Summer is here! And summer is my favorite time of year to read mysteries and thrillers. They make perfect vacation reads, and they seem less scary when the sun in shining. Here are the Ten Summer Thrillers I’m Dying to Read in 2022. Check out my list and share yours!
Ten Summer Thrillers I’m Dying to Read
Are you looking for the best summer thriller and mystery books to read in 2022?
Me too. I was feeling a little disappointed about the summer 2022 line-up of mystery and thriller books. Whether it’s supply-chain issues or inflation, it seems like books are SO much more expensive and there seem to be fewer of them. What’s up with that?
Then I dug a little deeper and realized that YES, there are a fair amount of summer 2022 books that are must-reads for me.
As I’m always hoping to be honest with you as to what books I think are worth your money, here are the ones I’ve picked out to read for sure! I’ll be reviewing all these so if you aren’t subscribed to my weekly email, join the list and you’ll be notified of all my new reviews!
My criteria for my Summer 2022 Top Ten: the books must be written by an author whose work I usually enjoy and have a premise that sounds good.
Let’s do this chronologically!
Check out the Ten Summer Thrillers I’m Dying to Read!
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June 2022 Thrillers I’m Dying to Read
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
June 21, 2022 from Sourcebooks
What I like about Julie Clark’s books:
Julie Clark wrote a great 2020 thriller, The Last Flight, which was about two women whose lives intersect by chance. Impulsively, they decide to switch airline tickets with dramatic results. I love twisty, female-forward books and The Last Flight is exactly that!
Why am I dying to read The Lies I Tell?
When I found out that The Lies I Tell was about a con artist, I was beside myself with excitement. I love learning about the psychology of the con. It’s fascinating to me how rational people can get completely taken in by someone.
I’m a naturally suspicious person so I need to know all the tricks I have to watch out for.
What Did I Think of The Lies I Tell?
I have read this and thought it was a gripping, psychologically complex story about a cat and mouse game between two women – you can read my review of The Lies I Tell and when you’ve read the book, let’s come and talk spoilers about The Lies I Tell.
House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
June 21, 2022 from Dutton Books
What I like about Riley Sager’s books:
Riley Sager is the king of the cool premise and the creepy setting. But I’ll be honest: I have liked some of his books more than others. Given that, I’m a little concerned about the Goodreads ratings of House Across the Lake thus far. This could be one of his misses. Let’s hope not!
Why am I dying to read The House Across the Lake?
Some premises are like catnip to me. When I read this was about a heavy-drinking actress hanging out at her vacation house watching the couple across the lake,I immediately thought of Girl on a Train. Especially since the wife disappears! Call me a sucker for Rear Window/voyeurism kind of plots. I am high on the library request list for this one, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. If it does, I can return it!
What Did I Think of The House Across the Lake
Sadface. I was hoping for a new spin on the unreliable girl on the train/at the window, etc. But this book veered into very weird territory. I’m disappointed. You can read my spoiler-free review of The House Across the Lake and then I hope you’ll join the Spoiler Discussion of The House Across the Lake!
July 2022 Thrillers I’m Dying to Read
Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
July 5 by Atria Books
What I love about Sarah Vaughan’s books
I like to see what’s new in the thriller department on Netflix, and when I saw Anatomy of a Scandal, adapted by David Kelley, I was like: yes, please. I read Anatomy of a Scandal, the book that the series was adapted from and liked Sarah Vaughan’s writing a lot.
Why I’m dying to read Reputation:
I enjoy political thrillers and mysteries featuring women. In any case, Reputation is about a female politician and her teenage daughter, their struggles with online harassment, and the small problem of a body that is found in their home. Vaughan’s books aren’t the fastest paced, but I like some balance in my summer reading.
What Did I Think of Reputation?
I thought it had a lot of interesting themes. There was one aspect of it I found frustrating. You can read My Review of Reputation and find out more!
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
July 12 from Gallery Books
What I like about Ruth Ware’s books:
I’m a big fan of Ruth Ware‘s whole literary vibe. Her books seem inspired by classic mysteries, but have a modern twist. I actually met her back in 2018, at the Book Expo in New York. She signed a copy of The Death of Mrs. Westaway for me, which I gave to my wonderful book friend Grace/Rebel Mommy, because she was also a huge fan. I’m pretty sure Ruth Ware had me pick out a tarot card too, but I can’t remember which card it was. I don’t know where it went!
Why am I dying to read The It Girl?
In any case, The It Girl intrigues me. It’s an “innocence project” sort of premise about a woman approached by a journalist who insists that the man who died in prison years ago for her best friend’s murder might have, in fact, been innocent. I really love the did he/didn’t he kind of books because I like to make up my mind about what I think. (I’m watching The Staircase right now and I have an opinion.)
What Did I think about The It Girl?
I am ALL about a classic mystery and obsessed with Dark Academia and I LOVED The It Girl. It was a very classic, Agatha Christie style mystery. Check out my Review of The It Girl and my Spoiler Discussion for The It Girl now!
Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
July 19 from Minotaur Books
What I like about Jennifer Hillier’s books:
I was really impressed by Little Secrets, which had some twists I really wasn’t expecting. And one part of the book where I literally was like NO WAY. It’s hard to surprise me, as I read so many thrillers. And hate being surprised. Which is why I focus so much on Spoiler Posts.
Why am I Dying to Read Things We Do in the Dark?
I really enjoyed Little Secrets and I like the sound of Things We Do in the Dark. It’s about Paris, a woman arrested for murder, who is worried that her new notoriety will expose her secret past. Enter Ruby, another notorious murderess, who knows exactly who Paris is. I’m intrigued. Who actually murdered whom and what is happening? But I trust a fellow Jen to make it all make sense!
What Did I Think of Things We Do in the Dark?
I really enjoyed this one. Hillier’s books are always complex in structure, and this was no exception, with a past/present narrative, two potential murderesses and a lot of twists. You can read my Review of Things We Do in the Dark and then come join the Spoiler Discussion for Things We Do in the Dark.
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
July 19 from Pamela Dornan Books)
What I like about Sarah Pearce’s books:
Okay, I KNOW that The Sanatorium, the first book in this series had a lot of haters because you all came to my spoiler post for The Sanatorium to complain. I LOVE controversial books. Nothing makes me happier than a book people disagree on, because then we have something to talk about. I loved the super-cool setting of The Sanatorium, but shared some of your questions about poor Elin and the ending.
Why am I Dying to Read The Retreat?
Friends, I’m going back for more Elin! I need to know what she is doing at ANOTHER wellness retreat (maybe recovering from the time she spent at the last one?) How much vacation do detectives get? I can’t wait to see what Elin has in store for me!
If it’s just me and Elin hanging around in our spa bathrobes together, trying not to get pushed into any hot tubs, I can deal with that.
What Did I Think of The Retreat?
Well I have good news and bad. If you liked The Sanatorium, you will probably like this. The Retreat is VERY similar, and I go over all those similarities in my review of The Retreat. If you decided to read this and want to disagree with me (love that!) then come on over to my Spoiler Discussion Post on The Retreat!
August 2022 Thrillers I’m Dying to Read
Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
August 9 from St. Martins Press
What I Like about Megan Goldin’s books:
I read Night Swim and liked it. But honestly, it was also a tough and heartbreaking read for me. I need to balance out those darker books with some that are more fun and escapist.
Everyone (including my husband) has been telling me to read The Escape Room, and I swear I’m going to. I’m also going to clean my closet (really to both! I love a clean closet and I often listen to my husband.)
Why I’m Dying to Read Stay Awake:
As you can see from this entire list, I am ALL about a good premise. It’s everything to me. If you give me the pitch and I can imagine how good the book is going to be, then you’ve got me. In Stay Awake, a woman wakes up in a taxi with no memory of how she got there. Her phone is missing, a stranger is living in her apartment, and “stay awake” is scribbled on her hand.
If you got HUGE Memento vibes from that description, me too. The character is now on the run and can’t remember the last two years, which may involve murdering someone. Sign me up!
What Did I Think of Stay Awake?
Perhaps I should have remembered to disclose above that I struggle with amnesia books. For me, they can feel to circular and repetitive. I did like Stay Awake more than most amnesia books, but I did also get to a point where I was getting frustrated. Check out my Review of Stay Awake and come chat spoilers with me in my Spoiler Discussion Post for Stay Awake!
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
August 16 from Sourcebooks
What I like about Ashley Winstead’s books:
Okay so tbh my review of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife was a bit blunt. I said the book was more drama that plot and called the main character insufferable. I stand behind that. And still, I enjoyed the toxic friend group drama (since it wasn’t my friends!) The book was very readable and kept me guessing.
Why I’m Dying to Read The Last Housewife
As in In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, The Last Housewife has a past/present narrative and is about college friends. It’s about a woman who, as a college student, was drawn up in a cult and was able to escape. Now, eight years later, a true crime podcast host comes knocking on the door, telling the main character that her friend is dead. I have a mixed history with cult plots (though I thought The Project by Courtney Summers was pretty good. So we’ll see how this goes.
What Did I Think of The Last Housewife?
I really gave this one a chance, making it halfway through. Ultimately, The Last Housewife was not the book for me. I’m not super surprised because, as mentioned above, I’m not a big fan of cult books. Some people on Goodreads are LOVING The Last Housewife and you might too if you’re okay with books with really dark, sadistic themes (think a lot of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and a creepy cult.) It had some of the same marriage-as-misogyny themes as Every Vow You Break. Like My Dark Vanessa, it explored the psychology behind abusive relationships, but to me, My Dark Vanessa did that more successfully.
Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter
August 23 by Harper Collins
Why I Love Karin Slaughter’s books:
My reader relationship with Karin Slaughter has had as many twists and turns as her books. I started reading Slaughter’s Grant County series when it came out, and then it took a turn I didn’t like and I started really disliking some of the characters and the level of graphic violence. So I took a long break from her books.
Then I began reading some of her standalones, like The Good Daughter and False Witness and remembered what an amazing writer she is. I’m sticking with the standalones, I thought.
Now Karin Slaughter has made a standalone into a series. How diabolical. Girl, Forgotten is a sequel to Pieces of Her. I did a DEEP dive into the Netflix series of Pieces of Her vs the book if you want to take a look.
Why I’m dying to read Girl, Forgotten.
Am I dying to read it? Well, I’m interested. Andy (now going by her full name, Andrea) is now a US Marshal investigating a cold case from 1982 that relates to her father, jailed former political terorrist Nick. I’m not sure he has a last name. I’m also not sure how I feel about more 1980s and more Nick. But if you need a recap on book one, check out my Pieces of Her post for all the details.
What did I think of Girl, Forgotten?
I don’t feel that much better about Andrea, sorry! I did find the cold case she was investigating really compelling. It’s narrated by the victim and I thought that by far, that was the best part of the story. If you want to read Girl, Forgotten and have forgotten (ha!) the plot of Pieces of Her, refresh your memory with my Plot Summary for Pieces of Her. You can also check out my review of Girl Forgotten, which goes live on September 6.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
August 30 from Flatiron Books
What I like about Alice Feeney’s books:
Dark and twisted family stories are something I enjoy. If you like that kind of book, then Alice Feeney is your go-to author. I first read His & Hers, which I thought was truly disturbing. Then I read Rock Paper Scissors, which was also really disturbing. My discussion post on Rock Paper Scissors is still going – come take a look if you haven’t!
Why I’m Dying to Read Daisy Darker
A family reunion on a crumbling gothic house on a small remote island sounds like my kind of thing. This feels like The Guest List meets Knives Out and I’m intrigued! There have been a lot of reimaginings of And Then There Were None and I’m not mad about it. Maybe the pandemic has made us claustrophobic and just slightly homicidal toward those we live with!
What I Thought About Daisy Darker
Loved it! It was different from the typical Alice Feeney, which features twisted characters hiding lots of secrets and trying to out-plot each other. Daisy Darker was a bit more of a classic mystery and took a turn I wasn’t expecting, but enjoyed! Check out my Review of Daisy Darker and if you want to discuss it, come over to my Spoiler Discussion Post for Daisy Darker!
That is my list of Ten Thrillers I’m Dying to Read in the Summer of 2022. But I want to know what summer thrillers are on YOUR to-read list. Please tell me in comments! I hope we can read and discuss some great books this summer!
Everything is more expensive these days. I try to get free books by being on street teams or NetGalley.
Everything! Thinking of going back to being a vegetarian!
These are all new to me so I hope they are good.