Here’s a look ahead at some of the crime and thriller books coming in 2026! Below you’ll find details on each title, plus links to reviews for those I’ve already read.
If your book isn’t listed yet and is publishing next year, I’d love to hear from you so please do get in touch!
My ones to watch include: Buyer Beware, Eye Spy, The Second Home, The Silent Appeal, The Hollow Boys, It’s Not What You Think, The Death Bed, My Husband’s Wife, Dissection of a Murder, How to Get Away with Murder, Deception, Esther is Now Following You, Body of Lies, The Killer in Room 5 and Strange Buildings.
Skip to month: January / February / March / April / May / June / July / September / October
January
Your Every Move by Sam Blake
Publisher: Corvus Genre: Psychological Thriller Date: 01/01/2026
Irish estate agent Rosie Kinsella loves selling high-end London homes, until she’s targeted by a stalker who believes they’re in a relationship. He knows where she lives, works, even what’s inside her house…
The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph Genre: Thriller / Translated Date: 08/01/2026
Winner of multiple awards including the Glass Key for Best Nordic Crime Novel. In rural Sweden, 1999, two friends leave a house party – the next morning, each is a suspect in a murder. Now over twenty years later, a second body is found, and the tight-knit community’s secrets are finally brought to light…
Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan
Publisher: Sphere Genre: Crime / Mystery Date: 13/01/2026
Winner of the UEA/Little, Brown debut prize. Twenty years after two girls entered the Hanging Woods and only one returned, Caitlin is forced back to her Irish hometown following her mother’s death – and the past won’t stay buried.
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
Publisher: HQ Genre: Cosy Crime / Mystery Date: 15/01/2026. Read my review.
Book five in The Marlow Murder Club series, one of my favourite cosy crime series. Someone from Judith’s past returns to Marlow. On top of that local celebrities start dropping dead. Expect secrets, scandals and plenty of mischief. Can Judith, Suzie and Becks crack the case?!
A Killer in Paradise by Tom Hindle
Publisher: Cornerstone Genre: Thrillers / Mystery Date: 15/01/2026
Each of Hindle’s books has such a strong setting, this one takes place in the Costa Rican rainforest. As 5 old friends attend the launch of another friend’s luxury hotel. None of them have heard from their friend since the summer ten years ago when they went backpacking in Central America as students – a trip that ended in disaster for one member of the group…
Dead in the Water by John Marrs
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 20/01/2026
Read my review.
I really enjoyed this one! When Damon survives a near-drowning, he’s haunted by the face of a dead boy. Desperate for answers, he digs into his past and the only way to remember might be to die again… and again.
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 27/01/2026. Read my review.
The cover for this with all the hidden details is perfect and I cannot wait to see what Feeney has in store for us next Eden Fox returns from a run to find her key no longer fits, a woman eerily similar to her answering the door and her husband insisting this stranger is his wife. One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.
Six months earlier, Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, stumbles upon a clinic that claims to be able to predict a person’s date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel and, as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.
Esther is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney
Publisher: Bantam Genre: Crime / Mystery / Thriller Date: 29/01/2026
I was lucky enough to hear the author talk about her debut at Theakstons Crime this year. It sounds absolutely fantastic! I think this is going to be a really fun read.
After locking eyes with actor Ted in London, Esther becomes obsessed, joining his fan site and tracking his every move. When he gets a new celebrity girlfriend, Esther decides she needs to act now. After all, Ted might not know it yet, but they are meant to be together – he just needs a little bit of persuading…
Vivian Dies Again by Caroline Hulse
Publisher: Viper Genre: Crime / Mystery / Thriller Date: 29/01/2026
I love the sound of this concept, it sounds like Russian Doll and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Vivian is murdered at a family gathering. Then wakes up, only to be killed again. And again. Stuck in a time loop, she must solve her own murder.
The Nowhere Girls by Carmel Harrington
Publisher: Headline Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 29/01/2026
On a cold afternoon in December 1995, two young girls are found abandoned on a platform at Pearse Station in Dublin.
Thirty years later, investigative journalist Vega is determined to find out what happened to the so-called ‘Nowhere Girls’. Where did their mother go? Why did no one come forward to claim them? And where are they now?
February
Greedy by Callie Kazumi
Publisher: Century Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror Date: 05/02/2026. Read my review.
I loved Kazumi’s debut Cuckoo [my review of that here], so I was greedy to get my grubby little mitts on Greedy. Especially as it is described as perfect for fans of The Menu and Parasite, of which I am both!
Ed’s in trouble with the yakuza when a reclusive billionaire offers him a chef’s job, with some very unusual tastes…
Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Genre: Thriller / Contemporary / Translated Date: 05/02/2026
This sounds very current! Holy Boy describes itself as more than a little unhinged and an exhilarating descent into the dark side of devotion. Four superfans have a kidnap plan to get their favourite K-pop idol all to themselves…
Nothing Left Behind by Hannah Brennan
Publisher: Avon Genre: Thriller / Police Procedural Date: 12/02/2026
2025 spoiled us with wonderful debut authors, so it’s delightful to see so many with their second novels due to publish in 2026. Brennan is one of those as we see Detective Liz Field return to investigate a fatal fire brushed off as a false alarm from a known nuisance caller.
A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford
Publisher: Bantam Genre: Crime / Thriller Date: 12/02/2026. Read my review.
Another debut that I enjoyed hearing that author introduce and discuss during the Transworld author dinner at Theakstons Crime.
This one is set in Glasgow in 1979. 12 year old Janey comes across a dead body whilst walking her dog. The body turns out to be the daughter of a local hardman, which concerns Janey’s nana. Janey claims she can’t remember what she saw that day, but is she hiding something?
The Barbeque at No. 9 by Jennie Godfrey
Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann Genre: Contemporary / Literary Fiction Date: 12/02/2026
Godfrey is back and has chosen another key historical moment as the basis of her second novel. It’s 1985 and the residents of Delmont Close are preparing a neighbourhood barbecue to watch the biggest music event in history: Live Aid.
But as the guests flood into number nine, so do all of the secrets that have been kept in the close…
The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson
Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Thriller / Police Procedural Date: 12/02/2026
The fourth entry in the DI Henley series. I really enjoyed The Jigsaw Man so I am looking forward to more dark London grit. When a convicted killer is released and later found brutally murdered, DI Henley and the Serial Crimes Unit are pulled into a deadly investigation with links to other recent attacks – all the victims are connected by the vicious signature left behind by the killer. Can they outsmart a monster?
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M. K. Oliver
Publisher: Hemlock Press Genre: Thriller Date: 12/02/2026
“There’s a dead body in my living room… I’ve created the perfect life and I’ll kill to keep it.” Domestic noir meets dark humour.
The Exes by Leodora Darlington
Publisher: Penguin Genre: Thriller Date: 12/02/2026
Another debut on the list! Darlington was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2021 and is also an editor who has published a range of bestselling fiction.
Natalie has chosen her partner carefully, he is different from the men she has loved before. And there are three very good reasons she needs to be so careful. Their names are Marc, Luca and George. Natalie prefers not to think about what they did to her. Let alone what she had to do to them…
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
Publisher: Viper Genre: Thriller Date: 19/02/2026
Nowhere Burning sounds like dark retelling spin on Peter Pan mixed with Leaving Neverland to me! A burned movie star mansion, lost boys and buried crimes. Expect Ward’s trademark eerie brilliance.
Adrift by Will Dean
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Genre: Psychological Thriller Date: 19/02/2026
This sounds claustrophobic and chilling! A woman and her son live on a narrowboat on remote stretch of canal in the Midlands. Under the manipulation of the man they live with. To the outside world he is a husband and father. To them, he is a captor. Their lives are tightly controlled; if any perceived threat appears, their mooring is moved further down the canal, further away from civilisation…
The Death Bed by Chris Bridges
Publisher: Avon Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 26/02/2026
I have long been a fan of Chris’ book reviews on Instagram. So I was so happy when I read his debut Sick to Death [my review of that here] as it was fantastic! It’s brilliant to see book 2 on the horizon, here’s what we can expect: A nurse visits her dying friend. Not to out of compassion but fear and the need to silence her and make sure that the truth never sees the light of day.
The Lost Women by Tim Weaver
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph Genre: Thriller / Police Procedural Date: 26/02/2026
David Raker’s 14th case. Identity theft, missing documentary makers and an impossible mystery. Expect high-stakes emotion and razor plotting.
The Weekend by T. M. Logan
Publisher: Zaffre Genre: Thriller Date: 26/02/2026
Six old friends, a storm, an old mine cave and a backpack full of cash. A lot of cash. What could go wrong? Logan’s latest promises greed, betrayal and murder in the Dales.
The Waiting List by Matilda Wilding
Publisher: Raven Genre: Thriller Date: 26/02/2026
The concept of this sounds gripping! Pregnant and in dire need of an urgent heart transplant, Liv faces a terrifying moral choice: would she cause an accident to produce a heart donor in order to see her baby grow up?
Strange Buildings by Uketsu
Publisher: Pushkin Genre: Mystery / Horror / Translated Date: 26/02/2026
Yessss! The third book in the Strange series is on it’s way and it promises to be the strangest, and darkest, of them all. Eleven eerie buildings, one terrifying connection. I cannot wait.
March
The Artful Anna Harris by Tracy Maton
Publisher: Viper Genre: Crime / Thriller Date: 05/03/2026
A Highsmith-inspired debut about deceit, charm and ambition. Think Ripley with a modern twist.
How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson
Publisher: Bantam Genre: Psychological Thriller Date: 12/03/2026. Read my review.
I have had the pleasure of meeting this debut author twice at different events and loved this read! It’s dark yet fun.
Get ready to meet serial killer Denver Brady, who has recently published his manual How to Get Away with Murder. When a copy is found among a murder girl’s belongings, DI Samantha Hansen is given the job of working out if the author exists, if the contents of the book are real and is there a copycat?
The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent
Publisher: Sandycove Genre: Thriller Date: 12/03/2026
Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode. Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston. Not that Ruby wants to think about the past… But it can’t stay a secret forever.
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Contemporary / Translated / Thriller Date: 12/03/2026
A thrilling and unsettling story of the line between friendship and dangerous obsession. A delicious exploration of food, loneliness and womanhood in contemporary Japan.
When I Kill You by B. A. Paris
Publisher: HQ Genre: Psychological Thriller Date: 12/03/2026
Oh this sounds good! Nell is convinced that she is being followed and has a reason to be looking over her shoulder. Fourteen years earlier, a time when Nell went by another name, she witnessed a student getting into a stranger’s car. When the student was found murdered, Nell became obsessed with finding the culprit. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path… Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?
Based on a True Story by Sarah Vaughan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre: Thriller / Contemporary Date: 12/03/2026
Generations have grown up with national treasure Dame Eleanor Kingman’s stories, but now someone knows the truth about her… Eleanor is turning seventy and marking the occasion with a party at her home. A retrospective television show has been commissioned to commemorate her and many will be there to toast Eleanor’s success.
But as her three daughters and her many friends gather, the stories Eleanor has been telling about her own life and family seem less and less convincing. Not every story has a happy ending: and every family has its secrets. As the threats against her escalate, will Eleanor be forced to tell the truth at last?
Eye Spy by C. M. Ewan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 26/03/2026. Read my review.
One of most anticipated reads of the year! Waiting for the Eurostar in Paris, Mark’s young daughter alerts him to a “Bad Man” during a game of Eye Spy. Things only get worse when Mark notices that the man is on their train with a suspicious-looking suitcase and he’s sitting ominously close…
It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh
Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 26/03/2026
I have heard nothing but good things about this so far and cannot wait to get my grubby little mitts on it! Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She’s been here before.
When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman, and she’s determined to catch him in the act. But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can’t explain himself. The house has become a crime scene and Jamie is dead…
It Ends Here by Heidi Perks
Publisher: Cornerstone Genre: Psychological Thriller Date: 26/03/2026
The young barista on the early shift. The bestselling novelist looking for a writing spot. The husband on his way back from a work trip. The influencer mum whose picture-perfect life isn’t the whole truth. The woman starting her birthday with a quiet coffee. These 5 strangers are part of a group trapped in a café in a sleepy marina town.
As the hours tick by it will soon become clear that one of them has a secret they would kill to keep…
April
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (V. E. Schwab and Cat Clarke)
Publisher: HQ Genre: Mystery / Thriller Date: 07/04/2026. Read my review.
Six authors are invited to a private island and presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Whoever can finish the final novel of a world-famous author who has recently passed will receive a game-changing book deal and two million dollars. They have just seventy-two hours, a typewriter and a blank page. All they have to do is write.
But why have they been chosen to attend? Who is behind the invitation? And just how far would they go to secure a place on the bestseller list?
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 09/04/2026. Read my review.
Simone’s holiday to Texas was meant to be some much needed bonding time with her teenage daughter, Lucy. On their first night in the desert, Simone wakes to find Lucy missing and a mobile phone in her place. The phone rings: Lucy has been taken and, in order to get her back, Simone must commit a crime.
As Simone prepares to follow the kidnapper’s instructions, she feels certain that there is nothing she wouldn’t do to save Lucy. But becoming a wanted woman is just the start…
Welcome to the Family by Kate Gray
Publisher: Mountain Leopard Press Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 09/04/2026
Rosie is excited to meet her boyfriend’s family at their luxury Tuscan villa. Her boyfriend’s sister-in-law also normally looks forward to the same annual holiday but this year she’s especially tired with a new baby in tow and she fears her mother-in-law will be more critical than ever. No one is good enough for her sons. So will Rosie be?
It starts as the perfect family holiday. It ends with one of these women arrested for murder. Who is guilty? Who is the victim? And did they deserve it? …
Among the Ruins by Claire Coughlan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre: Thriller / Contemporary Date: 23/04/2026
Dublin, 1970. Journalist Nicoletta Sarto juggles twin babies and a demanding job when a barrister asks her to investigate her aunt’s suspicious death. As Nicoletta digs deeper into the case she is unaware that danger lurks around every corner…
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Publisher: Oneworld Genre: Thriller / Contemporary Date: 23/04/2026
This debut from Silver revolves around a wealthy author consumed by writers block who decides to stalk a young gay addict and sex worker in pursuit of a book deal.
May
Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Genre: Legal Thriller Date: 07/05/2026. Read my review.
A debut legal thriller that is going to be the basis of the second season of Presumed Innocent!
When Leila Reynolds is handed the high-profile murder case of a respected judge, she’s out of her depth and her client insists only she can defend him. Suddenly, Leila finds herself fighting not only to keep her client out of prison, but also to keep her own secrets buried…
Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara
Publisher: Bantam Genre: Crime / Mystery Date: 07/05/2026
The morning after a luxury wedding, two mothers find their daughters missing and their room bloodstained. As the police investigate, shocking truths emerge, testing their friendship to the limit. Which girl is the killer and which is the victim?
Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli
Publisher: Baskerville Genre: Thriller Date: 07/05/2026
A debut for those who like their crime fiction spicy. In Vienna’s infamous Hotel Orient, concierge Sterling Lockwood’s ex-girlfriend and a tech mogul are found dead. The police struggle as modern investigative technology proves useless at the old-fashioned hotel. Clients use aliases, pay cash, stay mere hours and all the suspects have vanished. Sterling agrees to assist and turn detective, if only to avoid arrest and the suspicion regarding her own movements that night…
Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre
Publisher: Abacus Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 07/05/2026
Jack Parlabane returns, thirty years after his debut, in a locked-room mystery set aboard a sixties TV series fan-convention cruise. Jack is there to solve a murder, but he is in the middle of the Atlantic and someone onboard has already killed once to keep their secret. When a body is found locked in a stateroom with him, covered in his blood, Jack must solve two murders before he’s arrested or killed.
The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani
Publisher: Viper Genre: Crime / Thriller Date: 14/05/2026
The Midnight King was one of my favourite reads of 2025 [my review here]. So yes. Give me The Hollow Boys stat please. The tagline reads “Two children lost. The wrong one found.” How good does that sound?!
When twelve-year-old Danny returns, ten months after being presumed drowned he insists he’s not Danny. He is his friend Will who also went missing that day. Danny’s mother is convinced a monster is wearing her son’s face, while the police scramble to uncover the truth… What happened to Danny to make him take on his friend’s name, his personality? And does Danny’s return mean there’s a chance that Will is still alive?
The Killer in Room Five by Sam Holland
Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Crime / Thriller Date: 21/05/2026
In Room 5 of Hollowpines, an old English psychiatric hospital, Joe Sinclair is confessing to a string of violent killings. Locked away, Joe couldn’t have committed the crimes, but how else can he know so many of the horrifying details?
DC Abby Fox has only just returned to work following a suspension and now she must find out what really happened. Is Joe the killer, or the only one who can stop him?
Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre: Thriller / Contemporary / Sci-Fi Date: 21/05/2026
The fourth and final entry into the DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock series! I cannot wait to see what is next after that Human Remains [read my review here] cliffhanger!
The Second Home by Kathryn Sharman
Publisher: Hodder Genre: Domestic Thriller Date: 28/05/2026
Sharman’s debut The Family at No. 23 [read my review here] was one of my favourite books of 2025, honestly THAT. ENDING! So absolutely sign me up for this. The Second Home looks set to continue on with more housing drama, this time with the likes of holiday rentals and second homes. On the same street by the sea, we meet Lottie who has saved all year for her family holiday in a house they’ve rented. Next door is “home” to Olivia who is a wealthy out-of-towner who has snapped up her coastal home out of the hands of local buyers, only for it to be left empty most of the year. But Olivia has a secret plan for her second home…
When one of the houses goes up in flames, and a body is pulled from the ashes, the secrets both Lottie and Olivia have been keeping threaten to destroy their families. How far would one of them go to keep the truth locked behind closed doors?
June
Deception by Jack Jordan
Deception by Jack Jordan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 04/06/2026. Read my review.
I absolutely fell in love with Redemption [read my review of that here] so I can’t wait to read this! Emma and Miles’ son needs urgent transplant surgery, but they can’t afford it. Then a mysterious syndicate offers the money. All they have to do is complete a series of tasks. The catch? Each task is a crime… and they’re not the only ones playing this deadly game…
Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey
Publisher: Hemlock Press Genre: Thriller / Suspense Date: 04/06/2026
This new standalone is the #1 Irish Times bestseller’s first book set in her native Ireland! Ruth heads to a cliff-top cottage in Ireland for a month with her best friend Maura. But she wakes up alone, covered in someone else’s blood and Maura is gone. It is as if Maura was never there at all. Ruth is a suspect, but she’s also the key to finding out what happened. She’s eager to help. But is her version of events the whole story?
Solitary Agents by David Goodman
Publisher: Headline Genre: Spy / Thriller Date: 04/06/2026
Jamie Tulloch and Sam Li never meant to be spies, but training pits them against each other in Exercise Red Poacher. Things take a sinister turn when they witness the apparent murder of one of their fellow recruits. Is it all part of the exercise? Or is someone trying to weaponise this game of spies into something far more deadly?
Shadow of Madness by D. V. Bishop
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Genre: Crime / Historical / Locked-Room Date: 11/06/2026
Set in 1540’s Tuscany, the sixth entry in the Cesare Aldo series sees him travel north as he seeks answers about his past. The trail leads him to a remote secure institution for the criminally insane, when a blizzard engulfs the area, trapping Aldo.
Even more alarming is his cart driver being found dead. It looks like he fell over a nearby cliff in the whiteout – but Aldo suspects foul play. When a brutal slaying occurs in the central courtyard, it becomes clear a killer lurks among them…
Against the Tide by G. D. Wright
Publisher: Avon Genre: Crime /Police Procedural Date: 18/06/2026
DC Vinny Robson investigates the violent murder of an elderly couple in his hometown, uncovering dark family secrets along the way. As Vinny dives deeper, the case becomes more than a pursuit of a killer – it’s a fight against the undertow of his own past. But in chasing the truth, will he finally find justice, or will he drown in the wreckage of everything he thought he knew?
July
Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
Publisher: Bantam Genre: Thriller Date: TBC/07/2026
One I personally cannot wait for, this is up there as my most anticipated read of the entire year. A grim discovery prompts Ellie to investigate the past of her new home. But she has her own secrets she wants to keep hidden… Inspired by houses that have dark and violent pasts! What a concept!
September
The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
Publisher: Viper Genre: Crime / Mixed Media Date: 03/09/2026
Can you believe we’re getting a sequel to Hallett’s smash hit debut, The Appeal?! I can’t to revisit Charlotte, Femi, Issy and the Fairway Players! For more Hallett, check out my ultimate ranking here.
October
Murder Most Cryptic by Alys Cummings
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph Genre: Murder Mystery / Puzzle Date: TBC/10/2026
This is her debut novel, which mixes cryptic crossword clues with murder mystery and won the Pitch Perfect award at the 2024 Bloody Scotland crime writing festival.
Beth Reads Crime 
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