences to unravel the truth behind the deception and betrayal.
Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands team up under the pseudonym E. G. Scott to deliver pulse-pounding suspense and unforgettable twists. From The Woman Inside to In Case of Emergency, their latest novel is no exception. Get ready to stay up all night.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.99/5 stars
: 3.99/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
'The Mother-in-Law' by Sally Hepworth still haunts me to this day — seriously. Hepworth is such a clever writer and merged family drama and suburban suspense into the ultimate page-turner.
From the second Lucy met her future mother-in-law, Diana, she didn't feel the warm and fuzzies. Five years later, now-married Lucy realizes Diana is found dead, a suicide note beside her body. While Diana claims she no longer wanted to live in her cancer-ridden state, the autopsy contained no signs of cancer.
As you read, you'll notice the mother-in-law / daughter-in-law relationship grow more complex and striking — and it's one of the most phenomenal thrillers you'll read.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 4/5 stars
: 4/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4.5/5 stars
Truth be told, I finished 'The Golden Couple' in one sitting and, ever since, have been trying to find another book like it. Wealthy Washington couple Marissa and Matthew Bishop have the 'dream life,' but beneath the perfectionist-doused veneer, infidelity strikes.
So, the couple begins seeing therapist Avery. That's truly the beginning of a 'you just have to read it' type of book, so I'll leave it to just that. It's well-received, too.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.97/5 stars
: 3.97/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
A hidden gem in the trough of thrillers, 'Danger on the Atlantic' is the third book in Erica Ruth Neubauer's 'A Jane Wunderly Mystery' series, though you don't have to read each one in order. I picked this one up because I love all things cruises, and this was by far a unique murder-mystery book with an unforgettable setting.
Meet Jane, voyaging from Southhampton in 1926. She goes undercover as the adoring wife of her partner, Mr. Redvers. They're tasked with identifying a German spy — until on-board newlywed Vanessa FitzSimmons announces the sudden disappearance of her husband at sea. It's page-turning and terrific.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.86/5 stars
: 3.86/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4.5/5 stars
One word to describe 'Greenwich Park' by Katherine Faulkner? Spooky. It's a unique take on woman-centered characters and urban pregnancies, and one that'll keep you hooked, for sure.
Helen lives an idyllic life with a handsome architect husband, a gleaming Victorian house and a baby on the way. But, when she meets a quirky single mother-to-be, Rachel, at one of her prenatal classes, things take a turn for the weird. But, once erratic behavior strikes, new secrets emerge.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.48/5 stars
: 3.48/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
I've never met a more original plot than what I've page-turned with 'A Novel Obsession.' A girl who's obsessed with her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend? Now you know that's going to be juicy!
Not only that, but protagonist and New Yorker Naomi Ackerman is an aspiring novelist who finds herself writing about — and therefore, stalking — her boyfriend Caleb's ex, Rosemary. She's on a mission to discover how their lives intertwine — and manipulation and suspense ensue. It's one of the best-written books you'll thank me later for recommending, too.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 4.14/5 stars
: 4.14/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
'All the Dangerous Things' by Stacy Willingham was one of the most anticipated releases of 2023, and the hype is real. Follow Isabelle Drake, the woman whose toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were sleeping.
Of course, Isabelle's life revolves around finding him and, eventually, is interviewed by a true-crime podcaster who takes a ton of interest in this case. Suspenseful, thrilling and a book worth adding to your TBR (that's to-be read, for short).
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.62/5 stars
: 3.62/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 5/5 stars
If you're a lover of art and mysteries, pick up 'Fake' by Erica Katz. It's a page-turning novel set in the high-stakes world of art forgery that's perfect for lovers of the show 'Imposters' on Netflix. While a forger, Emma is also an art specialist who takes on a hot new job working for Leonard Sobetsky, the Harry Styles of the art world.
However, there's something lurking beneath the glitz and glamour — and you'll just have to read to find out.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.9/5 stars
: 3.9/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
'Killers of a Certain Age was in my Book of the Month order, and it simply has the perfect cover for your next thriller pick-me-up. And, while they say, 'don't judge a book by its cover,' I shamelessly admit I did, but I'm glad I did.
Four women friends have been inseparable in the international organization of which they once worked but, now at the ripe age of 60-years-old, they can't just retire — it's kill-or-be-killed season.
The foursome is sent on an all-expenses-paid vacation to celebrate their retirement, but they were sent to die. They have to escape and, though risky, have to rely on each other to do so. It's a modern-day 'The Hunger Games,' making it even better.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 3.68/5 stars
: 3.68/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
Retro cover aside, 'Recipe for a Perfect Wife' by Karma Brown is truly spectacular. It centers on a modern-day woman who finds a hidden note left by her home's previous owner, the quintessential, stereotypical 1950s housewife. She finds shocking parallels between this woman's relationship with her husband and her own, and the searing secrets that are revealed make it, undoubtedly, a saucy page-turner.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 4.36/5 stars
: 4.36/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
Much like Taylor Jenkins Reid's acclaimed novel, 'Verity' by Colleen Hoover is just as so. Lowen Ashleigh, struggling writer, accepts a job with Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
But, this dream job comes to a screeching fork in the road when Lowen uncovers an unfinished, chilling autobiography Verity didn't want anyone to read. Horrifying truths abound, and it's one that'll have your jaws dropping.
Amazon
Goodreads ranking : 4.36/5 stars
: 4.36/5 stars New York Post Shopping ranking: 4/5 stars
This list would be incomplete without a mention of 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides. It's a well-written psychological thriller that, while I don't believe is 100% worth the hype, is a solid thriller to read and enjoy if you haven't already.
Alicia shoots her husband five times in the face and, ever since, doesn't speak another word. After hitting the tabloids and grabbing national attention, she's admitted to the Grove, a forensic unit in North London, under the assessment and care of Theo Faber, criminal psychologist. Here, there's a twisted path they each go down on — and it's pretty interesting.
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