10 New Mysteries and Thrillers in May 2024 for Insatiable Thrill-Chasers

Drew is the only man Ariel ever loved. That’s why it cut so deeply when he vanished. 

And that’s also why it was so haunting to see his name pop up on her phone on a seemingly ordinary Monday morning, several years after she thought he died. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. 

Going against her gut, she goes to the tree; and no one shows. But the text makes her rethink everything about the day he left her–the more questions she asks, the more convoluted the situation becomes.

But she knows everything she thought she knew five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her. 

And to save herself and her son, she’ll have to find the truth before the truth finds her. 

Misha Popp’s Pies Before Guys series is back with the third cozy installment The Last to Pie. Daisy Ellery returns with a more dangerous situation than ever. She’s seen the statistics: domestic violence inflicted by cops is at an all-time high. 

She knew eventually she’d be called in to help on a case, but when a request arrives to her inbox unaccompanied by the necessary referrals, she can’t help but be nervous about it. Is this really a woman trapped in a violent relationship, or is Daisy being scammed into revealing her homicidal side gig? 

Daisy hesitates to take on the case, but then the woman in question goes missing, and it’s clear that her boyfriend is the culprit. And it’s even clearer that his work buddies won’t be any help in this investigation. 

Already committed to finding the woman and getting a little justice of her own, Daisy stumbles into the realization that the boyfriend is just as despicable at work as he is at home.

On top of the guilt Daisy already felt about hesitating to help the woman in the first place, this news has her locked in; justice will be paid–whatever it takes. 

A feminist debut thriller, The Return of Ellie Black is one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year. In it, we meet Detective Chelsey Calhoun, who became a detective as a result of her sister’s disappearance 20 years ago. She’s been looking for signs, closure, and other missing girls ever since.

Though a disappearance case will rarely turn up any good news, local teenager Ellie Black, who vanished without a trace two years ago, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State. 

The only problem? She won’t talk. She won’t reveal where she’s been nor who she’s protecting. And it’s up to Chelsey to get to the bottom of what happened to her; not only for herself and her sister, but mostly for the future girls who could be taken, and who, unlike Ellie, won’t be as lucky to return.

The big wide world as we know it is not so big and wide anymore. There is only the island. Everything else was destroyed by a mysterious fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. 

On the island, 122 villagers and three scientists harmoniously survive. They fish, farm, feast, and obey the nightly curfew set by the scientists. But then one day, one of the scientists is found stabbed to death. And not only was he brutally killed, but the murder triggered a decrease in the island’s security system, the only thing keeping the fog at bay. 

They have 92 hours to solve the murder before the fog rolls in and everyone dies. But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, meaning that not only are they racing against time, but the island is harboring a murderer–and they don’t even know it. 

London: the police descend upon Heathrow airport to bring a father in for questioning about his missing daughter. 

Florida: a mother makes a horrifying connection between her son and a bomber, fearing he's been radicalized. 

Oregon: an unknown organization unfolds its plans to bring America to its destruction. 

The two parents are thrown together while simultaneously racing the authorities and racing time; but can they find their children before it's too late? 

A mystery/thriller in the Agatha Christie vein, One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware pays an ingenious homage to her And Then There Were None. 

Lyla isn’t doing well; her post-doctoral research has hit a plateau, and she’s pretty sure her contract won’t be extended. Plus, things with her boyfriend, Nico, are fizzling out as well. So when the opportunity for Nico, an aspiring actor, arises for him to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, Lyla decides to audition with him. 

Soon after, the two find themselves sailing through the Indian Ocean to Ever After Island, where they’ll compete against four other couples for a cash prize. But it doesn’t take long for things to start going wrong. 

The first challenge leaves the whole group reeling and seething, and the overnight storm they face post-challenge does not help matters. The storm has cut them off from the mainland and left them unable to contact the crew that delivered them to the island. 

In order to survive, the group bands together. But tensions run high, fresh water runs low, and a killer walks among them. Thinking the prize would be awarded in cash, Lyla discovers that she’ll be lucky if she leaves with her life. 

Bridget Jones meets Scream in this clever thriller/rom-com by L.M. Chilton. Gwen Turner’s life is a mess, and it’s all her own fault. She recently dumped the best man she’s ever known for reasons she can’t even admit to herself, she quit her high-income job to open her own coffee shop, and her best friend is getting married and leaving her single self behind. 

To fill the void, she drinks her fill of cheap wine, consumes far too much bad reality TV, and joins a dating app. As a result, she ends up on one disastrous date after another. But then a string of murders occurs in her small coastal English city, and she comes to the horrifying realization that she’s been on a date with every single one of the victims. 

Suddenly, she finds herself the main suspect in the serial killer’s murder spree, and she must track down each of her former dates to unmask the real killer (Scooby Doo style) in order to clear her name. 

A historical thriller of a different kind, The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore is based on a true story from 1939. Ansel Luxford has everything a man could want for his time: a cushy career, a beautiful wife, and a delightful new baby. 

But he is obsessively plagued by the idea that Europe is on the cusp of a war that will grow to consume the world. The United States has officially proclaimed neutrality in any foreign conflict, but Ansel is presented with an opportunity to move to Washington D.C. to join a clandestine operation within the Treasury that is committed to subvert Nazi Germany. 

He uproots his family overnight and takes on the challenge of helping the Treasury pursue economic warfare tactics. He travels far and wide to broker backroom deals, spearheads daring heists, and face J.P. Morgan, John Maynard Keynes, and other industry titans to further the operation’s success. 

Meanwhile, his wife joins the FBI to hunt down government spies, bringing the need for subterfuge into his home. Ansel discovers that he may be closer to the spies than he could have ever imagined. 

Ever since that night it’s been twin sisters Cassie and Lenora against the world. Being the sole, permanent residents of Cabin Two on an isolated Tennessee campground helps them keep away from probing, prying, true crime junkies with all their questions. 

In fact, it’s almost quiet enough that they can forget about the events of that night…almost. But when a teenage girl from a neighboring campsite goes missing, they can’t keep the memories away. 

The crime becomes all too familiar, as these girls know better than anyone what “happy families” really look like behind closed curtains. Though each sister suspects that the other knows more than she’s letting on, they must piece together the truth and confront their pasts if they want to make it out of the claustrophobic woods alive. 

Three years ago, sports agent Myron Molitar gave a eulogy at the funeral of his client, renowned basketball coach Greg Downing. They had a complicated history; starting off as deeply personal rivals, they eventually became unexpected business associates. 

Myron had made peace with it and moved on – or at least he thought he had, before two federal agents walked into his office, demanding to know where Greg was. Myron had thought he was six feet deep in the ground, but according to the agents, Greg was still alive. 

In fact, he’s been sighted at the scene of a double homicide, and is currently their main suspect. Naturally, Myron wanted answers, so he teamed up with his longtime friend and colleague, Win, to investigate. But the more they uncover about Greg, the more dangerous their world becomes. 

Sometimes, secrets, lies, and murderous conspiracies are better off left in the past.