Addictive New Mystery and Thriller Books February 2026

It was supposed to be a relaxing family vacation. When a scream comes from the cabin next door, Courtney Gray’s life changes forever. She finds her brother and sister-in-law dead with her nephew fast asleep upstairs. But her niece is missing. 

As the police investigate, they unravel secrets about Courtney’s family and the town that make her question if her niece is actually a victim. Or if she might be the killer, instead.

Fern has always wanted to be a published author. And finally, after years of nothing but rejections, she sold her debut. Everything is perfect until she finds her former high school bully in the debut group with a major book deal. And then the pandemic hits. 

As online tensions escalate, the dark truth about their shared past begin to surface. The one where they lost a friend. Neither one wants the truth revealed. 

Because they’re both lying about what happened and who is actually the victim.

The last thing Jamie Prescott expects at a local speed-dating event is to have one of her dates end up with his throat slit at her table during a blackout. And every time the lights come back on, another body is discovered.

 Armed with whatever weapons they can make and Jamie’s extensive horror movie knowledge, the remaining survivors try to find an exit and avoid the killer. Jamie believes the killer is trying to woo one of the speed daters into becoming his Final Girl. 

But Jamie doesn’t plan on dying. Especially not when she finds herself in between two men, one of which just might be her happily ever after.

When a British professor is ritualistically murdered at the University of Exeter, all evidence points to Sharyn Karr, one of his American students. Before his death, he entrusted her with an ancient manuscript, begging her to keep it safe and emphasizing that she can’t trust anyone. 

Chased by police and hunted by a mysterious cabal, Sharyn turns to fellow student and encryption savant, Duncan Maxwell. As they run across Europe, their only hope is to unlock the code hidden in the manuscript. 

But the truth is a secret that many want to stay buried. Because if discovered, it could have the ability to destroy empires and change the course of human history forever.

It was just supposed to be a fling. A meaningless fling to help her get over a devastating breakup. The last thing she wanted was to end up pregnant. When Savannah calls the father-to-be to tell him, he tells her he’s just gotten back with his ex. 

Surprisingly, Madison is excited and wants to help. Except, Savannah can’t help but feel that she might be a little too helpful. All Savannah wanted was to co-parent her new baby. 

But Madison has other plans. Plans that don’t involve co-parenting at all.

Married couple Peggy and Drew decide that the only way to manage their struggling writing careers is by taking their fourteen-year-old son into an isolated canal boat. 

But as Peggy’s career suddenly starts seeing success, Dean reacts by moving their boat deeper into isolation. Even worse, the further from civilization they get, the harder their personal problems are to ignore. 

And when Dean’s gaslighting goes too far, the family finds themselves in the middle of a series of catastrophic events that they can’t control.

Former serial killer Carol is delighted to leave her tiny prison cell and move into a luxury retirement home. All she wants to do is forget her past and learn some new hobbies. 

But when a former police commissioner is murdered, her identity comes to light. To make things worse, the home is filled with ex-law enforcement. They all think she’s guilty. She knows they’re dead wrong. And she’s going to prove it.

In a dark basement, a girl is trapped. The light won’t come on anymore. The door stopped opening. 

And all she has is the scribbles of other dead girls on the walls. She’s almost out of food and water. Determined to make one final attempt at escape, she has no idea what she’s going to find if she can open the door. 

Meanwhile, Audrey is a search and rescue expert who never stopped looking for her friend who disappeared when they were teenagers. But when she finds evidence that a local runaway may have actually been kidnapped, she stumbles on decades of secrets that may lead her to finding out the truth of what happened to all the girls who have disappeared before.

Someone is following Nell Masters. There are the silent calls at her office. The flowers without a card. And the feeling of being watched that she just can’t shake. It might seem paranoid, but Nell has a secret. 

One she keeps from everyone, including her partner, Alex. Fourteen years ago, she watched a student get into a car with a fellow student only to end up dead. Nell was obsessed with making the student pay. 

But that was then, when she had a different identity. Has her past caught up with her? Or is there something far more deadly happening instead?

Tess and Allie are best friends who have slowly grown apart. It doesn’t help that while Tess struggles, Allie seems to have an easy globe-trotting life. Maybe that’s why Tess finally agrees to go caving with Allie after years of saying no. 

But as they descend into the darkness, they realize they aren’t alone. A stranger is harassing them. When Allie insults him, he retaliates, leaving Tess trapped in a crawlspace hundreds of feet below ground. 

Twenty-four hours later, rescued and in the hospital, Tess learns the shocking truth about Allie and her past. It turns out that the attack may not have been so random. And did Tess truly leave the danger in that cave?