From nail-biting mysteries to gripping thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat, we’ve rounded up the best page-turners to dive into. Trust us, these are the perfect poolside reads to make your summer unforgettable!
A Disappearing Act by Jo Dixon
From the bestselling author of The House of Now and Then comes a taut and twisty psychological mystery perfect for readers of Sally Hepworth and Nicola Moriarty.
Bestselling author Marnie Elliott has invited her three oldest friends to a secluded holiday house in Tasmania. On the surface it’s an excuse to catch up and drink champagne — but really, Marnie’s there to escape the fallout from an upcoming exposé. Sure, she’s told some lies over the course of her career… but this time the allegations go further… Did Marnie even write the books that made her millions?
As the days unfold, it becomes clear that time has pulled the women apart, and that perhaps they don’t know each other as well as they thought they did. And when long-buried secrets and resentments rise to the surface, tensions spiral out of control.
And then one of them disappears.
No one can survive the harsh elements of a Tasmanian winter for long, and soon panic sets in. Did she get lost? Run away? Or is something far more sinister at play?
And does it have anything to do with what happened twenty-five years ago, when the four of them lived together in a rambling warehouse, fuelled by ambition, and where nothing — absolutely nothing — mattered more than being part of the group?
Old Money by Kelsey Miller
On the Fourth of July, a teenager dies at an exclusive country club. Twenty years later, her cousin returns to her hometown, seeking answers behind closed gates in this rich, atmospheric thriller for fans of Lucy Foley, Liz Moore and Ruth Ware.
Twenty years ago, sixteen-year-old Caitlin Dale died unexpectedly on the Fourth of July. Like other affluent families of Briar’s Green, Caitlin joined hers at the country’s club’s annual party. They say she slipped by the pool. A tragic accident.
But her cousin Alice knows the truth.
Caitlin was murdered. And Alice saw who did it.
Twenty years later, Alice returns to her childhood hometown of Briar’s Green, seeking answers. The club where Caitlin died has barely changed. But its secrets, Alice soon discovers, are carefully hidden — and there are powerful people in Briar’s Green who would like them to stay that way.
In her deliciously dark debut novel, Kelsey Miller transports readers to a brooding enclave reminiscent of Sleepy Hollow, one with a long history, a short fuse and narrator determined to seek justice, at all costs.
No One Aboard by Emy McGuire
At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children.
Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida.
Empty.
Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold?
Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, No One Aboard is a delicious domestic mystery that asks who is more dangerous to a family: a stormy ocean or each other?
The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf
A couple’s gender reveal party turns deadly and everyone is a suspect in this gripping thriller.
Is it a boy or a girl? They would die to know…
Cordelia and Wes Drake have invited two hundred of their closest friends and family to their sprawling horse ranch for the most anticipated event of the year: a ‘pistols and pearls’ gender reveal party so sensational it is sure to make headlines. But the party descends into chaos when the celebratory explosive misfires, leaving one woman dead and a trail of secrets.
As the aftershocks of the bloody party ripple across the small town, Agent Jamie Saldano is brought on the scene to investigate. Battling his own demons from the past, Saldano unearths a web of deceit spun around the Drakes. The appearance of some unexpected houseguests only deepens the mystery. And as tensions mount, it becomes clear that the explosion wasn’t just an unlucky accident. But who was the target, and why? As the shadow of a killer looms, the happy parents-to-be must unravel the truth before it’s too late.
On the Edge by Kate Horan
A homecoming will shake this small town to its very foundations. The taut new mystery from the bestselling author of The Inheritance, perfect for readers of Sally Hepworth and Liane Moriarty.
Desperate people do desperate things…
Sixteen years ago, teenage Maddie Marshall’s body was found on a desolate beach near her hometown, Carrinya. Vibrant, feisty Maddie was the only daughter of a high-profile politician. The case was the talk of the town but was ultimately never solved.
Nel Foley, daughter of the town doctor and Maddie’s best friend, was the last known person to see her alive, and the Carrinya rumour mill was vicious. Nel fled the town and has never been back. Until now.
Now a 32-year-old city GP, Nel returns after her father’s sudden death, determined to get in and out as quickly as possible. Begrudgingly, she agrees to run his clinic for a few weeks, but during that time she meets local mum Sophie Warner and that changes everything.
Sophie’s husband Ryan, a prominent local real estate agent, was Maddie’s boyfriend and Nel is certain he played a role in her death. When Nel discovers that Ryan is not the loving husband and father that he seems, she decides she must prove what he did all those years ago. But as she starts to unravel the past, she discovers the truth is far more complex than she could have imagined.
A twisty, suspenseful mystery about the desperate things people do when they’re on the edge.
Hitwoman by Elsie Marks
Killing Eve meets Bridget Jones’ Crime Monthly
‘This fun, quirky read really hits the mark!’ The Sun
She always gets her man … but has Maisie Baxter met her match?
Maisie Baxter is determined not to let her job as an ethical hitwoman get in the way of her social life, but it’s tough when your hours are extremely unpredictable and you can’t share any details of your day.
So she can’t tell her friends about the guy that keeps showing up on her missions. Will. He’s cute – really cute – and he’s desperate to speak to her.
Maisie is sure Will works for the competition, but they’re going to have to put aside their professional rivalry when it becomes clear a dangerous conspiracy threatens them both. Maisie always gets her man, but has she finally met her match?
The Pact by Lisa Walker
An unmissable psychological dark academia thriller: Saltburn meets Lucy Clarke’s The Hike. Pre-order now!
Tess enters the prestigious and exclusive Ravensthorpe Writing College with dreams of literary greatness, but soon discovers that ambition comes at a cost.
Drawn into a tight-knit group with fellow writers Ethan, Theo, and Jaz, Tess’s world is upended when their charismatic tutor is found dead. Believing someone in their circle is responsible, Tess flees the elite literary world and abandons the future she once craved.
Three years later, an enigmatic invitation to walk the Camino de Santiago offers Tess a chance to uncover the truth. Reunited with her former friends, including Ethan, now a literary star, Tess realises the past isn’t finished with her. Someone knows what really happened that night, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.
The Birdwatcher by Jacquelyn Mitchard
From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard comes a page-turning drama that explores the beauty of female friendship; the relationship between money, power, and sex; and the very human desire to protect the ones we love most.
When she is convicted of a double murder, Felicity Wild, a brilliant grad student turned high-priced escort, declares, ‘I may not be innocent, but I’m innocent of this.’
Reenie Bigelow never doubted it. A jury may have given Felicity a life sentence, but Reenie knows that her childhood best friend is not capable of murder. And so Reenie, a journalist, decides to use her deep connections to Felicity’s past to unravel the truth.
The more she uncovers, the more Reenie is convinced that the story the prosecution told is wrong, despite the puzzling fact that Felicity said not one single word in her own defense. But there’s one thing Reenie knows for certain: Felicity would never lie.
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
A killer is on the loose. The bodies are piling up. And Judith is hiding a deadly secret …
Someone from Judith’s past has turned up in Marlow and is stirring up trouble. With all the murders that the Marlow Murder Club have had to solve and her work setting crosswords, Judith’s been too busy to give her old life much thought. But now it’s knocking on her door and won’t go away.
On top of that, Marlow’s celebrities are getting murdered! When a footballer and a thriller writer are found dead, Judith, Suzie, and Becks must untangle a web of scandal to find the killer. But with Judith keeping secrets, the Marlow Murder Club find themselves drifting apart.
The pressure is on in more ways than one …
Can they find the killer and help Judith in time, or could this be the end of the Marlow Murder Club?
Get the book here
A Dangerous Train of Thought by Faith Martin
A brand new Golden Age cosy crime mystery from the multi-million-copy bestseller Faith Martin.
‘A masterfully constructed pageturner of a murder mystery. Clever, compelling, and intriguing. An excellent read’ T.A. Williams
‘Hugely entertaining with an ingenious solution! I loved it!’ Clare Chase
Yorkshire, 1926. Gentleman ghost-hunter Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift and his old friend Val arrive at Cleeves Lea Manor, looking forward to the promise of a lavish weekend party.
The lady of the house, an avid reader of Arbie’s books, is eager to show him off to her distinguished guests. Amidst the festivities, Arbie is also tasked with investigating rumours of a ‘ghost train spitting fire’ for the third instalment of the increasingly popular (to Arbie’s great surprise) Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-hunting.
But when the guests start dying, Arbie instead finds himself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. With time running out, will he and Val be able to uncover the truth?
‘Suspicious notes, a lethal hat pin and a body in the library … As far as I’m concerned Faith Martin is the Grand Dame of Country House Crime!’ J. M. Hall
‘A charming, cleverly-constructed caper, chock-full of captivating characters. I loved it’ Matt Dunn
Love reading thrillers? Sign up to HQ Thriller our monthly newsletter of all things suspense, mystery and crime reading! You’ll get behind-the-scenes content, exclusive sneak peeks and the chance to WIN brand-new thrilling reads from HQ!