New Mystery and Thriller Books for May 2025

I’ve got the New Mysteries and Thriller Books for May 2025! Summer reading is almost here! Which of these brand new thriller and mystery books are you going to love? Let’s find out!

New Mysteries and Thriller Books for Month 2025

Gripping New May 2025 Mystery and Thriller Books

Table of Contents

New May 2025 Mysteries and Thriller Books by Subgenre
New May 2025 Mysteries and Thriller Books by Release Date
New Books In Series That You Might Want to Know About
New May 2025 Historical Mystery Books

This list will include mostly standalone titles, with a few books that are sequels or series installments for books I have reviewed before. Some months I’ll also include a series book list.

Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small percentage of qualifying purchases.

Recommended May 2025 Mysteries and Thrillers by Subgenre:

Psychological Thrillers: The Tenant, The Ones We Love
Comic Mysteries: Senior Citizens, Fever Beach, No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding, Busybody Book Club, Retirement Plan
Paranormal Mystery: Something I Keep Upstairs, The Night Birds, Going Home in the Dark, We Live Here Now, Whistle
Amateur Detective: Missing Half, Last Ferry Out
Closed Circle/Classic: The Safari

What Were My Favorite Mystery Thriller Books of May?

I Thought The Missing Half was so compelling, like a 2010s suspense novel!

The Safari reminded me of The Guest List.

The Doorman was pretty unconventional, but really well-done and interesting!

New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of May 6 2025

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

If you loved All Good People Here, this is the second book by Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers. I’m listening to the audio right now and will report back!

Cover of the Missing Half which shows a woman's dark blonde hair floating in the water

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

I’ve read and reviewed most of his books. This one had a fun campus setting and a lot of suspects!

Here’s my Readers Guide to Parents Weekend!

Parents Weekend, a puzzling new thriller for May 2025

A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain

Photo of a copy of A Thousand Natural Shocks. The cover shows a hand holding a green pill

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

I’ve heard other readers say they have been really disappointed with McFadden’s latest, books like The Teacher and The Crash.

I might read it. If you did, please tell me your thoughts in comments!

Cover of The Tenant, which shows a woman's hand coming out of two doors

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

This sounds like a good fit for fans of The Thursday Murder Club!

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra

A Senior Citizens Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Floria

The Night Birds by Christopher Golden

Original photo of a cover of the Night birds which shows a half ship/half skull floating in an ocean

The Poets Game by Paul Vidich

New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of May 13 2025

Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen

Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker

The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb

I really enjoyed Slocumb’s prior books, The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets.

The Dark Maestro sounds a little like Breaking Bad with music, so maybe I will try it!

No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding by Catherine Mack

Even though I do love a wedding mystery, I will probably skip this. The self-referential writing style in Every Time I Go On Vacation, Somebody Dies was not a fit for me, but maybe you were one of the many people who enjoyed it!

If that is the case, you should try this!

Cover of No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding, which is an illustrated couple of a man holding a bride in his arms

Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

I’m reading this now, and like all North’s books, it’s CREEPY and a bit disorienting.

I’ll share my thoughts very soon! Watch this space!

Cover of The Man Made of Smoke which has the title in read and a white plume of smoke on a black cover

New Mystery and Thriller Books for the Week of May 20 2025

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

Regular readers know I’m a fan of Connelly, and this is a NEW series for him. I just got and advance copy, dropped everything to read it, and can’t wait to spill all!

Cover of Nightshade, which shows a man standing outside at sunset with his back to the camera.

Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz

The Doorman by Chris Pavone

I really enjoyed Two Nights in Lisbon so I definitely read this. It was NOT what I expected at all (in a good way) and I can’t wait to share my thoughts soon!

The Doorman a slow burn suspense story for 2025. Cover is orange and red with the outline of a wrought iron fence

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinsborough

Beautiful design, and seems paranormal??

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz

I have such mixed feelings about Bartz’s books, which included We Were Never Here. But I can’t resist a thriller set on a creepy island, so I agreed to check it out.

Though it did have some chilling moments, I think some readers will find this too slow-paced. My Goodreads Review of The Last Ferry Out is here.

Cover of the Last Ferry Out which shows the wake of a boat at night

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis

I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Chateau but again, couldn’t resist a safari thriller, so I’m signed on for the trip. And I’m glad I did! My review will be up and linked here soon!

Graphic for my Readers Guide to the Safari, a new thriller. The cover shows a dramatic African landscape with a watering hole and animals, all in shades of red and orange

Marguerite on the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter

The Ascent by Allison Buccola

Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge

I love adding new books to my list of Mysteries and Thrillers by AAPI Authors!

This book offers a lot of Hawaiian culture and history along with a mystery. My Goodreads review of Kaua’i Storm is here!

Photo of a copy of Kauai Storm next to a stack of colorful books and a vase of purple orchids

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey

Their Double Lives by Jamie Hendricks

I was super-intrigued by the premise of this, which is that a New Jersey waitress agrees to murder her sleazy ex. I wondered: will it be like The Postman Always Rings Twice, or more like Finlay Donovan?

I’ll reveal all soon.