If you love heart-pounding suspense, jaw-dropping twists, and stories that keep you up way past bedtime, 2025 is delivering some of the best mystery and thriller books yet. This year’s lineup is packed with unreliable narrators, chilling true crime inspirations, and psychological mind games that will leave you questioning everything.
From gritty detective novels to domestic thrillers with shocking betrayals, we’ve scoured top book lists, critic reviews, and reader buzz to bring you the 10 must-read thrillers of 2025. Whether you’re a fan of slow-burn suspense or action-packed crime sagas, there’s something here to keep you hooked.
Grab your favorite reading spot (and maybe a nightlight)—these books are impossible to put down!
1. The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides (2019)
Why It’s Brilliant: This debut psychological thriller took the world by storm with its ingenious premise: Alicia Berenson, a famous painter, shoots her husband and then never speaks another word. Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Key Details:
336 pages
Sold over 3 million copies worldwide
Won the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller
Film rights acquired by Plan B Entertainment
Perfect for: Fans of Gone Girl who appreciate unreliable narrators and jaw-dropping final reveals.
2. The Guest List – Lucy Foley (2020)
Why It’s Brilliant: A modern twist on the classic locked-room mystery, set during a glamorous wedding on a remote Irish island where someone turns up dead.
Key Details:
320 pages
New York Times #1 bestseller
Optioned for TV adaptation
Features five compelling POV characters
Perfect for: Readers who loved And Then There Were None but crave contemporary settings.
3. Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn (2006)
Why It’s Brilliant: Flynn’s debut novel (later adapted into an HBO series) follows journalist Camille Preaker as she returns to her hometown to investigate child murders, while confronting her own traumatic past.
Key Details:
254 pages
Winner of two CWA Daggers
Inspired the “unreliable female narrator” trend
Darker than Gone Girl
Perfect for: Those who appreciate deeply psychological, disturbing thrillers.
4. The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley (2022)
Why It’s Brilliant: When Jess arrives at her half-brother’s Paris apartment to find him missing, she uncovers dark secrets among the eccentric residents of the building.
Key Details:
464 pages
Instant Sunday Times bestseller
Features Foley’s signature multi-POV structure
Perfectly captures Parisian atmosphere
Perfect for: Armchair travelers who enjoy suspense with strong sense of place.
5. The Maidens – Alex Michaelides (2021)
Why It’s Brilliant: Set at Cambridge University, this atmospheric thriller follows group therapist Mariana as she investigates murders connected to a secret society of female students.
Key Details:
352 pages
Connects to The Silent Patient universe
Heavy on Greek mythology references
Sold over 1 million copies in first year
Perfect for: The Secret History fans who enjoy academic settings.
6. Local Woman Missing – Mary Kubica (2021)
Why It’s Brilliant: This twisty suburban thriller explores the disappearances of several women in a neighborhood, jumping between past and present to unravel the truth.
Key Details:
368 pages
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
Features one of the most shocking twists in recent years
Explores motherhood and community secrets
Perfect for: Readers who enjoy domestic thrillers with multiple timelines.
7. The Sanatorium – Sarah Pearse (2021)
Why It’s Brilliant: A former asylum turned luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps becomes the setting for a series of chilling murders in this debut thriller.
Key Details:
400 pages
Reese’s Book Club pick
First in a series featuring detective Elin Warner
Inspired by real abandoned sanatoriums
Perfect for: Those who love isolated setting mysteries with Gothic elements.
8. The Sundown Motel – Simone St. James (2020)
Why It’s Brilliant: This dual-timeline supernatural thriller alternates between 1982 and 2017 at a creepy roadside motel where women keep disappearing.
Key Details:
336 pages
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award
Perfect blend of mystery and ghost story
Inspired by real vanishing women cases
Perfect for: Readers who enjoy mysteries with a touch of the paranormal.
9. The Push – Ashley Audrain (2021)
Why It’s Brilliant: This controversial psychological drama explores the dark side of motherhood through Blythe’s terrifying suspicion that something is wrong with her daughter.
Key Details:
307 pages
Instant New York Times bestseller
Sparked intense debate about motherhood
Features an ambiguous ending
Perfect for: Those who appreciate disturbing family dramas.
10. The Night She Disappeared – Lisa Jewell (2021)
Why It’s Brilliant: Jewell delivers another masterclass in suspense with this story about a young mother who vanishes, leaving behind only a cryptic note.
Key Details:
416 pages
#1 Sunday Times bestseller
Features Jewell’s signature multiple timelines
Optioned for television
Perfect for: Readers who love slow-burn suspense with emotional depth.
Bonus Picks (Honorable Mentions)
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (2021) – 320 pages
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021) – 320 pages
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (2022) – 368 pages
Final Verdict
These represent the absolute best in contemporary mystery and thriller writing, each bringing something unique to the genre. Whether you prefer psychological mind games (The Silent Patient), atmospheric suspense (The Sanatorium), or domestic thrillers (Local Woman Missing), there’s a perfect page-turner waiting for you.
Which of these chilling tales will you read first? Don’t forget to check out our Best Crime Novels of 2023 for more recommendations. Sweet dreams… if you can sleep after these!