My list of Most Anticipated Thrilling New Movies to Watch in 2026 has both book adaptations and original movies. Find suspenseful and gripping new shows to cuddle up with! Updated for Fall and Summer 2026!
Thrilling New Movies to Watch in 2026
These Thrilling New Movies to Watch in 2026 include both mystery and thriller book adaptations and original streaming series!
Table of Contents (click to open and find a show)
NEW WINTER 2026 MYSTERY AND THRILLER MOVIES: OUT NOW
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
NEW SPRING 2026 MYSTERY AND THRILLER MOVIES: OUT NOW
NEW SUMMER 2026 MYSTERY AND THRILLER MOVIES
A Good Girls Guide to Murder Season Two (Netflix May 27)
I Will Find You (Netflix June 18)
Five Star Weekend (Peacock, July 9)
Whisper Man (Netflix August 28)
Little Disasters (Paramount+ December 11)
In Little Disasters, Dr. Liz Burgess, an ER physician, treats a head injury suffered by the child of one her best friends. Because the cause of the injury is unexplained, Liz faces the dilemma of whether to subsequently make a report to child social services. Liz’s choice will set off a chain of events that shatters their close-knit friend group.
Little Disasters is a 2020 novel by Sarah Vaughan, who also wrote Anatomy of a Scandal, which was adapted by Netflix . I’ve also reviewed Reputation, her 2022 novel.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix December 12)
In the third Knives Out mystery, Benoit Blanc arrives in leafy upstate New York, where a young priest has been sent to assist the charismatic Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. After a seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, local police chief Geraldine Scott joins forces with Blanc to unravel a mystery that pushes the boundaries of both faith and reason.
My Take on Wake Up Dead Man:
I watched this one over the holidays with the family and we enjoyed it! It plays on the locked room trope in a fun way and, though I guessed the culprit right away, it was fun to watch!
The Housemaid (in theaters December 19 2025)
The much-awaited adaptation of Freida McFadden’s self-published thriller that became traditionally published in 2022 hits theaters on December 19 2025.
The story follows Millie, a woman with a prison record, who is thrilled to be hired as a housekeeper by Nina Winchester. But Nina’s erratic behavior concerns Millie and her attractive husband is hard to resist…
Run Away by Harlan Coben (Netflix January 1)
Run Away is a 2019 Harlan Coben thriller.
Simon has lost his daughter. She is addicted to drugs and her abusive boyfriend. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found. Simon sees her playing guitar in Central Park. She is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble. Simon approaches her, beginner her to come home.
She runs, and Simon follows her into a dark, dangerous world. Now Simon’s family and your life are on the line.
My Take on Harlan Coben’s Run Away:
I’m a Coben fan but this was one of his wackier plots. I made it through, but it was just too weird for me. There are other people who have really enjoyed it though!
Synden/Land of Sin (Netflix January 2)
After a teen boy is found dead in Southern Sweden, a quirky but brilliant female investigator is paired up with a new rookie to solve the case.
The two must untangle a decades old family feud and navigate competing loyalties and bad blood.
Jen’s Take on Land of Sin:
I tried this and it was too slow and dark for me. Possible I just wasn’t in the mood, so if you watched it and loved it, leave me a comment!
His & Hers (Netflix January 8)
I have been waiting for this adaptation of His & Hers, my favorite Alice Feeney book, and it’s finally here!
I did a full spoiler review of HIs & Hers, which you can find here!
This Netflix adaptation stars Tessa Thompson (Dear White People) as Anna Andrews and Jon Bernthat (Walking Dead) as Jack Harper. The setting has been shifted from the UK to Georgia.
Part procedural, part psychological suspense, this book is dark and disturbing with lots of twists and turns.
Jen’s Take on His & Hers:
I give my longer take (and a list of the changes made by the series) here, but I found this adaptation really interesting. Changing the setting from the UK to Georgia opened up a lot of new possibilities, and the series had a more Southern Gothic feel. The series made one BIG change that resulted in a few other things making less sense to some viewers, and I agree. Come discuss it with us!
Seven Dials Mystery (Netflix January 15)
Chris Chibnall, creator of Broadchurch (and author of Death at the White Hart, which I reviewed) has adapted Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, a 1929 Tommy and Tuppence mystery.
At a lavish 1920s country house party, a practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong. It will be up to inquisitive Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, the most unlikely of detectives, to unravel a chilling plot that will change her life, cracking wide open the country house mystery.
Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 (February 5 Netflix)
I’m getting a little bored with this series, but I will probably watch it! This season is based on the book Law of Innocence and starts as season 3 ended, with Mickey Haller finding the body of his client in his trunk.
I discuss past seasons of the series here!
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (February 12 Netflix)
If, like me, you are still depressed about the end of Derry Girls, you’ll be thrilled to know that Lisa McGee has a new series: How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
While Derry Girls was a dark comedy, this series seems more suspenseful. Chaotic TV writer Saoirse, glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn, and dependable, inhibited carer Dara have been a tight-knit group since school. Now in their late 30s, these three friends receive an email telling them about the death of the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang. Then a series of eerie events at her wake sets them on a dark, dangerous, and hilarious odyssey through Ireland and beyond as each tries to piece together the truth about the past.
Jen’s Take on How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
I tried this but it was just too weird and quirky for me. If you loved Bodkin (I didn’t) then try it!
56 Days (Prime Video February 18)
I read 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard when it came out and have an entire readers guide.
It’s a very complex plot AND set in the pandemic (which is sort of central to the plot) so I’m curious to see how this was adapted. I’ll update this with my thoughts!
The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 (Apple Feb 20)
I didn’t realize there was going to be a season two. But the book the series is based on also got a sequel called The First Time I Saw Him – my Reader’s Guide is here and gives you a quick recap of what you need to remember about the first book/season.
If you need a recap of book one/ season one:
The book sequel is a sequel of sorts, but mostly just fills in some blank spaces and gives the story more of an ending.
Jen’s Take on The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2
I feel about season two just like I felt about the second book (The First Time I Saw Him). I didn’t think it added much to the story. Yes, book one felt unfinished to many readers, but did this really move the story forward besides providing the ending that book one (and season one) was lacking?
Young Sherlock (Prime Video March 11)
Sherlock Holmes has been adapted many times. This Guy Ritchie version is based on the Young Sherlock series by Andrew Lane.
Oxford University student Sherlock Holmes is not yet a master detective. But when a murder at Oxford puts his freedom at risk, he sets out to solve his first murder mystery that leads him to a global-level conspiracy.
Scarpetta (Prime Video March 11)
Patricia Cornwell has been writing the Kay Scarpetta series since the 1990s. In most of the books, Kaye Scarpetta is Chief Medical Examiner of the state of Virginia. Highly educated and very outspoken, Kaye will let nothing stop her pursuit of the truth.
I’m very curious to see how the twenty-nine books in the series are adapted. Based on the social media comments I’ve seen, I’m not the only one who doesn’t see aloof and elegant Nicole Kidman as the no nonsense Scarpetta, but I’m willing to give her a chance.
Jen’s Take on Scarpetta
Wow, so many conflicting feelings on this. The adaptation decided to use two books (Postmortem, the first Scarpetta book, and a later book, the name of which I have now forgotten.) Then the series alternated between the two. The young Scarpetta part was far superior. I think by watching the entire thing I understood what they wanted to do, and I liked the overall vision. But they spent way too much time on Kay and Dorothy’s relationship. They changed the girls’ father’s death from a heart attack to murder.
Imperfect Women (Apple TV March 18)
Imperfect Women, a 2020 psychological thriller by Araminta Hall, is about a group of three friends whose tight relationship is fractured by a murder. This forces the women to wrangle with how well they know one another… and themselves.
Jen’s Take on Imperfect Women
Okay, I’m embarrassed to say I STILL haven’t finished it, because it just went on too long. I think they changed the ending, so I need to finish and see what I think. Give me your take in comments!
A Good Girls Guide to Murder S2 (Netflix May 27)
If you haven’t watched season 1, now is the time. Season two of A Good Girls Guide to Murder is based on Good Girl, Bad Blood (book two).
I am here to get you caught up:
I Will Find You (Netflix June 18)
I Will Find You is a tense thriller that reminded me lot of The Fugitive, as a father imprisoned for his young son’s murder breaks out when he receives evidence that, in fact, his son might be alive.
This book has a plot that’s BANANAS so you will need my full plot summary, below.
I’ll add more movies soon! I have a big list of titles that don’t have a release date yet, so bookmark this post or subscribe to my newsletter for updates!
And if you want more to watch and missed my post on Fall 2025 Mystery Movies and Book Adaptations, check it out here!
