Best Thriller Books of 2022: The Most Anticipated Titles
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It’s thriller book season again. From psychological thrillers to crime thrillers, thriller fans won’t be disappointed by this list.
Thriller books are some of the most suspenseful and exciting novels that you can read. They keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly guessing what will happen next.
With incredible plot twists you’ll never see coming and psychological elements that will keep you turning the pages long past your bedtime, these thriller books are top picks.
If you’re looking for your next thriller fix, look no further! These are the most anticipated thriller books of the year.
Happy Reading!
Most Popular Thrillers 2022
The Younger Wife
by Sally Hepworth
On Sale: April 5, 2022
Sally Hepworth’s latest novel is a domestic suspense story about the tangled vines of family secrets. Heart surgeon Stephen Aston is getting married again, but his daughters Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets – and who their father really is. With their mother in a precarious position, the sisters want to know about Heather, Stephen’s new wife and younger than both of them. As they all close in on the truth, dangerous secrets are revealed that could have explosive consequences. The Younger Wife is a smart, suspenseful story about family dynamics and the power of secrets. It will keep you glued to the pages until the very end.
The It Girl
by Ruth Ware
On Sale: July 12, 2022
An atmospheric and suspenseful murder mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware. Hannah Jones befriends April Clarke-Cliveden, the It girl of their group of friends, and she quickly pulls Hannah into her orbit. Until in the second term of their studies, April is found dead. A decade later, Hannah’s world is rocked when new evidence comes to light. As she reconnects with old friends and investigates the new evidence, she realizes that everyone she thought she knew has something to hide…including a murder.
The Cartographers
by Peng Shepherd
On Sale: March 15, 2022
Nell Young’s life revolves around maps. As the daughter of a legendary cartographer, she grew up hearing stories about the power of maps and the adventures they can take you on. When her father is suddenly killed, Nell discovers that he was hiding a map – one that leads to a mysterious collector who has been destroying every copy he can find. Determined to uncover the secret behind the collector’s obsession, Nell sets out on a dangerous journey that will take her to the truth about her family’s dark history.
An Honest Lie
by Tarryn Fisher
On Sale: April 26, 2022
In this seething, gut-punch of a thriller, Rainy is forced to revisit her own past in order to save her friend Braithe. Living at the top of Tiger Mountain, Rainy is able to hide from the disturbing past she wants to forget. But when Braithe doesn’t return to the hotel room after a night in Vegas, Rainy gets a text message from her phone saying that someone has her – and Rainy knows why.
Top Domestic Thrillers 2022
The Golden Couple
by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
On Sale: March 8, 2022
Writing partners for over a decade, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, return with a story about a perfect couple who have it all until cracks in their seemingly flawless marriage appear. Marissa and Mathew Bishop are the golden couple-until Marissa cheats. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods. When therapy starts, all three are set on a collision course because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
On Sale: February 22, 2022
From New York bestselling author Lucy Foley comes a locked room mystery about a girl who goes to Paris to her half brother in search of a new beginning. But when Jess arrives, he’s not there, and the longer Ben is away. With everyone suspecting each other and keeping their own secrets, Jess must find out what happened to Ben as she attempts to flee her history.
I’ll Be You
by Janelle Brown
On Sale: April 26, 2022
The novel tells the story of Sam and Elli, two siblings who were once very close but have since grown apart. When their father calls out of the blue with news that Elli’s life has fallen apart, Sam sets out to find her sister and figure out what has happened. Along the way, she discovers that their bond is more complicated than she ever knew. I’ll Be You is a gripping tale of family, secrets, and betrayal that will keep readers hooked until the very end.
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The Lies I Tell
by Julie Clark
On Sale: June 21, 2022
A domestic thriller that explores the lives of two women who are determined to seek justice for the past and rewrite the future. The story follows con artist Meg Williams, who uses different identities to con unsuspecting people out of their money. When she comes up against Kat Roberts, a woman who has been waiting for years for her to return, the two begin a cat-and-mouse game that will have you guessing until the very end.
Debut Thriller Books 2022
A Flicker in the Dark
by Stacy Willingham
On Sale: March 15, 2022
A brilliant debut thriller about a young woman who must confront her past when teenage girls go missing in her small Louisiana town. When Chloe Davis was twelve, six young women disappeared from her village. Her father confessed his crime leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to figure out what happened and try to go on. Now twenty years have passed, and Chloe is about to marry, but when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, Chloe begins to fear that history may be repeating itself. As she begins to investigate, she must confront her dark past and the secrets that have been buried for two decades.
Other People’s Clothes
by Calla Henkel
On Sale: February 1, 2022
Zoe Beech flies to Berlin to avoid thinking about the recent death of her best friend, relying on the plans of fellow exchange student Hailey Mader, an aspiring art star. Jumping at the opportunity of a high-ceilinged prewar sublet by well-known thriller writer Beatrice Becks, they also enter on a spiral of events taking a turn for the worse.
Psychological Thrillers 2022
Reckless Girls
by Rachel Hawkins
On Sale: January 4. 2022
For fans of The Wife Upstairs, Rachel Hawkins returns with a deliciously wicked gothic suspense. When Lux and her boyfriend are hired to sail two women on an isolated Pacific island, it appears like a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. But then it begins to feel as though the island is forcing them on a perilous journey of discovery.
Fake
by Erica Katz
On Sale: February 22, 2022
Emma Caan is a fake. She’s a forger, and an artist specialized in nineteenth-century paintings commissioned by museums and ultra-wealthy collectors looking to preserve their assets. When oligarch art collector Leonard Sobetsky unexpectedly arrives with an invitation, Emma sees an opportunity. But every invitation comes with its own strings attached. As she gets pulled deeper into Leonard’s opulent world, she will discover what lies beneath the glitz and glamour.
Insomnia
by Sarah Pinborough
Mystery & Thriller
On Sale: April 12, 2022
As her fortieth birthday approaches, Emma stops sleeping. Her mother stopped sleeping just before her own fortieth birthday. She went mad and did the unthinkable because of it. As Emma’s insomnia worsens, she starts to experience terrifying hallucinations. Is it the demons of her past that are coming back to haunt her? Or is something more sinister waiting in the darkness?
Mystery Thrillers 2022
The Book of Cold Cases
by Simone St. James
On Sale: March 15, 2022
In 1977, two men were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Today, Shea Collins, a true-crime blogger has the chance to interview Beth Greer, the woman acquitted of the murders. As they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a ruthless murderer or is there another threat lurking in the darkness of the Greer home?
This Might Hurt
by Stephanie Wrobel
On Sale: February 22, 2022
Guests at Wisewood’s private island off the coast of Maine sign up for six-month stays. They’re not permitted to communicate with the outside world during this time so that they may discover their “maximized selves.” But after Kit Collins has checked into Wisehood for six months, her sister Natalie gets a frightening e-mail from a Wisewood account threatening to expose the secret she’s been keeping from Kit.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
by Elle Cosimano
On Sale: February 1, 2022
Be ready for the funny and heart-pounding sequel to Finlay Donovan is Killing It. Finlay Donovan struggles to complete her next book and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the brighter side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to help her out, as well as the only dead body she’s dealt recently is that of her daughter’s pet goldfish. With the deadline for her next book looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is at the end of her rope. She can only pray there isn’t a noose at the end of it.
Crime Thrillers 2022
The Night Shift
by Alex Finlay
On Sale: March 1, 2022
With its fast-paced plot, The Night Shift is a page-turner twisty thriller you won’t be able to put down. On New Year’s Eve in 1999 four adolescent girls working the late shift are assaulted, only one of them survives and a suspect vanishes without a trace. Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are murdered, and only one of them survives. Both survivors recall the murderer uttering just a few final remarks before he left: “Goodnight, pretty girl.”
A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons
by Kate Khavari
On Sale: March 1, 2022
A fast-paced mystery set in 1923 London. A research assistant named Saffron must use her knowledge of botany to clear her mentor’s name after he is accused of poisoning a professor’s wife. Along the way, she must navigate the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field and deal with the expectations of society. This entertaining examination of society’s expectations is perfect for fans of historical fiction and mystery.
What Happened to the Bennetts
by Lisa Scottoline
On Sale: March 29, 2022
After being carjacked at gunpoint by members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization, the Bennetts are forced to enter the witness protection program. But WITSEC was not designed to protect law-abiding families, and the Bennetts quickly fall apart. Jason Bennett realizes that he must take matters into his own hands if he wants to save his family.
Homicide and Halo-Halo
by Mia P. Manansala
On Sale: February 8, 2022
Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she previously won—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin/rival Bernadette. However, when the pageant’s head judge is murdered and Bernadette is charged with the crime, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case.
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I hope you had fun exploring what in my opinion are the best thrillers worth reading this year and, hopefully, this list will be useful to plan your next most thrilling reading list.