Like your books as dark and unpredictable as a summer thunderstorm?
Thrillers are the perfect pick for your next summer read, whether you’re taking it to the beach, on a road trip or curling up inside your air-conditioned living room. They’ve got just enough action to keep you turning the page and stay on top of your 2025 reading goal.
And this year is already off to a thrilling start, with new high-stakes reads from Bill Clinton and James Patterson, S.A. Cosby, Alafair Burke and Stephen King.
New thriller books to read this summer
Here are 8 new thriller books published in 2025 to check out this summer, complete with chilling murders, creepy coincidences and twisted characters.
‘The Dark Maestro’ by Brendan Slocumb (out now)
Music lovers and thriller readers rejoice – “The Dark Maestro,” like Slocumb’s other novels, is in perfect harmony with both. This thriller follows cello prodigy Curtis Wilson, who is forced to enter the witness protection program because of trouble with his drug-dealing father. Devastated to give up his music career, Curtis and his family realize they must take on the criminals to survive.
‘A Thousand Natural Shocks’ by Omar Hussain (out now)
In “A Thousand Natural Shocks,” a California journalist lives a double life. By day, he investigates the reemergence of a notorious serial killer. By night, he becomes entrenched in a criminal cult that promises him pills that erase trauma from his memory. But as he starts to lose his memories and sense of self, he discovers something even more sinister about the cult.
‘The First Gentleman’ by Bill Clinton and James Patterson (out June 2)
The third thriller from the former president and bestselling author follows a First Gentleman on trial for murder. Journalist couple Brea and Garrett think they have the book deal of a lifetime investigating a potential murder by First Gentleman and former Patriots linebacker Cole Wright. Decades-old secrets unspool and threaten all involved, as well as the carefully crafted economic legislation the President is about to announce.
‘The Ghostwriter’ by Julie Clark (out June 3)
In this new thriller, a ghostwriter is asked to write about the night her father’s two siblings were found dead in their home in 1975. His silence on the matter crystallizes him as a potential suspect in the public eye, and the notoriety only increases when he becomes a horror writer. Now he’s ready to tell his story.
‘Glass Girls’ by Danie Shokoohi (out June 24)
Published under thriller queen Gillian Flynn’s imprint, “Glass Girls” follows Alice Haserot, a woman with the unique gift to channel ghosts. She’s pregnant, and struggles with whether to keep the baby and pass on a curse that’s plagued her family for generations. When her estranged family forces her to come home and use her gifts, the life she tried to escape catches up with her.
‘Our Last Resort’ by Clémence Michallon (out July 8)
In “Our Last Resort,” a brother and sister who were driven apart by an unspeakable tragedy are reunited after the brother is accused of murder. It’s also not the first time Gabriel, the brother, has been accused of murder. The investigation forces Frida, the sister, to revisit their cult upbringing and reckon with the evidence mounting against him.
‘Not Quite Dead Yet’ by Holly Jackson (out July 22)
This is the first adult novel from the author of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” and it follows a young woman trying to solve her own murder. On Halloween night, Jet, the daughter of a wealthy New England family, is violently attacked by a person unknown. It leaves her with a catastrophic head injury that the doctors are sure will trigger a fatal aneurysm in a week – a deadline she’ll try and use to find the enemy set on killing her.
‘A Twist of Fate’ by Se-Ah Jang (out July 29)
“A Twist of Fate” follows two women who meet on a train that changes the course of their lives. Jae-Young is on the run after murdering her abusive boyfriend when she meets a chatty mother and her infant son. But then the woman disappears, leaving her child for Jae-Young with instructions for how to get him to her in-laws. There, the in-laws assume Jae-Young is their daughter-in-law. Could this be the new life she was looking for?
More books to read: Most anticipated releases for summer
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New thriller books to binge this summer for twisty reading
