The Most Anticipated Thrillers of January 2026
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If thrillers are your comfort genre or your guilty pleasure, consider your shelf control officially under threat with these new releases.
Every new month brings a fresh wave of suspense, and January 2026 features a strong selection of upcoming thrillers with chilling premises and high-stakes twists.
New releases pile up fast, and it’s easy to miss the books that truly deserve your attention. This list is here to narrow things down.
Each month, I focus specifically on upcoming thrillers worth reading—titles with strong hooks, compelling setups, and that unmistakable “I need to read this immediately” energy. If a book makes it onto this list, it’s because it feels like a conversation starter, a late-night read, or a story you’ll want to discuss the moment you finish.
If suspense is what keeps you turning pages, you’ll want to keep these releases on your radar.
Happy Reading!
New and Upcoming Thrillers of January 2026
The Water Lies
by Amy Meyerson
Publication Date: January 1, 2026
After her toddler recognizes a stranger who is found dead the next day, pregnant Tessa Irons can’t ignore her instincts, and when a grieving mother comes to Venice Beach searching for answers, the two women team up and uncover a truth someone is determined to keep underwater.
The Storm
by Rachel Hawkins
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
When a true-crime writer arrives in hurricane-worn St. Medard’s Bay to reopen the scandal of Lo Bailey’s alleged storm-night murder, innkeeper Geneva Corliss senses a chance to turn notoriety into salvation. But as Lo returns claiming innocence and another hurricane bears down, Geneva begins to understand that the truth buried in 1984 is still alive.
The First Time I Saw Him
by Laura Dave
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Five years after her husband vanished, Hannah Hall’s carefully rebuilt life fractures the instant she sees Owen standing in her art exhibition, alive and impossible to explain. Forced on the run with her stepdaughter as old secrets close in, Hannah must outrun a past that threatens their safety—and decide whether the truth she’s avoided could cost her everything she’s tried to protect.
Anatomy of an Alibi
by Ashley Elston
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
On the morning of her first art exhibition, Eden Fox comes home to find her life overwritten—her key useless, her husband married to another woman, and the house at Spyglass insisting she no longer belongs. As Eden’s reality fractures and a past inheritance draws a second woman into the same walls, secrets tighten around one man and one house, until the truth reveals itself as something carefully engineered—and someone is lying.
Woman Down
by Colleen Hoover
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
Escalating shark attacks draw marine biologist Minnow Gray back to Hawaiʻi, forcing her to confront the ocean—and past—that once took her father’s life. As research turns personal, Minnow discovers that the most dangerous thing lurking in these waters may be the truth she refuses to face.
The Shark House
by Sara Ackerman
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
When rare shark attacks strike Hawaiʻi’s Kohala coast, marine biologist Minnow Gray is drawn back to the island—and to a traumatic past she’s tried to forget. As she searches for answers beneath the surface, long-buried truths rise with the tide, forcing her to face the moment that changed her life forever.
Save for Later
It Should Have Been You
by Andrea Mara
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
A misdirected message exposes the secrets simmering inside a seemingly flawless neighborhood, unleashing suspicion, resentment, and quiet rage. After threats escalate and a woman sharing the same address is killed, the chilling possibility emerges that the message didn’t go to the wrong person—it found the right one.
My Husband’s Wife
by Alice Feeney
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Eden Fox’s life collapses when she returns home to discover another woman living as her husband’s wife, forcing her to question her own grasp on truth. As secrets from a seaside inheritance and a clandestine clinic surface, the walls of Spyglass close in, revealing a carefully constructed lie with dangerous intent.
The Room in the Attic
by T.M. Logan
Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Adam and Jess think they’ve found their forever home until Adam uncovers a hidden room filled with unsettling personal items. While Jess wants to forget it ever existed, Adam becomes consumed by the mystery behind the objects. His growing obsession starts to strain their marriage and draws their family dangerously close to a secret that refuses to stay hidden.
Her Cold Justice
by Robert Dugoni
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
A brutal double murder leaves Michael Westbrook fighting for his life in court, with attorney Keera Duggan as his last hope. As the evidence tightens and hidden forces emerge, Keera uncovers a conspiracy that turns this case into the most dangerous promise she’s ever made.
Make It Out Alive
by Allison Brennan
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
When Kara Quinn and Matt Costa go undercover at a Florida resort to catch a serial killer, they believe the case is closed once the suspect is arrested. Then they vanish without a trace. Trapped by a killer who planned ahead, they must escape—or die trying.
If you’re looking for all the upcoming books, take a look at
Have one of these thrillers on your radar already, or did you discover a new must-read for your list?