I’m here to run down the New Mystery and Thriller Books for February 2026! Which of these 65+ New Mystery and Thriller Books: February Releases are you going to fall in love with this Valentine’s Day season? I’m here to help. Let’s run down the list!
New Mysteries and Thriller Books for February 2026
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Table of Contents
- Jen’s Pick of February 2026 Mystery and Thriller Books by Subgenre
- New February 2026 Mysteries and Thriller Books by Release Date
- New February Books In Mystery and Thriller Series
- New Books in Cozy Mystery Series
- Link to my List of New February 2026 Historical Mystery Books
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Jen’s Picks of February 2026 Mysteries and Thrillers by Subgenre:
- For suspense readers: I really enjoyed It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica and Ours Is A Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy (but I’m not done reading February books yet!)
- For those who want to read some unhinged romance-adjacent plots in February: try Here Lie all the Boys Who Broke My Heart, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, The Exes, and The Better Mother.
- Trying to read more diverse authors? Check out Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto , Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah, The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera, or Greedy by Callie Kazumi
- Love unusual amateur detectives? The Jills features a cheerleader, and The Midnight Taxi Driver stars a taxi driver!
- Procedural readers will find some series picks below, and Cozy Readers, there’s a whole list for you too
New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of February 3 2026
It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
This chilling tale of murder and a missing person at a Wisconsin lake resort was twisty and surprising!
We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda
A somewhat unhinged story of a group of former sorority sisters who meet up to celebrate the son of one becoming engaged to the daughter of another. But dark secrets will make the weekend deadly.
Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø
Someone has to fill me in on this Jo Nesbø situation. I thought all his books were set in Oslo, but this book is set in Minneapolis? Are you a fan? Are you reading it? Tell me in comments.
Dirty Metal by Allison LaMothe
I enjoyed this story, set in 1990s New York City, of a newspaper reporter who becomes obsessed with an unsolved murder.
Check out my Goodreads Review!
Greedy by Callie Kazumi
I enjoyed Claire, Darling by this author. But this is supposed to be horror, so I am passing. A desperate gambler scores a dream job as private chef to a reclusive, ultra-wealthy woman with very unusual (and very disturbing) tastes.
Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke my Heart by Emma Simmerman
A college student who eulogizes her exes in a journal for emotional closure becomes the prime suspect when the men in her journal start turning up actually dead.
The whole “my ex boyfriends are getting murdered” seems to be a popular plot right now with three books on this list with a similar concept (The Exes, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, and this.
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
The Exes by Leonora Darlington
A woman whose string of ex-boyfriends have mysteriously died is now married to the man of her dreams. (GMA Book Club Pick!)The jumpy narrative timeline was tough for me, but other readers are enjoying it and it’s a new GMA Book Club pick for February!
Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto
When a debut novelist discovers her high school bully has landed a massive book deal and will be debuting the same season, their rivalry escalates into something far more dangerous.I
In His Wake by Chad Zunker
After a reporter’s estranged father dies in a suspicious boating accident, a presidential assassination draws him and his brothers into a conspiracy that suggests their father may still be alive.
Hooked by Caitlin Routher
An investigative reporter and a surfing homicide detective are drawn togetherwhen two biotech execs turn up dead in wealthy La Jolla.
Blade by Wendy Walker
A former competitive figure skater turned defense attorney returns to the elite skating program where her dreams were shattered to defend a young skater accused of murdering her coach.
Good Intentions by Marisa Walz
When a woman’s identical twin sister dies in a car accident, her grief spirals into obsession.
Little One by Olivia Muenter
A decade after escaping a Florida wellness cult led by her own father, a woman’s carefully rebuilt life is upended when a journalist comes asking questions she’s desperate to avoid.
I do not want to read any more “former cult member” books but if you love them, grab this!
In Her Defense by Phillipa Malicka
A famous mother and her daughter’s therapist face off in court in this psychologically intricate legal thriller.
For the legal thriller fans! Just selected as the Reese’s Book Club February pick! Hope to be reading this one soon!
New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of February 10 2026
Ours is a Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy
Three seemingly unconnected suburban households — a toxic couple, a grieving mother, and a creepy neighbor — are slowly drawn together by a murder no one saw coming.
Fun suspense story with a surprising plot twist!
Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks
A woman’s Christmas gathering unravels into high family drama and worse when her college-aged daughter brings home a new boyfriend with a connection to her mother.
This was fun and twisty in a fairly unhinged way. I have to say that I enjoyed it.
The Found Object Society by Michelle Maryk
A grieving woman joins an elite secret society that allows its members to experience another person’s death — but the further she descends, the harder it becomes to find her way back.
The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera
This story about a taxi driver accused of murder was a fun “modern” cozy in an urban setting.
The Jills by Karen Parkman
A cheerleader investigates the death of one of her squad. I’m reading this one now and it has a sort of Veronica Mars vibe that I’m enjoying.
The Better Mother by Jennifer van Kleut
A woman who becomes pregnant after a casual fling finds herself in the crosshairs of her baby’s father’s girlfriend, whose intentions are far more sinister than they first appear. Based on a recommendation, I tried this one. My Review of The Better Mother.
New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of February 17 2026
Murder Will Out by Jennifer Breedlove
A woman returns to a beautiful Maine island after 15 years when her beloved godmother dies, and begins to suspect the death wasn’t an accident in this gothic mystery with a touch of the paranormal.
When I Kill You by B.A. Paris
A woman with a secret identity is convinced she’s being stalked, and as anonymous gifts arrive and her past closes in, neither she nor the reader can be sure who is hunting whom.
She’s the British Freida McFadden, so I tried this one. Really creepy and twisty!
Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams
Two best friends go caving in Washington State and encounter a dangerous stranger underground. When only one survives, a detective tries to get to the truth.
Wow that was an intense book. I really enjoyed it!
Adrift by Will Dean
A family struggling financially moves onto a canal boat in Illinois, where the father’s escalating control and gaslighting trap his wife and son in increasingly dangerous isolation.
After his last (claustrophobic) book I almost passed, but love the idea of the riverboat. This was NOT what I expected and my Goodreads review is here!
Last Seen by Christopher Castellani
Four college-aged men whose deaths have been linked to the real-life Smiley Face Killer theory speak from an afterlife as their loved ones search for answers in this literary mystery.
This is a literary interpretation of a real true crime case. My Goodreads review is here!
The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow by Verlin Darros
A leader of a spiritual community teams up with a sheriff’s detective, only to end up on trial himself.
The New Neighbors by Claire Douglas
They are the perfect couple. What are they hiding? A woman overhears her charming new neighbors apparently planning a crime, and despite everyone’s reassurances, she can’t stop investigating — until she realizes her own dark past is connected to theirs.
I’m Not The Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig
A former serial killer freshly out of prison tries to keep a low profile at a luxury London retirement home — until a fellow resident is murdered and she has to solve the case to prove she didn’t do it this time. I’m loving the later-in-life Detective trend, so I gave this comic mystery a try! It’s a fun spoof of “murder club” books, especially those with elderly detectives.
New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of February 24 2026
The Ghost Women by Jennifer Murphy
I really enjoyed this suspenseful story of a series of ritual murders at a Southern art college. Very atmospheric and fascinating.
How to Get Away With Murder by Rebecca Philipson
A Scotland Yard detective tries to locate the author of a creepy murder self-help book!
The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall
Love her books (we enjoyed discussing A Killing Cold and No One Can Know, so I had to try this one! It has her usual family drama galore!
Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard
A woman’s surrogate — her childhood best friend — vanishes four days before her due date, sending her on a desperate cross-country search that uncovers their shared past’s darkest secrets.
Dollface by Lindy Ryan
A horror author moves to suburban New Jersey hoping to fit in with the PTA moms, but then a masked serial killer starts targeting them one by one.
Away to Me by Patricia B. McConnell
An animal behaviorist and border collie trainer living on a Wisconsin sheep farm investigates the murder of a close friend in this debut cozy mystery series from a celebrated dog behavior expert.
Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah
A Choctaw detective investigates the disappearance of a beloved women’s Indian horse relay rider and uncovers a sinister pattern of abductions targeting women from Oklahoma reservations.
Then He Was Gone by Isabel Booth
A procedural following the investigation into a kidnapped child and the race against time to bring them home.
A Long Dark Night by Lili Sutton
An atmospheric Alaska mystery set against the unforgiving northern landscape.
Trust No One by James Rollins
A dark academia mystery set in an elite institution where nothing — and no one — is what it appears.
New Installments in Mystery and Thriller Series
Jigsaw (Alex Delaware series) by Jonathan Kellerman
Hard Line (Grey Man series) by Mark Greaney
A Killer in the Cordgrass (Mudflats Murder Club series) by Brian Thiem
The Crossroads (Joe Pickett series) by C.J. Box
Hadacol Boogie (Dave Robicheaux series) by James Lee Burke
The Devil’s Bible (Cotton Malone series) by Steve Berry
Big Shot (Jesse Stone series) by Christopher Farnsworth
Antihero (Orphan X novel) by Gregg Hurwitz
Trust No One (Sigma Police series) by James Rollins
First Sign of Danger (Haven’s Rock series) by Kelley Armstrong
The Asset (Joe De Marco series) by Mike Lawson
The Wolves are Watching (Lew Ferris series) by Victoria Houston
What Happened that Night (Maud O’Connor series) by Nicci French
Crown City (Japantown series) by Naomi Hirahara
Worse Than a Lie (Beau Cooper series) by Ben Crump
New Cozy Mystery Books in Series
Installments in Cozy Mystery Series
Murder at the Duomo (Armstrong and Oscar series) by T.A. Williams
High Tea and Misdemeanors (Tea Shop Mysteries) by Laura Childs
The Whisking Hour (Bakeshop series) by Ellie Alexander
Murder at an Irish Session (Irish Village Mystery) by Carlene O’Connor
Booking for Trouble (Library Lovers series) by Jenn McKinley
Easter Egg Murder (Lucy Stone series) by Leslie Meier
I’m Not The Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig
Buried in Shamrocks (Irish Bed and Breakfast series) by Lisa Q. Mathews
Standalone Cozy Mysteries
New Historical Mysteries for February 2026
NEW Paperback Mystery and Thriller Books out in Spring 2026!
