New Mystery and Thriller Books Coming in August 2026

A century ago, the island of New Avalon was a home for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished.

Some think they left. Others think they were murdered.

But some believe, thanks to a diary left behind, that they disappeared in a séance gone wrong.

Now, struggling actress Marin Keane just got her big break playing the lead role in a movie about the island. To prepare for the role, she and the rest of the cast are spending a week on the island where, from the moment they arrive, strange noises and mysterious symbols haunt them.

And when a sudden emergency strands them on the island, they can’t help but wonder if someone or something wants to keep the truth buried.

On the first Thursday of August in 1978, 18-year-old Mira Winston’s life changes when she hits a golf ball right into the forehead of classmate Kenny Foster, killing him.

Everyone agrees it was a terrible accident. Mira tries to find comfort for the tragedy in all the wrong places.

With her lover, a married man 40 years older than her. With her mother, a woman who knows a thing or two about secrets. With Kenny’s little sisters who are stricken and bewildered by their grief.

But when a golf pro looks a little closer at the accident, details start to emerge that might paint a different picture. Details that reveal Mira’s reckless history and tawdry present.

Details that might point to something that looks less like an accident and more like murder.

Being sent to the Cold Case Unit in the DA’s office is nothing short of a punishment for Lieutenant Lauren Kelly. Her bosses hope that’s where she’ll stay until she retires.

This way, no one can say anyone acted discriminately towards the only trans detective in the county. Of course, they’re not the only ones who are unhappy with her.

Her teenage daughter is struggling with the transition. And so is her ex-wife.

When one of Lauren’s ex-classmates and a trans sex worker is murdered, Lauren is determined to find justice. The more she looks, the more evidence she finds of a cover-up.

But the worst part is that it may be tied to the mother that left her decades prior.

Tyler is struggling to make ends meet as a private investigator. When billionaire James Arthur Knight Jr. hires him to find his runaway daughter, he makes his way to Turkey.

He finds teenage Chana and her three friends, partying at a seaside hotel and living under fake names. Keeping her whereabouts a secret, he continues to take Knight’s money while partying with Chana.

But when Tyler tells Chana that he’s friends with the American consul, it sets off a dark chain of events that will lead to terrible consequences for them all.

On a lonely highway on the snowy border between US and Canada, a semi truck loaded with valuable and illegal cargo makes its way.

Curtis is a new dispatcher with a pregnant wife needing to make ends meet. In his possession is a scrap of paper with the coordinates of the truck, the only proof the cargo exists.

Billy Trask is the sociopath tasked with guarding it. He takes his job very seriously and thinks nothing of hurting, even killing, anyone who gets in his way.

And then there’s Jimmy, Theo, and Sarah, the locals with grand ambitions and nothing to lose. Their lives will all collide on a highway, forever changing the trajectory of their futures one way or another.

Barb, Nicolette, and Lorelei were best friends until they met “Sam” at the Wonderland amusement park in Seaside. That was the last night anyone saw Lorelei alive, her body surfacing a few days later in a nearby cranberry bog.

The Carnival Killer confessed, and the town of Seaside, including Barb and Nicolette, were able to move on with their lives.

25 years later, when the amusement park is scheduled to reopen, the killer recants his confession. And another body washes up on Seaside’s shores.

As the past smashes into the future, long buried secrets come to light, threatening to destroy the carefully constructed lives Barb and Nicolette have worked to build.

10 years ago, Hannah Miller began her senior year at The Prescott Academy of New York. It’s where the rich and famous of the Upper East attend, making Hannah and her scholarship practically invisible.

Or did it?

Now the alums are throwing a gala charity event, and only the wealthy and powerful Madison DuPont could pull it off. But when Madison is found dead minutes before her speech, fingers point at Hannah.

After all, everyone saw her with Madison right before she died. And Hannah wasn’t even supposed to be at the gala.

And most important of all, Hannah isn’t—and she won’t ever really be—one of them.

When Jenny Racine, longtime friend of Police Chief Jeep Mullane calls for help, not even the hurricane warning can keep him away. She’ll always be the girl next door to him, no matter how compelling and infuriating the famous entrepreneur is now.

Jenny doesn’t want Jeep to investigate, but it’s his job. As he digs into who would attack her, he sets down a dark path where he’s forced to confront everyone from Jenny’s ex-military ex-husband to criminals in a biker gang.

Jeep and Jenny have a complicated 25 years of history. And Jeep is going to have to reckon with every one of them over the next five days.

25 years ago, an unspeakable crime shook the town of Burnville.

That was the year of Josie Boots’ grandmother’s trial. Three years later, her mother died.

Josie was called the bad seed once. Two months ago, she proved those accusations right.

With nowhere else to go, Josie returns to Burnside to take care of her sick grandmother. She hopes the town has forgot.

But then a stranger shows up and promises to tell Josie the truth about her family. They say history repeats itself.

But this time, it isn’t repeating. It’s hunting.

When photographer Brooke Lynn’s husband, Trey, disappears from the airport before their flight to Italy for a family holiday, her life begins to unravel. She’s desperate to find him, thankful when a stranger offers to help.

But then the stranger, Eden, claims to be the sister of Trey’s first wife. Even worse, she claims Trey was the primary suspect in his wife’s murder.

Struggling to comprehend the accusations, another violent accident forces Brooke to fight for her life. With only Eden to help, Brooke tries to trust the kindness of this stranger.

Except her actions feel rehearsed. And Brooke has her own secrets that she’s desperate to hide.

As she learns the truth behind Eden’s motives and Trey’s past, Brooke realizes that her life may not be what it seemed. It may have been a trap.

And someone might be waiting for the perfect time to strike.