Top new thriller books in October 2025
Last updated:
October 31, 2025
October 2025 featuring new releases by Louise Penny, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Reese Witherspoon, John Grisham, Chevy Stevens, Patricia Cornwell, Julia Whelan, Elizabeth Evans, Freida McFadden, James Patterson, Howard Roughan, Val McDermid and many more.
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The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.But their relief is short-lived...mystery · fiction · audiobook · crime · contemporary · suspense · law-enforcement · cozy · politics · murder -
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, the Lincoln Lawyer is back with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a young girl...mystery · fiction · crime · legal · suspense · contemporary · thriller · audiobook · noir · technology -
Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben, Reese Witherspoon
Maggie McCabe is teetering on the brink. A highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, she has always lived life at the edge, where she could make the most impact. And it was all going to plan ... until it wasn’t.Upside down after a devastating series of tragedies leads to her medical license being revoked, Maggie has lost her purpose, but not her nerve or her passion...audiobook · mystery · fiction · suspense · crime · contemporary · thriller · psychological · action-adventure · military -
The Widow by John Grisham
#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham is the acclaimed master of the legal thriller. Now, he’s back with his first-ever whodunit, even more suspenseful than his courtroom dramas, as a small-time lawyer accused of murder races to find the real killer to clear his name.Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart... -
The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
The open road beckons.A chance for them to reconnect.Then they make a fatal mistake.It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride...north-america · canada · mystery · audiobook · historical-fiction · suspense · fiction · horror · historical · thriller -
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Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
A serial killer terrorizes Northern Virginia, his ability to come and go baffling those pursuing him with zero success.He disables the victims' WIFI, attacking them in bed, the cause of death exsanguination due to sharp force injuries.This has been going on for six months when Dr. Kay Scarpetta is awakened by her phone in the early morning hours of June 12, her birthday...mystery · fiction · crime · medical · psychological · thriller · supernatural · suspense · serial-killers · book -
The Room Next Door by Julia Whelan, Elizabeth Evans, Wendy Walker, Full Cast
From the bestselling author of Mad Love and American Girl comes a propulsive new thriller with a spectacular twist and an acclaimed cast. They were best friends forever. Until the night one of them disappeared.In 2010, Brooke Lowry, Carrie Hollis, and Eve Shay were inseparable. But on the Fourth of July, Eve vanished—her case never solved...audiobook · mystery · fiction · crime · suspense · psychological · action-adventure · thriller · killer · drama -
The Intruder by Freida McFadden
Who knows what the storm will blow in…Casey's cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door is sways ominously in the wind. But she's a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window.She’s young. She’s alone. And she’s covered in blood... -
The Picasso Heist by James Patterson, Howard Roughan
There are millions of reasons why Halston Graham became an undercover art thief. The art world ignites with the discovery of a previously unknown Picasso painting. After being hidden away for fifty years in the attic of a French villa, it’s valued at $100 million and put up for auction. Echelon, the Upper East Side auction house brokering the sale, is flooded with interest...fiction · audiobook · contemporary · suspense · siblings · psychological · thriller · heist · crime · organized-crime -
Silent Bones by Val McDermid
The new installment in the “relentlessly engrossing series” (Wall Street Journal) finds Karen Pirie and her team investigating the murder of a journalist paved under a motorway—but was it his work or his private life that put him there? Scotland, 2025...mystery · crime · fiction · audiobook · law-enforcement · contemporary · police-procedural · suspense · murder · thriller -
The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling
Misery meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this genre-bending, claustrophobic hospital gothic from the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence. Margaret lives with a rare autoimmune condition that has destroyed her life, leaving her isolated...horror · gothic · fiction · mystery · dark · ghosts · psychological · thriller · supernatural · book -
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
Set in the unforgiving maw of the Rocky Mountains, Nowhere Burning is the latest harrowing novel from bestselling author Catriona Ward, perfect for fans of Riley Sager and the hit series Yellowjackets.A refuge for lost children may also be their prison.In the middle of the night, Riley pulls her younger brother Oliver out of bed, and the two run away from home...horror · fiction · mystery · season-summer · rural · crime · suspense · psychological · thriller · supernatural -
The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie
When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate...from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen...north-america · usa · rhode-island · mystery · fiction · suspense · indigenous-mc · contemporary · horror · thriller -
You Can't Stay by S.T. Ashman
From the author of I Kill Killers comes another gripping thriller, packed with an original plot and shocking twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.Not everything lost should be found.When Aubrey's older sister disappears without a trace, no one cares—not for a struggling addict.But Aubrey can't let the only family she has left fade away without answers... -
The Marionette by Terry Fallis
Bestselling and beloved author Terry Fallis' tenth novel, The Marionette, introduces readers to a new hero, James a world-famous thriller writer whose life takes an unexpected turn from the pages of his novels into the perilous world of espionage...fiction · mystery · literary-fiction · satire · thriller · humor · military · politics · crime · action-adventure -
Keep This for Me by Jennifer Fawcett
The acclaimed author of the “chilling, mesmerizing debut” (Rachel Harrison, author of The Return ) Beneath the Stairs returns with a gripping, atmospheric suspense novel about a woman investigating a serial killer’s connection to her mother’s disappearance—for fans of I Have Some Questions for You and Notes on an Execution. One hot August night in 1993, a young couple go to a party...suspense · fiction · serial-killers · thriller · survival · multi-pov · kidnapping · family · contemporary · literary-fiction -
Unwell by Effie Campbell
Two women. One asylum. Deadly secrets.When nineteen-year-old Ginny’s mother abandons her at Wellard Asylum, she isn’t sick. She’s pregnant. Behind the iron gates patients cower, the rules are broken, and the basement hides evils that would make monsters squirm. Ginny only has one keep her baby safe, no matter what.Nurse Nancy once believed hospitals were for healing the vulnerable...horror · steamy · sexual-assault · mental-illness · dystopia · dark · cheating · domestic-drama · psychological · thriller -
Cruel Possession: A Forced Marriage Mafia Romance by Kira Cole
ZOEI don’t need a savior.I built my empire with blood, knives, and fear—and I’ll burn anyone who tries to take it from me.But Aiden Vitale doesn’t scare easily. He’s my enemy, the man who should’ve put a bullet in my head.Instead, he forced me into a marriage with a gun at my throat.Now I’m chained to the one man I can’t kill… and can’t stop craving... -
She's Going to Pay by Alexandra Ivy
In a tense, twisting novel of domestic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy, a woman returns to her sleepy Missouri hometown and discovers her family’s grisly secrets . . . Leaving Canton, Missouri, behind was no hardship for Jesse Hudson. When she was a teenager, her stepmother and stepsister abruptly disappeared under suspicious circumstances... -
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I Make My Own Fun by Hannah Beer
An unhinged romp through fame, obsession, and fandomEveryone knows Marina, the A-list movie star. But very few know Marina, the absolute monster.Years at the top have proved that whatever Marina wants, she gets. But when she meets bartender Anna, Marina discovers something that can't be Anna's affection...wlw · lgbtq · fiction · contemporary · suspense · thriller · workplace · audiobook · crime · shapeshifters -
Come Back Home by Lexie Axelson
A Dark Military...romantic-love · steamy · military · action-adventure · thriller · fiction · violent-conflict · book · adult -
The Night That Finds Us All by John Hornor Jacobs
A troubled sailor. A hundred-year-old sailboat. An ancient curse. Welcome to award-winning author John Hornor Jacobs’ nautical nightmare.It begins and ends as always, with the sea. Sam Vines is struggling. Her boat is up on the hard and she doesn’t have enough money to get her back in the water...horror · fiction · supernatural · season-summer · mystery · suspense · psychological · thriller · ghosts · book -
Only Everything by Alaska Angelini
I thought the past died the night my father killed my stepmother and then himself. I did everything I could to convince my stepbrother to stay away so he’d have a better life without me. I lied. I said horrible things. I even fell into a relationship with the manipulative rookie who comforted me at the crime scene. But I didn’t save Reid all those years ago… I condemned us both...forced-proximity · stalking · psychological · thriller · suspense · fiction · steamy · romantic-love · book · adult -
Namaste and Slay by Jennifer Brody
From the author of The 13th Continuum and A Sacrifice of Destiny and Desire comes a chillingly dark romantic-suspense series that’s perfect for fans of You. Morgan thought a weekend at the exclusive Namaste Center—a luxury wellness retreat for women, located in the picturesque Berkshires—would be the perfect way to recover from a breakup...audiobook · thriller · season-autumn · suspense · psychological · fiction · contemporary · book · adult -
The Tarot Reader by Finley Turner
A phony psychic vision goes wrong when a woman unexpectedly finds herself involved in a murder investigation, perfect for fans of May Cobb and Catherine McKenzie.Twenty-five-year-old Jade Crawford spends her days selling crystals, conducting seances, and reading tarot cards in her shop in Winston-Salem, NC. But her connection to the other side is all a facade...audiobook · paranormal · suspense · murder · fiction · psychological · thriller · crime · book · adult -
Asylum: The Wellard Asylum Series by J.S. Cannon
In a world full of monsters, I’m the insane one.A simmering rage lies just beneath the surface, one that can’t be controlled.The voice in my head protects me, unleashing quick death, unhinged brutality.One fateful night three years ago, I became the judge, jury, and executioner.Losing my freedom when all I wanted was to escape.Now, I’m locked away...psychological · horror · steamy · thriller · suspense · mystery · fiction · serial-killers · crime · romantic-love -
Murder Two Doors Down by Chuck Storla
Welcome to the Estates at Chestnut Lake, home of perfect lawns, matching houses, and an inconvenient murder or two.This hilarious and compelling whodunnit mystery has the “crime close to home” feel of Only Murders in the Building and is perfect for readers who loved Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect and Finlay Donovan Is Killing It... -
The Final Chapter: A Fight Like Final Girls Short Story by T M Lunn
Welcome to Fight Like Final Girls, a multi-author collection of standalone Thriller and Horror short stories and novellas. In this series, you'll find badass characters fighting until they're the last one standing, doing anything necessary, in order to live until tomorrow. Could you do what they had to? Read and find out!Liv’s day is like any other for a successful thriller writer...horror · slasher · serial-killers · anthologies · fiction · psychological · suspense · thriller · adult