The best part about a new month is all of the new releases that come with it, and May has some pretty awesome titles in store. From charming Regency mysteries to an Agatha Christie rewrite to bone-chilling thrillers, there’s something in store for every type of reader this month.
If you’re ready to read something fresh, continue reading to discover the 10 best new mystery and thriller books coming out this May!
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
May 2, 2023
Old Hollywood glamor and modern-day showbusiness come to life in this seductive, multigenerational saga. Kitty Karr Tate was an icon of the silver screen. When she passed, the white woman passed her estate down to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy, Black women. And people demand to know why.
As Elise St. John digs into Kitty’s past, she discovers a journal with information that changes everything: unexpected family ties, debts owed, and crimes that could ruin the lives of the St. John sisters and everyone they love. Now, Elise must confront her own past, as Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? explores important themes such as race, family, gender…and the drastic measures some people will take to get rid of them.
Liar's Beach
May 2, 2023
Who doesn’t love a nice Agatha Christie rewrite? This modern take on Christie’s murder mystery, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, follows the story of Michael Linden, a young man who is struggling to fit in at his preppy, wealthy boarding school on Martha’s Vineyard. When Linden’s roommate Jasper invites him to spend the summer at his beachfront estate, August House, Linden jumps at the opportunity to get to know James’ inner circle of friends. Only, no one at August House tells the truth of who they really are… not even James.
When someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, everyone has something to hide, so the group agrees to brush it off as an accident. Or was it…? And when Linden’s childhood friend, Holiday Proctor (who is a recast of Hercule Poirot!), arrives at the Vineyard, she’s convinced there’s a potential killer on the loose.
The Perfect Ones
May 2, 2023
Instagram influencer Celeste Reed has only been on the promotional trip in Iceland for two days when her best friend of 10 years/fellow influencer Alabama Wood goes missing. With no clues to go on, the Icelandic police begin with the two influencers on the trip who seem closest to Alabama: Celest, and Alabama’s idol, fitness guru Hollie Goodwin.
Celeste and Alabama grew apart in the months before Alabama’s disappearance due to Celeste’s marital problems. What Celeste doesn’t tell the police is that her coping method involves Alabama in ways no one could imagine. And while Hollie’s life seems perfect on social media, behind the scenes, things are a devastating mess. As dark secrets are exposed and the truth of Alabama’s disappearance comes to life, The Perfect Ones challenges readers to think more deeply about the effect of social media in their own lives.
Without Saying Goodbye
May 2, 2023
Cerys and Lily have each fled their lives. Cerys now has no child to care for, while Lily is doing everything she can to take care of her four-year-old on her own. When their paths collide, the two women begin a tentative friendship. But from the very beginning, neither woman is truthful about her past.
When a deranged father shows up with a shotgun, Lily has no choice but to reveal the hurtful secrets she’s been hiding. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you tear through this “deeply emotional and complex thriller that explores motherhood, love, and the desperate need to protect it… at any cost.”
No One Needs to Know
May 9, 2023
UrbanMyth was where Manhattan’s elite Upper East Side-rs aired all of their juiciest gossip. But when the anonymous app gets hacked and exposes who posted what, revenge is swift—and deadly. One of the posters is found murdered, likely a result of what they shared on the app. But who could have done such a thing? The truth is, each of them has something to hide—and each of them is willing to kill to keep it hidden.
A Novel Disguise
May 16, 2023
London, 1784. Miss Tiffany Woodall knows the circumstances are strange, but there is a valid explanation. The circumstances? Her half-brother is buried in her backyard, and she’s taken on his identity. But she didn't kill him! This way, she can keep her cottage, work as the Duke of Beaufort’s Librarian, and search Astwell Place for her brother’s missing diamond pin…
Everything is going fine until the rector proposes marriage and Tiffany develops feelings for Mr. Lanthrop, the local bookseller and the only person who knows her secret. Then childhood friend Tess comes to visit, and it turns out Tiffany’s not the only one with something to hide. And as dark things start happening around Tiffany, she realizes she must get to the bottom of the mystery to safe her life, without her true identity coming to light.
The Chateau
May 23, 2023
Twenty years ago, Darcy and her three friends studied abroad in Provence and had the time of their lives. While there, they spent charming weekends at Darcy’s grandmother’s chateau. Séraphine Demargelass is thrilled to welcome the four girls back to her Chateau. But after one wild night, the girls are shocked to find Séraphine murdered.
To make matters worse, an Instagram account has been created that exposes photos of the girls’ intimate moments at the chateau. Now, the girls’ reunion trip has turned into a murder mystery as they race to find out who killed Séraphine and is now stalking them. As they dig deeper, the friends even begin to suspect each other—after all, they each have their own secrets… some worth killing for.
The Revenge List
May 23, 2023
Frankie is skeptical when her anger management group suggests creating a list of everyone she’s grown to harbor anger towards over the years. She decides it’s worth a shot, pens the (lengthy) list, and forgets about it… until it disappears. Then, one by one, the people on Frankie’s list are met with sudden, mysterious tragedies. Could it be coincidence, or is someone taking Frankie’s anger into their own hands?
The Senator's Wife
May 23, 2023
DC philanthropist Sloane Chase and Senator Whit Montgomery both lost their spouses in a tragic event two years ago. Now, the widow and widower are married to each other, finding comfort in the horrifying ordeal they faced together. When Sloane needs a hip replacement as a result of her battle with lupus, she and Whit decide to hire a home nurse to help her through her recovery.
But as the weeks go by and Sloane’s condition only deteriorates, suspicion becomes paranoia as she wonders whether the nurse, Athena, has anything to do with it. Why is Athena always asking her so many questions about her life? And is it Sloane’s imagination, or is Athena giving Whit seductive looks?
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies
May 30, 2023
Lady Augusta “Gus” Colebrook and her twin sister Julia need a distraction. At 43, Gus is sick of being dismissed by society for being unmarried, and Julia is grieving the death of her betrothed. On their way to the “distraction,” the twins find their carriage under attack by a highwayman! And when Gus manages to accidentally shoot the criminal, she and Julia are shocked to find out that he’s Lord Evan Belford, a friend from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia 20 years before.
When the ladies invite Evan to accompany them on their mission, what follows is a heart-racing adventure full of humor, trouble, and heart-stopping near misses... Not not to mention, help from their recovered and shockingly charming new friend, Evan! Back in London, Gus finds that she can’t stop thinking about him. She’s convinced he was wrongfully charged for murder, and is determined to prove it. Gus convinces Julia to help restore Evan’s reputation, and so the “beguiling secret life of the Colebook twins” begins.
