The Best Wilderness Thrillers to Read in 2026. This book list features tense and isolated suspense novels set in caves, national parks, deserted islands, and more. Read one if you dare!
Best Wilderness Thrillers to Read
Being out out of reach might sound tempting, but it’s also terrifying. No phone signal. No creature comforts. No easy escape.
Whether you love survival stories, remote mystery, or the slow creep of dread in a place far from help, these wilderness thrillers (some which I’ve enjoyed and others I want to read) will have you staying up way past your bedtime.
New Wilderness Thrillers for 2026
| If you want: | Read this: |
|---|---|
| A sisters thriller on the Colorado River | My Sister is Going to Kill Me by Nina Simon |
| A hiking trip where one friend vanishes | The Girls Trip by Ally Condie |
| Claustrophobic cave survival | Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams |
| Stranded-on-a-deserted-island sister energy | The Castaways by Lucy Clarke |
| 1980s horror movie vibes | Backstabbers by Eliza Jabore |
Wilderness Thrillers I’ve Read and Enjoyed
Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams (2026)
One of my favorites of 2026! Her Last Breath opens in a hospital, as we hear the story of a deadly encounter between two women and a man in a remote cave.
What I loved: everything! Taylor Adams uses multiple POVs and flashbacks masterfully, keeping the tension absolutely excruciating. (And that’s on top of me, hugely claustrophobic, having to hear about two women going deeper and deeper into a cave. Entering smaller and smaller passages. I thought I’d have to stop reading, but I’m glad I didn’t!) The police investigator character was a standout! Highly recommended.
Perfect for: Readers who love twisty psychological thrillers in claustrophobic, remote settings.
Backstabbers by Eliza Jabore (2026)
Three True Crime-loving friends decide to hike the Bones Hollow Trail in Washington State. There are wild animals to avoid, but the area is also the former hunting ground of the Bones Hollow Hunter, a serial killer who has claimed eight victims so far.
What I loved: the 80s horror movies vibes. If you’re a fan, you’ll spot the Final Girl immediately.
What I loved less: I’m not a teenager anymore and I think this might have been a better fit for YA readers (who LOVE horror.) It was pretty gory and gruesome, and the girls didn’t seem like adults.
Perfect for: readers who like their thrillers on the bloody side!
The Girls Trip by Ally Condie (2026)
Three women who found each other in a pandemic book club finally meet in person for an off-the-grid hiking trip in Eden National Park, a breathtaking wilderness known for its challenging hikes.
All three of them have reasons to want to be off the grid, and they all agree to lock their phones up for the duration of the trip. Then one of them vanishes.
What I loved: the way the author constructed “Eden National Park” from a real place (Zion National Park) and its environs. I talk more about the parallels in my Readers Guide to the Girls Trip.
What I loved less: Condie is new to crime fiction writing and I think this book had WAY too much going on: four or five POVs (including one from what might be a ghost), epistolary elements, and a whole barrel of red herrings.
Perfect for: fans of complicated stories with a lot going on.
The Castaways by Lucy Clarke (Re-released in the US in January 2026)
Two sisters go on a fabulous vacation in the remote South Pacific. But, as sisters do, they have a big fight, and only one of them gets on a plane to their next destination.
When the plane crashes (not a spoiler) the narrative splits into two narratives: one in which Lori is stranded on a remote island with a few other passengers. The other features a devastated (and guilty) Erin frantically searching for her sister.
What I loved: It felt like Long Bright River meets Lord of the Flies. Life on the island was tense and unhinged, and Erin’s search was propulsive and moving.
What I loved less: The ending was a bit weird to me and I felt that the author wasn’t sure how to wrap things up. But I still recommend it as 90% is amazing reading!
My Sister is Going to Kill Me (coming August 2026)
Sisters Liv and Mandy are total opposites, but they meet up for yearly sister trip.
This year’s destination? A Grand Canyon rafting adventure.
But when a fellow traveler is found dead and another corpse hits the water, the rafting trip flips from idyllic to terrifying. With the river raging and danger around every bend, the Chisholm sisters must work together to catch a killer.
I didn’t love Mother Daughter Murder Night, so I’m on the fence about this, but if I try it I will report back!
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (2024)
Lyla and Nico join a reality TV dating show on a remote tropical island. But when disaster strikes the contestants are left stranded with dwindling resources, rising tensions, and the growing realization that they might not make it off the island.
What I loved: This book was such a refreshing surprise to me! I usually dislike reality TV-themed mysteries (if you love them, I have a full list here: Reality TV Mysteries to Read)
What I loved less: this can only be very loosely described as crime fiction. Yes, it gets there in the end, but it takes a while.
Perfect for: Fans of locked-room mysteries who want an outdoor twist. Comps: And Then There Were None meets Survivor.
The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (2024)
Set in the gorgeous Idaho backcountry, The Nature of Disappearing is a story about friendship and trauma. Emlyn, a fishing and hunting guide, fled to a small town and rebuilt her life. Then she learns her best friend Janessa, a “van life” vlogger, is missing.
As Emlyn searches for Janessa with the help of Tyler, a guy Emlyn had been involved with but can no longer trust, there is a past-present narrative depicting Emlyn’s relationship with Janessa and another one chronicling Emlyn’s rocky past with Tyler.
What I loved: Grant’s beautiful depictions of the beauty and danger of life in the backcountry and her lovely writing.
What I loved less: considering there were only 7-8 characters, there was a LOT going on.
The past-present storyline and all the drama in the past were not what I was interested in.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates (2023)
Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a tour group headed to the Rocky Mountains. But after a snowstorm strands the group, who take refuge in an abandoned cabin.
Things take an ever darker turn when tour guide goes missing the next morning, then turned up dead. Cue an And Then There Were None scenario in which members of the group are pickedoff one by one.
Perfect for fans of The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley.
The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (2022)
In the small mountain town of Cora, North Carolina, visitors keep disappearing. Avery, who manages an historic inn at the edge of the Appalachian wilderness, has witnessed visitors vanishing over the years. When a journalist arrives asking questions about a recent disappearance, Avery starts delving into secrets that will put her in danger.
What I loved: the wilderness atmosphere and small town claustrophobia in this one was strong!
What I loved less: I wasn’t wowed by the resolution, and it was fairly slow-paced, but it did a great job of creating an atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion.
Perfect for: Fans of small-town mystery with a wilderness edge. You could also try Megan Miranda’s You Belong Here, which had a similar air of small town paranoia.
Breathless by Amy McCulloch (2022)
When a climber dies mysteriously on a high-altitude expedition in the Himalayas, journalist Cecily joins the next summit attempt to investigate. What she finds on the mountain is something far more dangerous than altitude sickness: a killer.
Climbing one of the word’s highest mountains is definitely NOT on my bucket list as I am not super-fond of either heights or the cold. So reading about clambering around on perilous, icy mountain peaks was enough to scare me.
Breathless uses the extreme climbing, in where every member of the team depends on every other, and the harsh weather and conditions to create a pressure-cooker mystery. unlike anything else in the genre.
What I loved: the setting was unique and the author clearly knows her stuff. Wow! .
What I liked less: Though the conclusion was a little weird (if you are interested in a spoiler discussion post, let me know in comments) I thought this one was really suspenseful and I learned a lot about mountain climbing!
Perfect for: Readers who love remote, high-stakes settings.
Wilderness Thrillers I Want to Read
These books are sitting on my TBR. Have you read them? Tell us what you thought in the commend and I’ll add your thoughts to the post.
Warning Signs by Tracy Sierra (2026)
Twelve-year-old Zach and his father Bram set off on a father-son backcountry ski weekend, during which Bram will also wine and dine his biggest business investors. Zach’s mom taught him outdoor survival skills and he’s excited about the trip.
But soon Zach worries he might be in terrible danger. This very slow burn suspense story turns up the paranoia to an excruciating level! Readers are loving the character development and isolated setting of this!
The River by Peter Heller (2019)
Two college friends set off on a dream canoe trip through the remote waterways of northern Canada. Then they hear a woman screaming across the water, and everything changes. What follows is part survival story, part psychological thriller, part meditation on friendship and fear.
Perfect for: Readers who want literary thriller AND outdoor survival.
Young Adult Wilderness Thrillers
If you love YA books, there are some great wilderness thriller options!
