Last year, I did a post on Mysteries and Thrillers I Can’t Wait to Read in 2023 and I have to give myself a little credit: a lot of those books ended up on Best of Lists in 2023. So I’m going to do a list of my 18 Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024. I am VERY excited about the reading year to come. There are a lot of great books coming and I can’t wait to discuss them with you!
Guide to the Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024:
Here’s how I chose my Most Anticipated Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024:
- By a mystery/thriller author with a solid track record
- OR an author whose books I’ve enjoyed before
- Part of an ongoing trend in Mysteries and Thrillers
- Part of NEW 2024 trends in Mysteries and Thrillers
I’m splitting the list into seasons that each cover a quarter of the year. I will add summer and fall 2024 books as many of those titles are still being announced.
Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers for Winter (January- March) 2024
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (Jan 9)
Why First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is on the list:
Ashley Elston wrote some very solid YA mystery books, so I am excited to see what she’s going to do in the adult thriller space.
First Lie Wins is about a woman with a fake identity who is assigned marks to scam by her boss. Her next target is a guy in a small town. She falls for him. Is there a way out?
Check out my thoughts on this twisty con artist story that was picked as the January 2024 Reese’s Book Club Pick.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (Jan 9)
Why The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is on the list:
Rachel Hawkins is writing some interesting modern Gothic novels, and I’m here for it! I liked The Wife Upstairs and we all loved discussing The Villa. You can come join us in figuring out WHERE IS THE MISSING JOURNAL!
The Heiress is a classic Gothic, about a young wife coming to a spooky ancestral mansion to meet her husband’s family, who seem … not that friendly. Probably because her husband will inherit everything. Is she safe among this money-hungry crowd?
Link to my review of The Heiress WITH SPOILERS.
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacey Willingham (Jan 16)
Why Only if You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham is on the List:
Stacy Willingham seems to be following the Ashley Winstead model of mixing up her subgenres, and I’m curious to see where she lands.
Willingham’s first book, A Flicker in the Dark, was a popular serial killer thriller. Her second, All the Dangerous Things was more of a domestic psychological thriller in the lane of Mary Higgins Clark.
Only If You’re Lucky seems to lean toward New Adult, taking place at a college where a student gets murdered and another disappears. I started out as a YA reviewer so I’m excited to try it!
My Review of Only If You’re Lucky with SPOILERS – let’s discuss!
The Fury by Alex Michaelides (Jan 16)
Why The Fury by Alex Michalides is on the List:
I (and BookTok) loved The Silent Patient, a twisty psychological thriller. Some readers didn’t love The Maidens as much, but I really adored its Dark Academia Vibes.
The Fury moves from the UK to a Greek Island, and you know how I enjoy a travel thriller.
I have SO many thoughts about this one. My Review of The Fury with (protected) SPOILERS has all my thoughts (and one very wacky theory), but do NOT read The Fury if you haven’t read The Silent Patient first.
A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian (Feb 6)
Why A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian is on the List:
Yes, this is a bit of a dark horse pick. Vera Kurian’s first book, Never Saw Me Coming, was about a female psychopath and I thought it was snarky and fun.
A Step Past Darkness is a 1990s-set book that sounds like a dark and murder-y version of The Breakfast Club.
You know I love the 1990s (well, maybe you don’t, but now you do) so I am definitely going to read this one.
Update: I really enjoyed A Step Past Darkness; check out my review!
Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen (Feb 20)
Why Keep Your Friends Close is on the List:
Leah Konen has written YA, romance and psychological suspense.
Yes, it’s another “female friendship gone wrong” book, and it’s getting harder to be original with that trope, but I’m still going to try it!
Check out my review of Keep Your Friends Close. I loved the vibe of this but wasn’t excited about the ending.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (March 5)
Why Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is on the List:
Amy Tintera wrote some very cool dystopian YA back in the day, so I trust her to write a good thriller.
Okay, it does have a podcast theme, which I think is becoming a little oversaturated in the thriller space, but I’m still excited about it!
Update: if you love a snarky character with amnesia, this one’s for you. I think it’s a good adult addition to that Veronica Mars subgenre about a character haunted by the murder of a friend. Check out my review of Listen for the Lie!
Murder Road by Simone St James (March 5)
Why Murder Road by Simone St. James is on the List:
Another 1990s book – is this a new 2024 trend? If so I am here for it.
Just the title of this is creepy. I have loved some of Simone St. James books more than others. I enjoyed The Book of Cold Cases, so I am excited to give this one a try.
While I don’t usually love paranormals, I really loved this one and wrote a review of Murder Road explaining why – check it out!
The Hunter by Tana French (March 5)
Why The Hunter is on the List:
You can’t go wrong with Tana French. I read every one of her books and then when she switched to standalones … then I stopped. While I am a huge fan of the Dublin Murder Squad books, I was not crazy about the Witch Elm so decided to take a short break, which turned into a longer break.
This seems like a sequel to The Searcher, which I recently read. It was dark, but interesting!
UPDATE: Still waiting on my library hold for this, so we will see!
Black Wolf by Juan Juan Gómez-Jurado (March 12)
Why Black Wolf is on my List:
I really loved Red Queen …. and that cliffhanger!
I really love a odd couple crime-solving team, and this book features Sherlock Holmes-like Antonia Scott and her rule-breaking Watson, Jon Gutierrez.
Sadly, this one was a bit of a miss for me. Red Queen was more of a serial killer book and Black Wolf felt a little more like a Jack Reacher book. If you’re a Lee Child fan, grab this one, but it was too graphic for me!
Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers in Spring (April-June) 2024
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (April 9)
Why The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass is on my List:
I was really impressed by both the books I read by Seraphina Nova Glass: The Vanishing Hour and On a Quiet Street, which I added to my list of Neighborhood Thrillers.
Like her other books, The Vacancy in Room 10 has multiple narrators and sounds gripping!
I really enjoyed this one and will link my review soon!
Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (April 9)
Why Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda is on the List:
I know that some you were disappointed by Miranda’s last book, The Only Survivors, but I enjoyed it.
I have been a fan of Megan Miranda since her YA days, and this one is about the daughter of a police officer who returns to her hometown to wrestle with the disappearance of her mother.
Yes, those are some familiar tropes, but good ones and I am excited to try it!
UPDATED: Check out my Review of Daughter of Mine with Spoilers!
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen (April 16)
Why You Know What You Did is on the List:
A young woman grieving her mother’s death and struggling to keep her OCD in check ends up being the suspect in a murder investigation.
I love to add a debut or two to my list! I also have some personal experience with OCD so curious to see how that plays out in the book!
UPDATED: This leaned to a bit more toward horror than I think most of my readers will like, but it was really interesting and I enjoyed it. My Goodreads Review of You Know What You Did is here!
The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (April 24)
Why Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is on the List:
Sally Hepworth is a favorite of my blog readers, and I really enjoy her books, which remind me a bit of Liane Moriarty’s. They are usually strongly rooted in the domestic suspense lane, with well-developed characters.
I have reviewed The Younger Wife and The Soulmate and one of my 2024 resolutions is to read her backlist, so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in comments!
Darling Girls is about a group of three woman who were foster kids together and now are facing a murder investigation. Sounds a bit reminiscent of What Have We Done by Alex Finlay, so I’m in!
UPDATE: Here’s my Review of Darling Girls
Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (April 30)
Why Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett is on the List:
I read and reviewed Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett and enjoyed it.
This book addresses the racial disparity in the way missing persons cases are handled. A woman’s boyfriend is missing, but all the media can talk about is a missing white woman.
I’m always up for a book that critiques true crime, so I can’t wait to read this!
Check out my Review of Missing White Woman
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (May 21)
Why One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is on the List:
I am a huge fan of Ruth Ware and have read:
- In a Dark Dark Wood
- The Woman in Cabin 10
- The Turn of the Key
- One by One
- The It Girl
- Zero Days.
I have weighed in on What’s the Best Book by Ruth Ware.
Ruth Ware always mixes things up. While this book is yet another story of a group trapped on a creepy island in bad weather, I trust Ruth Ware to make it good!
Check out my Spoiler Discussion for One Perfect Couple!
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (May 28)
Why The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is on the list:
I loved The Guest List and feel like it kicked off that HUGE travel/locked room thriller trend that is still playing out.
Okay, so many of us were disappointed in The Paris Apartment. It did have a cool vibe and a great premise. It just went to a very weird place.
I am SO excited about The Midnight Feast. People are saying on Goodreads that it sounds like The Guest List 2.0 but I’m not mad about that!
Here’s my review of The Midnight Feast!
If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay (May 28)
Have I read all of Alex Finlay’s books? I think so. There was Every Last Fear and The Night Shift and What Have We Done.
Now, we have If Anything Happens to Me, a book about Ryan, a guy whose girlfriend mysteriously vanished. But five years later, there’s a very sinister discovery and Ryan realizes that his life might be in danger too.
It sounds like this book has Alex Finlay’s typical multi-narrator structure and fast pace!
UPDATED: my thoughts on If Something Happens to Me
Summer Books Coming Soon!
Oooooh, so many good ones on this list!!!!
Yes, I think 2024 is going to be a great reading year and I am excited!
I don’t read many thrillers, but A Step Past Darkness ticks a few boxes for me, so I’m looking forward to it.
“While this book is yet another story of a group trapped on a creepy island in bad weather, I trust Ruth Ware to make it good!”
Is it just me, or are there a lot of And Then There Were None “clones” around lately?
SO MANY. I blame Reese Witherspoon and The Guest List for re-starting this trend.