What’s better than starting the year off with a selection of brand-new mysteries and thrillers to look forward to reading? We’ve curated a list of books that are sure to keep you glued to your seat, eyes on the page, nerves on edge, and heart pounding! Our anticipated 2026 mysteries and thrillers list includes stories about motherhood, competitive ice skaters, defense attorneys, sorority sisters and a whole slew of characters who are hell-bent on seeking revenge. Check out this list of thrilling reads all publishing in early 2026.
The Water Lies by Amy Meyerson
The Water Lies is the first pyschological thriller from Amy Meyerson, whose previous works include The Love Scribe, The Imperfects, and The Bookshop of Yesterdays. The story is set in the atmospheric Venice canals of LA, which adds an additional layer of mystery as two mothers search for the truth about what happened to a woman who drowned.
You'll Never Forget Me by Isha Raya
It’s not what she planned, but actress Dimple Kapoor is finally in the spotlight when she accidentally kills her Hollywood rival, Irene Singh. Dimple looks at it as an opportunity for stardom but Irene’s parents are bound and determined to find out who killed their daughter. Enter PI Saffi Mirai Iyer, the best in the business, and Saffi soon begins to zero in on Dimple. The investigator needs to get closer to her suspect and invites Dimple to help with the case. While Saffi wants Dimple behind bars for the murder she knows she committed, Dimple simply wants Saffi dead. Have the two cunning women met their matches in this game of cat-and-mouse?
Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni
Her Cold Justice features rising star defense attorney Keera Duggan as she fights for justice in the third novel of this legal series by Robert Dugoni. When a drug smuggler and his girlfriend are found murdered, and an accuser is named, Keera is hired to prove his innocence. But with circumstantial evidence and a ruthless star prosecutor things don’t look great for Keera. To save her client, she must dig deep into a mystery that has far-reaching consequences.
Blade by Wendy Walker
Before Wendy Walker was a USA Today bestselling author, she was a teenage competitive figure skater. In Blade, she draws on her personal experience on the ice to bring readers a truly unique psychological thriller about a former competitive skater. Ana Robbins was set to be an Olympic skater until tragedy struck when she was a teenager. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney who returns to “The Palace” skating program she once attended to defend a young skater accused of murdering her former coach. Childhood memories and fears from the past resurface and Ana’s investigation turns out to be more than what she bargained for in her efforts to discover the truth.
Hooked by Caitlin Rother
We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda
Kaira Rouda has made a name for herself in the domestic thriller genre, and her latest novel, We Were Never Friends, will continue to captivate readers. When Roxy Callahan Gentry summons her former sorority sisters for a reunion to celebrate her son’s engagement to another sorority sister’s daughter, there’s no telling what will happen at the posh Palm Springs vacation home. Of course, there’s a secret from the past that binds the sisters together, and over weekend, tensions will rise and secrets will emerge in this riveting tale of sisterhood of the Theta Gamma Mu sorority.
I Came Back for You by Kate White
A deathbed confession of a convicted killer throws Bree Winter right back into the trauma and loss she experienced when her daughter Melanie was murdered ten years ago. Everything she thought was true is no longer, and to find out what really happened, Bree must return to upstate New York where her daughter died. She’ll have to dig through Melanie’s past to learn the truth about the crime, and shocking discoveries about her daughter as well.
Served Him Right by Lisa Unger
When Ana Blacksmith calls upon her close friends and sister to celebrate her recent breakup, the celebratory brunch takes a turn for the worst. At brunch, when shocking information about ex Paul and his new girlfriend comes to light, and Ana’s best friend suddenly gets ill, the girls begin to wonder if Ana is simply an angry ex out for revenge. But Ana’s not the only one who has it out for Paul, and with a long list of enemies, it’s anyone’s guess on who will get the vengence they deserve. Will Ana and her sister take the fall before they can find out the truth, all the while keeping their own secrets hidden?
