Exhilarating New Mystery and Thriller Books Coming in May 2026

Simone has always been close with her daughter Lucy and is looking forward to one last trip before she goes away to University. The morning after the family rents a cabin in Texas, Simone wakes to find a cellphone on Lucy’s pillow. 

She’s instructed not to call the police and to travel to a remote location. There, she discovers that the kidnappers don’t want money. They want Simone to do something for them. Their demand is unthinkable. 

Simone always believed she’d do anything for her daughter. She’s about to find out exactly how far she’s truly willing to go.

MJ Hudson knows there is something wrong at her daughter’s school. A teacher was killed, and a student is missing. Events are made even more terrible by the fact that they seem to recur every few years. 

MJ goes to the only person she can, showing up at Dr. Kez Lanyon’s house in the middle of the night. Kez goes undercover as the new school therapist and quickly realizes that some powerful people are working to keep the scandal under wraps. 

But as Kez investigates deeper, she risks putting not just herself, but her family at risk. Because when it comes to keeping secrets, some people will do anything to make sure they stay buried.

You know how the story goes. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. They get married and live happily ever after. Naomi never expected he’d kick her out. Drain their accounts. Date a twenty-something in her place. 

Part of Naomi knows she should mourn the loss and move on, but a bigger part of her refuses to let go of her dream. She fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend, hoping to find a weakness. 

Instead, she finds secrets that put her own life in danger. Should she stop? Or should she do anything she can to save her perfect life?

When Jessica Fletcher and her three friends slay at their local pub trivia, they discover that the prize is a chance to appear on a trivia tournament show being filmed in Los Angeles. 

But on the day of the tournament, one of the crew ends up dead, throwing the show into chaos. Who would benefit from killing the show? Jessica is determined to find out.

When Andrew Birnbaum is invited to have dinner with the exclusive Tuxedo Society, he expects a group of wealthy socialites drinking cocktails and spreading gossip. Instead, he finds himself recruited for a covert mission to protect national security. 

He’s been given enough gadgets to make him feel like James Bond and sent to thwart assassins and tackle spies. But when he’s sent on a mission to learn the truth about an artifact, he finds a plot for world domination. 

Andrew once wanted the role of a lifetime. He never expected it would be saving the world.

Mila is a struggling magician with a heart. She rescued three kittens from starving to death and has cared for them ever since. So when her sketchy boyfriend and business manager dies at one of her shows, Mila ends up being the primary suspect. 

As evidence mounts and her arrest becomes more likely, the kittens decide that they’re going to prove her innocence once and for all. With nothing but dubious control over the laws of physics and plenty of street smarts, they set out to find a killer and save their happy home.

Leila Reynolds first murder case is nothing short of shocking. The victim is a well-respected judge, and Leila is nowhere near experienced enough to handle a case this high-profile. But the defendant insisted on her. 

That would be fine except he isn’t talking. And to make everything far more complicated, the prosecution is one of the most ruthless litigators she knows—he’s also her husband. As the case progresses, Leila finds herself fighting for her client and her marriage. 

And when someone from her past shows up, her own secrets threaten to come to light. But this is a fight Leila isn’t willing to lose. Even if she has to rewrite the rules to win.

Alice Li’s mother, Vivian, escaped China decades ago and now serves as a global human rights activist who regularly advises world leaders on the Chinese government. So, when security and fire alarms go off around the world and are traced back to China, it makes sense that the President would turn to her. 

What doesn’t make sense is that they also call Alice to be in the room. Vivian’s mother believes the President of China has lost control of the country, an outcome that threatens global stability. 

Quickly, both Alice and Vivian find themselves in the middle of a complicated power struggle with nothing but an old legend guiding the way. The two women have never understood each other. But to save their lives and restore global order, they have to figure out how to work together before time runs out.

Yrsa is bored. Her PhD program isn’t stimulating, her research is tiresome, and the undergrads are tedious. And worst of all, the men she dates are anything but exciting. When her best friend confesses to sleeping with a professor and that he stole her research, Yrsa is livid. 

All it takes is a chance encounter where a San Pellegrino and a bee allergy kill him and unlock what’s missing in Yrsa’s life: murder. Soon, no sexist or misbehaving man is safe, and Yrsa finally feels a sense of purpose. 

But as her body count grows, buried family secrets threaten to come to life. How long can she justify her homicidal spree? And when her actions catch up to her, what side of justice will she find herself on?

Five people wait for a train. They seem like random strangers. But one of them is going to die. Will it be the young man on the brink of ruin? Is the old woman too stubborn to accept help when she falls? 

Maybe the child, who is throwing a tantrum, or the mother who allows it. Or perhaps the businessman who is both damaged and successful. 

As their stories unfold, you, the reader, will make judgments. You know one of them dies. The only question is, does the person deserve it?