If you’re starting the new year craving sleepless nights and sharp twists, these five mysteries and thrillers deliver relentless tension, unforgettable characters, and shocking revelations that will keep you flipping pages long past midnight.

5 Page-Turning Mysteries And Thrillers To Kick Off 2026

1. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

A darkly satisfying, subversive thriller about an advice columnist who stops playing nice and starts taking justice into her own hands—with devastating consequences for everyone who underestimated her.

2. Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams

When a caving trip turns into a fight for survival, a traumatized survivor uncovers chilling secrets about her best friend that suggest the attack deep underground was anything but random.

3. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Two women, one husband, and one house collide in a dizzying psychological puzzle where identity, obsession, and revenge blur until the truth becomes impossible to trust.

4. Adrift by Will Dean

A family’s move to an isolated canal boat spirals into a claustrophobic nightmare as jealousy, manipulation, and emotional abuse push one woman toward an irreversible breaking point.

5. It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara

A single mis-sent message ignites a suburban powder keg of secrets, threats, and murder—leaving one woman to wonder if she was the real target all along.

Visit our Reading Essentials section to discover the best bookshelves, reading chairs, book lights for reading at night, and more!

Receive top book recommendations directly in your inbox.