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Mystery & Thriller Books Recommended by TikTok

It's all the rage—don't be the last to know about these pulse-pounding reads.

mystery and thriller books recommended by tiktok

With so many great mystery and thriller books out there, how can you ever choose what to read next? Do you go with a domestic thriller? A delightful cozy? Something suspenseful? Funny? Shocking? The variety can be too much! But if you're looking for some great recommendations from readers with their finger on the pulse, then don't overlook the wonderful world of TikTok.

TikTok is the latest social media craze, but it's not just surreal memes and silly dances. Conversations about books are so popular on TikTok that they've cultivated their very own corner of the app—BookTok. Full of authors, publishers, and voracious readers, TikTok has no shortage of incredible reads just waiting to be discovered. So without further ado, here are some of the best mystery and thriller reads the app is going crazy over.

"Books That Kept Me Hooked the Whole Time (& I Wish I Could Read for the First Time Again)"

The couple next door by shari lapena, a domestic thriller book

The Couple Next Door

By Shari Lapena

From the outside, it looks like Anne and Marco Conti have the perfect life. A loving marriage, a beautiful house, and their precious baby girl, Cora. But a heinous crime is committed one night when they're next door at a dinner party. Cora has vanished, and, naturally, suspicion falls upon the new parents. But what really happened that night is far more complicated.

Detective Rasbach isn't a fool—he knows the young couple is hiding something. But the deception goes even deeper than imagined, as the small family begins to unravel when it becomes clear Anne and Marco have been keeping secrets even from each other. This nerve-wracking domestic thriller will have you on the edge of your seat until the final mind-blowing twist.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @mysterysuspensejunkies  in the video below.

"Books With the Most Devastating Plot Twists"

a good girl's guide to murder

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

By Holly Jackson

Andie Bell's tragic story is well known by everyone in Fairview. The beautiful high schooler was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, before he took his own life. It was the source of all the town's gossip. Five years later, and it's clear to Pip that the town still can't let go of the haunting tale. But as someone who knew Sal as a kid, she can't believe a person so kind could do something so brutal. So what really happened that day?

Related: Lock Your Doors: 8 Young Adult Thriller Books

Just a high school senior herself, Pip sets out to examine the case for her final project. She just wants to stir up a few seeds of doubt. But when she stumbles across dark secrets that may prove Sal's innocence after all, the past and present comes crashing together. And there's someone in town who doesn't like her sticking her nose into it all.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @vrittibooks  in the video below.

"2021 Favorite Books Mystery/Thriller Edition"

the one

The One

By John Marrs

All it takes is one simple DNA test, and you can be matched with someone who is your perfect genetic partner. Match Your DNA made this hefty promise a decade ago, and since then they have found millions of people their soul mate. And the results of these tests have led to the collapse of countless relationships, and the complete overhaul of dating, romance, and love as we know it.

With five vastly different individuals receiving word they've found their match, they're about to meet the person who will change their lives. But a happy ending can't be guaranteed by a lab. Some soul mates have secrets—secrets more shocking than you could ever prepare for.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @sapphicreads in the video below.

"Amazing Murder Mystery Book Recommendations"

illustration of girl

Sadie

By Courtney Summers

Popular radio personality West McCray receives a disturbing phone call—a stranger's plea to track down 19-year-old runaway Sadie Hunter. It's not uncommon for girls to go missing, but there's more to this story than meets the eye. Sadie left home after her little sister, Mattie, was brutally murdered. So with this juicy story unfolding before him, West travels to Cold Creek, Colorado, to find the truth.

Sadie is on a mission to avenge her sister's death. But little does she know, her righteous quest is about to be the focus of a hit podcast. With a switchblade in her hand and a paltry trail of clues before her, Sadie is going to find the man who killed Mattie and make him pay. As West follows behind on her dark path, will he find her before it's too late?

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @riri_reads in the video below.

"Mystery Must Reads"

when you are mine

When You Are Mine

By Michael Robotham

Young London policewoman Philomena McCarthy gets a domestic violence call that sparks a world of trouble. At the scene, the victim, Tempe Brown, is protecting her abuser, married Scotland Yard detective Darren Goodall. Goodall is fearless, and as Philomena tries to pursue charges against him, her colleagues on the force only prove to be obstacles. To make matters worse, Philomena has gotten tangled up with Tempe, who is nothing she appears to be—putting her and her fiancé, Henry, in the path of danger.

Related: 10 Best Crime Novels About Deadly Secrets

As if the situation weren't messy enough, Philomena's estranged father, Edward McCarthy, is at the head of a criminal empire. She has done her best to keep her father's life separate from her career, but as she gets in hot water with her focus on Goodall, Edward steps in. But it's not just her career on the line as Tempe's sinister manipulations put Philomena's marriage and life at the center of a web of deceit.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @bnmillbury in the video below.

"Mystery Books With Romance"

mystery thriller summer 2019

One of Us Is Lying

By Karen M. McManus

Are you a fan of The Breakfast Club, but wish the story took a bit of a darker turn? Then One of Us is Lying is the perfect read for you. They're strangers: Yale-bound Bronwyn, homecoming princess Addy, drug dealing Nate, all-star pitcher Cooper, and Simon, the outcast creator of Bayview High's controversial gossip app. But while all five of them walked into detention, only four came out alive.

Investigators say that Simon's cause of death was murder. He'd planned to post a juicy story about all four of his fellow members of detention the next day, and someone made sure he never got the chance. Everyone has secrets. But who was willing to kill to keep theirs?

As mentioned by the recommender, this book has a highly overlooked romance, and the thrills will have you flipping pages faster than you can read.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @kimmybookss  in the video below.

@kimmybookss Reply to @nazifa.mirza.noor i’m still mad it’s not an official genre! #TubiTaughtMe #fyp #booktok #bookish #bookclub #criminalminds #mystery #romance ♬ We Can't Be Friends - Dream Koala

"Psychological Thriller Books That Will Keep You Guessing Until the Very End"

the silent patient

The Silent Patient

By Alex Michaelides

You won't be able to put this psychological thriller down until you've absorbed the very last page. Alicia Berenson is a famous painter with a flawless life. Her husband, Gabriel, is a high profile fashion photographer, and together they live in a luxurious home overlooking one of London's best parks. But maybe perfect isn't so palatable when she shoots Gabriel in the face five times—and abruptly refuses to speak another word.

A horrifying domestic tragedy spirals into a gripping mystery for the public, as Alicia's stubborn silence offers no explanation for her violent act. As Alicia's sudden fame escalates the price of her art, she hides from the tabloids at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is determined to get her to talk, but as the truth slowly unravels, it may consume him whole.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @blondeandbookish  in the video below.

"Cozy Mystery Picks"

hope never dies

Hope Never Dies

By Andrew Shaffer

Feeling patriotic? This high-stakes thriller sees Barack Obama and Joe Biden teaming up to solve crime in this offbeat and hilarious noir mystery. Vice President Biden is feeling aimless fresh out of the Obama White House. But when his favorite railroad conductor befalls a mysterious accident, a trail of clues gives him a new sense of purpose.

He can't get to the truth alone, though. There's only one person he can trust with everything he has: the former president of the United States, Obama. Through Delaware's seediest motels and darkest biker bars, these politicians are going to track down the source of America's growing opioid epidemic.

Check out the rest of the recommendations by @bettiespages in the video below.