How is it May already? It’s been a busy season but fortunately, we bibliophiles will always find those moments to sneak in some reading. In this month’s selections, we’ve got the magical and mystical, historical and horror, murder and mayhem, and more. We’re sure you’ll find something worthy to read in this curated list for May 2026. Now get out there and get reading!
Payback by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
At Pay to Stay, if you’re a criminal with money, you can serve out your time in style. LA’s premier minimum-security jail is the place where wealthy inmates are jailed from Friday to Monday to serve their sentence. Seven inmates check in on New Year’s weekend where they discover their abusive guard is dead. If they don’t solve the murder before someone else finds out, the seven will be serving more than they bargained for, and nobody wants maximum security. When the power goes out because of a raging storm, it’s a race against time for these prisoners to gather evidence so they can clear their own names. Because, while they are all suspects, one of them is also a murderer.
You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh
Olivia Cruz is coming up on the third anniversary of her horrific kidnapping, and she’s agreed to tell her podcaster friend Zoe what happened. But the day of the taping, Zoe doesn’t show up. Zoe’s husband has reported her missing, yet the police think that there were marital problems and she may have left him. Olivia knows better and when she find’s Zoe’s phone and a text message that says RUN, she’s not quite sure what’s happening but does know something is severely wrong. As she digs into Zoe’s past, could Olivia be stepping into dangerous territory once again?
The Mediator by Robert Bailey
Former lawyer Max Ringo is restarting her life after a car accident and an addiction to pain killers ruined everything for her. She’s completed rehab and is making a comeback as a mediator where she is appointed to a high-stakes divorce. As Max gets acclimated and negotiations begin, the husband kidnaps her teenage son Nathan. He’s giving Max an ultimatum to settle the case on his terms or Nathan will die. Max begins a dangerous covert mission to rescue Nathan while also working to resolve the legal divorce battle. She’s about to risk all that she has to save Nathan and to beat a ruthless adversary at his own game.
The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline
New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline reimagines a story of love and identity in this historical novel that spans five decades. In 1839, conjoined twins Eng and Chang Bunker came to America from Siam (hence the term Siamese twins) where they quickly became a sensation. The twins open a general store, buy land and build a plantation – and the next step in their plan is to find wives. Enter Sarah and Adelaide Yates (Kline’s distant relatives) whom the twins marry. Kline effortlessly brings this historical American moment in time to life in this intimate and epic love story.
Bone of My Bone by Johanna van Veen
If you’re looking for a sapphic folk-horror, here you go: It’s 1635 and Sister Ursula and a peasant named Elsebeth disappear into a forest to escape a band of soldiers intent on harm. War and devastation are everywhere they turn, but when they find a dying man holding the gilded skull of a saint, they think they have reached salvation. Because there is a tale that if you can reunite the saint’s skull with her body, a wish will be granted. A journey begins as Ursula and Elsebeth search across the country, all the while darkness follows them and they hear the saint whispering at night. As blessing and curse begin to blur, the women realize that there may be a cost for the magic they seek. They will face an impossible choice at the end of their journey which will either bind them together…or tear them apart forever.
A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
Based on actual historical events and set in the author’s hometown of Detroit in 1927, A Fortune of Sand is Ruta Sepetys’s adult debut. Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter in a powerful automotive family and she’s been constantly dismissed by her father and siblings. An opportunity to join an exclusive arts program offers Marjorie a way to break free and redefine her life. As the mysterious benefactor of the program pulls Marjorie deeper into his elusive world, she realizes something about the program is very wrong. She must discover the truth before she completely loses herself. Don’t sleep on this gothic novel!
