Why did I make a list of New Mystery and Thriller Paperbacks for Summer 2026? Because summer is the best time to lean into the pleasures of the paperback: lightweight, portable, and easier on the budget! This list includes fan favorites new in paperback and paperback originals for Summer 2026!
38 New Mystery and Thriller Paperbacks for Summer
Below is month-by-month guide to the best new mystery and thriller books now in paperback, plus original paperback releases. Either way: great books, friendlier prices.
These links either lead to my reviews, or a link to purchase the title. As an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small percentage of qualifying purchases.
May 2026: New Mysteries and Thrillers in Paperback
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark: A bestselling author with carefully constructed secrets hires a ghostwriter (his estranged daughter), a decision that proves far more dangerous than either of them bargained for.
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman: Baltimore widow Muriel Blossom books herself a Parisian river cruise, only for romance and murder to crash the party.
Entertaining if improbable. My Goodreads Review is here!
The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North: A criminal profiler Dan Garvie has spent his life outrunning a terrifying childhood encounter with a serial killer. When he is summoned to the remote island where it all began, he’s pulled back into the monster’s orbit.
Not my favorite of his; My Readers Guide is here!
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson: Jackson’s first adult mystery, featuring a young woman with a serious head injury who is determined to solve her own murder.
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers: A woman whose sister vanished teams up with another woman who feels that both their sisters were taken by the same person.
May 2026: Paperback Originals
The Divorce by Freida McFadden: When a woman’s husband takes up with a younger woman, Naomi’s obsession quickly spirals into something dark and dangerous.
You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh: Olivia Cruz sets out to find her missing podcaster friend.
The Blackthorn Women by Jess Lourey: Katrine Blackthorn returns to her family’s crumbling Queen Anne mansion and the generations of magic that bind her family.
It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson: When Harriet Baker’s stepfather turns up dead, she teams up with her ex to solve the murder.
Try if you like romance in your mysteries. My Goodreads review is here.
June 2026 Mysteries and Thrillers in Paperback
June 2026: New in Paperback
Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben: This collaboration features a widowed surgeon thrust into a deadly conspiracy.
She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena: A locked room mystery set in a high rise: how did a young mother completely vanish from her apartment.
Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent: A group of Oxford lexicographers try to untangling a mystery that reaches back through years.
Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox: A new-Gothic story about a birthday party that ends in murder.
Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine: A woman starts having disturbing dreams.
June 2026: Paperback Originals
Death on the Lanai by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (Golden Girls Cozy Mystery #2) A mysterious invitation to a private island party turns into a murder inquiry.
The Butler by Clare Macintosh: When a guest at a sun-drenched Cannes villa is found dead in the pool, the butler didn’t do it, but he might be able to figure out who did.
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen: A man and his messy, loveable crew of queer friends become reluctant amateur sleuths.
My Goodreads review of The DGDA!
The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis: Ten years after a teen vanishes on a trip, her surviving friends reunite for a documentary.
Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London: An widow gathers her chaotic crew of older women for one last heist.
Fun addition to the senior detectives micro trend. My Goodreads review!
The Housemaid’s Wedding by Freida McFadden: A bridge novella in the Housemaid series: Millie Calloway finally gets her wedding day.
July 2026 Mysteries and Thrillers in Paperback
July 2026: New in Paperback
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter: A chilling small town mystery surrounding two missing teens.
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware: A sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10: travel journalist Lo Blacklock accepts an invitation to a luxury Swiss hotel opening, only to find herself in danger once again.
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham: A woman digs into what happened to her missing sister.
July 2026: Paperback Originals
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #5: Someone is killing celebrities in Marlow.
The Mortal Enemy Murder Club by Gloria Chao (Hu Done It #2): Kat, Olivia, and Elle thought they were done solving murders, until their nemesis Mandy Thorne, the woman who tried to frame them, shows up begging for their help.
Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold: Three women discover they’ve been dating the same man and plot their revenge.
Masala Chai Mystery Club by M. J. Soni: A retired librarian and her tea-loving friends launch their first murder investigation.
Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Hide a Body by Jennifer Holdich: A woman helps her husband dispose of a body and immediately regrets it.
August 2026 Mysteries and Thrillers in Paperback
August 2026: New in Paperback
Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache #20). Gamache and crew thought they’d arrested a terrorist, but did they get the right person?
Clown Town by Mick Herron (Slough House #9): River starts investigating the secrets of his family’s library.
August 2026: Paperback Originals
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver: A washed-up author will stop at nothing to claw her way back to relevancy—even if it means appropriating a young gay man’s tragic story.
The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen | Review: The Spy Coast | Review: The Summer Guests: (Martini Club #3) The Martini Club are back to confront more old foes.
Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery: A transplant who can’t quite fit in with the residents of Glenville, South Carolina, and becomes the prime suspect when a dog walker turns up dead.
You Know Why by J.T. Ellison A photographer’s husband vanishes on their way to a family vacation.
That Night by Gillian McAllister: Siblings cover up a fatal accident in Italy.
A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker: DCI Joe Mottram heads to Capri hoping for a reset after his wife’s death, but murder follows him there.
Clean Slate by Brianna Labuskes: A crime scene cleaner smells a rat when she’s hired to clean up two staged suicides.
The Crying Killer by Jess Lourey: Tuesday built a new life after surviving the serial killer who murdered her sister. When the killer’s signature appears on new bodies in Saint Paul, she can’t put the past behind her.