Spy novels and serial killers, suburban drama and domestic upheaval, puzzles and plot twists — there’s something for everyone in this year’s top 12 thrillers.
1. ‘All the Sinners Bleed,’ by S.A. Cosby
(Flatiron )
Simmering racial tension in a Southern town erupts after a school shooting that leaves one White teacher dead and a young Black man shot by two White police officers. Titus Crown, the county’s first Black sheriff, is tested throughout this riveting murder mystery, which also delivers a nuanced portrayal of racism, politics and small-town life. As Crown tries to make sense of the shooting, he uncovers horrors of torture, sexual abuse and murder, and realizes that a serial killer is living in their midst.
[Review: 'All the Sinners Bleed,' by S.A. Cosby]
2. ‘Bright Young Women,’ by Jessica Knoll
(Marysue Rucci)
After her success with books such as “Luckiest Girl Alive” (now a movie starring Mila Kunis) and “The Favorite Sister,” Knoll turns to history in her latest novel, specifically Ted Bundy. “Bright Young Women” opens with a powerful — and gory — scene evoking Bundy’s rampage at a sorority house in the late 1970s, which left two young women dead and another two maimed. Rather than sensationalize violence against women, however, Knoll’s provocative novel focuses on the stories of those affected by the killer’s rampages.
[Review: 'Bright Young Women,' by Jessica Knoll]
3. ‘City Under One Roof,’ by Iris Yamashita
(Berkley )
Alaska’s natural beauty plays a central role in this taut suspense novel set in the state’s remote corners. When a teen out kayaking with friends discovers a severed “green and almost translucent” human hand and a disembodied foot still stuck in a boot, the search begins for answers to the mysterious body parts. Replete with plot twists, “City Under One Roof” lures readers into this wild and alarmingly isolated small-town environs.
[Review, 'City Under One Roof,' by Iris Yamashita]
4. ‘The Detective Up Late,’ by Adrian McKinty
(Blackstone )
Tough but charming detective Sean Duffy is back in the seventh novel in McKinty’s series, set amid the Irish Troubles. Those familiar with the series will relish Duffy’s (supposedly) final act before retiring from full-time work so that he, his wife and his toddler can move to Scotland to escape bombs, riots and soldiers on the streets. Those new to the series (the books need not be read in order) will appreciate Duffy’s dogged persistence as he investigates a missing-persons case that gets progressively more alarming as the details unfold.
5. ‘The Eden Test,’ by Adam Sternbergh
(Flatiron)
Fans of Laura Dave (“The Last Thing He Told Me”) will enjoy this domestic thriller, in which a wife, Daisy, surprises her husband, Craig, with “The Eden Test,” a pricey and mysterious week-long retreat that promises to revitalize relationships, leaving participants “forever changed.” Both Daisy and Craig come to the getaway armed with their secrets; neither is prepared for what the week will bring in this engrossing drama.
[More book reviews and recommendations]
6. ‘Exiles,’ by Jane Harper
(Flatiron )
The last book in Harper’s Falk trilogy begins ominously: An infant is found tucked inside her stroller, abandoned at a festival in South Australian wine country. Her mother, Kim Gillespie, is nowhere to be found. One year later, Gillespie is still missing, and federal agent Aaron Falk is called upon to look into her disappearance. Harper’s rich use of Australia’s landscape and her thoughtful portrayal of social issues enhance the story.
[Review: 'Exiles,' by Jane Harper]
7. ‘Happiness Falls,’ by Angie Kim
(Hogarth )
Twenty-year-old narrator Mia Parkson is so deeply entrenched in the details of her own life, it is hours before she realizes that her 14-year-old nonspeaking brother, who lives with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman syndrome, has returned home from his daily hike without their father. What Mia calls “The Day Dad Disappeared” fuels this thrilling yet endearing mystery, as the family attempts to unravel what happened in the woods that day.
[Review: 'Happiness Falls,' by Angie Kim]
8. ‘The Helsinki Affair,’ by Anna Pitoniak
(Simon and Schuster)
Even those who don’t traditionally reach for spy novels will find something to love about “The Helsinki Affair,” a thriller featuring a young CIA officer, Amanda Cole, who has followed her father’s path into the agency and is eager to prove her worth. When she is assigned to investigate the assassination of a U.S. senator, her father’s past and her present converge, and she finds herself descending deeper and deeper into a web of blackmail and corruption.
[Review: 'The Helsinki Affair,' by Anna Pitoniak]
9. ‘Hot Springs Drive,’ by Lindsay Hunter
(Roxane Gay)
Hunter dishes about the realities of motherhood with a side of “Gone Girl” and “Desperate Housewives” in this gripping psychological thriller. The novel opens with the murder of suburban mom Theresa Linden. Hunter then leads us back in time through the plot turns and betrayals that result in Theresa’s death, with a focus on her best friend, Jackie, who covets Theresa’s life — and husband.
[Review: 'Hot Springs Drive,' by Lindsay Hunter]
10. ‘Pet,’ by Catherine Chidgey
(Europa )
Chidgey, a mystery powerhouse in her native New Zealand, tackles manipulative relationships among girls and women in this quirky, offbeat thriller. Preying on young girls when they are at their most vulnerable — in the throes of puberty — Mrs. Price, a teacher at a small Catholic school, forms bonds with her students only to exploit and control them. Her mind games put a new spin on preteen horror stories.
11. ‘The Puzzle Master,’ by Danielle Trussoni
(Random House)
Cruciverbalists, Dan Brown lovers and code aficionados alike will be taken with protagonist Mike Brink, a handsome ex-football player who, after a traumatic brain injury in high school, develops a preternatural gift for creating and solving puzzles. When a prison psychologist calls on Brink to help her understand an inmate who will engage with the world only through Brink and his professional puzzle work, we are propelled into the world of an ancient mystery.
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12. ‘The Traitor,’ by Ava Glass
(Bantam )
Glass delivers more of secret agent Emma Makepeace in her latest installment of the Alias Emma series. When an MI6 operative is found dead, naked and stuffed into a large suitcase, Makepeace and colleagues suspect he is the victim of a nerve agent, possibly administered by a group of Russian oligarchs. As Makepeace goes undercover to understand the root of the assassination, Glass delivers everything fans of spy fiction could want — an absorbing plot, complex characters and propulsive action.
[Review: 'The Traitor,' by Ava Glass]
Jill Pellettieri is a contributing editor at the Yale Review and a former editor at Slate.
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