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Thrillers and Suspense September 2026 |
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Before You Were Anne
by Emiko Jean
By the author of The Return of Ellie Black, a deeply haunting thriller about a mother keeping secrets and her daughter's quest to know the truth at all costs (Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series). A murdered woman. A missing daughter. A truth buried across two continents. Married, pregnant, and thriving in her career, Detective Chelsey Calhoun's life finally feels whole, until an explosive new case shatters everything. A mother is dead. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Naomi, has disappeared. And the search will awaken questions about Chelsey's own origins--questions she's spent a lifetime afraid to ask. The victim called herself Anne Walker. But she was born Rika Takahashi, and her journey from a remote Japanese farm to suburban Seattle conceals decades of deception. Across Tokyo's shadowed underworld, an isolated Idaho town, and years of carefully constructed lies, Rika reinvented herself at every turn. But she was always running--from someone, or something. Now, Chelsey must find Naomi before she becomes the next victim. But the deeper she delves into Rika's hidden life, the more she discovers: some secrets are worth killing for. And the most dangerous truths may be the ones closest to home. Told in three interwoven voices, Before You Were Anne is a gripping suspense novel about the lies that bind families and the sins that echo across generations.
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Hard Town
by Adam Plantinga
When a plea for help sends a retired Detroit cop to the small desert town of Fenton, Arizona, he finds himself uncovering secrets that want to stay hidden, and questioning his own moral compass in this unputdownable thriller--an Edgar 2026 Nominee for Best Novel and a 2026 Silver Falchion Award Finalist for Best Mystery. Gripping, fiercely propulsive, and vividly written --Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Unsub After surviving a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. It's a simple life, picking up odd jobs here and there, but it's one that Argento is content to live. Then Kristin Reed shows up with her young son, Ethan, and begs Argento to help find her missing husband. Argento tells her he'd just be in the way. He's no investigator, not anymore. He's a handyman who fixes fences. But he's not one to ignore his gut feeling when something is wrong. After Kristin and her son disappear as well, Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye. First there's the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there's the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. And finally, there's a man with no name who seems to have an unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that's taken a whole town to cover up. But Fenton is going to push him further than he's ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself. Because justice isn't as black and white as Argento would like to believe. An 2026 Edgar nominee for Best Novel
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Heart of Glass
by Jennifer Hillier
One of the most anticipated books of 2026 --New York TimesOne of the finest suspense writers of her generation. Amazing dialogue, complex characters and a dazzling plot. Never has betrayal seemed so fascinating. --S.A Cosby Twenty-five years ago in Seaside, Washington, a charming drifter named Sam met three inseparable teenage girls at the local amusement park. Days later, one of them was found dead, her body surfacing in a flooded cranberry bog not far from where she was murdered. Barb and Nicolette were shocked to learn that the man they all met at Wonderland was the Carnival Killer. After he's arrested for the murders of five young women - one of whom was their best friend, Lorelei - Nicolette moved to the city to pursue her dreams of being famous. Barb stayed behind in Seaside, eventually becoming a reporter for the local paper. Their past safely behind them, they've both moved on with their lives. But when the Carnival Killer recants his confession and a new body washes ashore on the eve of Wonderland's grand reopening, the secrets that Barb and Nicolette have worked so hard to bury begin to resurface, threatening to destroy everything in their carefully constructed lives.
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It's Not What You Think
by Clare Mackintosh
An unsettling, groundbreaking novel that crackles with immediacy, It's Not What You Think masterfully delivers a thriller steeped in current tensions and thought-provoking characters. Long after the stunning ending, Clare Mackintosh will make you question not only what happened on the page but our world today. For fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian McAllister and Alice Feeney, It's Not What You Think grabs you by the throat and never lets you go.He has a secret. She knows he's lying...Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She's been here before.When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he's lying. He's with another woman, and she's determined to catch him in the act.But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can't explain himself. The house has become a crime scene...Jamie is dead.YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVEYOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUSTYOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDSIT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK.
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London Station
by David McCloskey
Artemis Procter returns in David McCloskey's electrifying new spy thriller, where London has devolved into a covert battleground between British and American intelligence services. Not just McCloskey's best book by far, it is the best spy novel I have ever read: brilliantly written and plotted. --Antony Beevor
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| The Man by Laura SimsA 1960s housewife discovers a new sense of purpose through photography, but her growing artistic success is overshadowed by the reappearance of a sinister figure from her past. Atmospheric and deeply unsettling, this psychological thriller blends slow-building suspense, unreliable perceptions, and a nuanced exploration of trauma and creative ambition. |
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Mother Daughter Sister Stranger
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
What if your own family history turns out to be a terrifying lie? Every family has its story, and this one's deadly. Two sisters. One secret. And a race against time to find the explosive truth in this twisty and captivating thriller by USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan. The sole survivors of the fiery plane crash that killed their parents, Eliza Ramsey and her sister Bea share an unbreakable bond. But now, on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, Bea fails to retrieve her pre-teen daughter from a sleepover at Eliza's. Eliza knows her sister would never leave her precious Piper behind, and fears the worst. But did Bea plan her own disappearance? The Ramseys' lives have already crashed and burned once. Now, Eliza discovers she's the only one who can protect her niece from the horrifying legacy of her family's sinister history. Together, the two must prevent their lives from going up in flames once again. A missing mother. Her frightened daughter. And a sister on a desperate search for a happy ending. But someone knows the deadly key to their shared past, and won't stop until they've written a devastating final chapter. Mother, daughter, sister--stranger.
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| Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey CoxTwenty-five years after her twin sister vanished, Ingrid returns to her Texas hometown as a legendary beauty pageant reignites old rivalries. When a brutal storm traps contestants, families, and former friends together, long-buried secrets surface in this atmospheric, slow-burning suspense novel filled with sharp social commentary and unexpected twists. |
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| Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahonReturning to their family's long-forgotten hometown, siblings Ashley and Malcolm uncover a chilling connection between their mother's disappearance and a century-old local tragedy. Told across dual timelines, this atmospheric folk horror combines queer history, folklore, and unsettling family secrets. |
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| Time to Burn by Ellery LloydFilmmaker Phoebe Hunt's latest documentary takes a dangerous turn when a time-travel excursion leaves a woman with painful connections to Phoebe's own past stranded in World War II-era London. Combining an inventive science fiction premise with psychological suspense, this atmospheric thriller delivers surprising twists, emotional depth, and thought-provoking questions about guilt, redemption, and rewriting history. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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