Reading list: 10 buzzy new summer thrillers that are all pleasure, no guilt
When Gone Girl came out almost five years ago, it didn’t just keep you up for three days straight, it spawned an entire niche industry — domestically-situated, female-driven, psychological thrillers now known collectively as “suburban noir.” They often involve a titular "girl," who has gone missing, infidelity and mysterious strangers, but no matter how many times you've encountered these familiar tropes, they still manage to suck you in. Here are 10 new noirs you'll be burning through this summer.*
*Warning: the urge to read “just one more chapter” may lead to loss of sleep.
10 New Summer Thrillers
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (available now)
Jules Abbot returns to her hometown after her estranged sister is found dead — the latest victim of the infamous “Drowning Pool,” a bend in the river where women have been disappearing since the 17th century.
Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia (available now)
When Hattie Hoffman turns up stabbed to death on the night of the high school play, nobody can believe such a terrible fate could befall such a perfect girl. And then the truth (including an extracurricular relationship with her teacher) starts to come out.
The Girl Before by JP Delaney (available now)
When Emma and Simon move into a fabulous modern mansion designed by a mysterious celebrity architect, they think life is about to get a lot better…until they discover that their celebrated landlord may be a murderous psychopath.
The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda (available now)
After her career in journalism hits the skids, Leah Stevens makes a rash decision to move to Pennsylvania with her old friend Emmy, but when Emmy goes missing the police question whether she ever really existed.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell (available now)
A mysterious stranger turns up outside Alice’s beach house. Lily learns her missing husband may not have been who he said he was. More than 20 years later, a brother and sister are on holiday when they discover the secret that links all of these stories together.
The Child by Fiona Barton (June 27)
When a baby’s skeleton is discovered on a building site, reporter Kate Waters connects the unidentified body to an unsolved mystery — a crime that happened 20 years earlier.
Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica (June 27) When Clara’s husband is killed in a car crash, her young daughter (who was in the car) starts to remember details that suggest it may not have been an accident.
Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas (July 5) Eighteen years ago, Sophie Collier disappeared, last seen at the pier where she and her friends would often hang out. The police say it was “death by misadventure,” but her brother and BFF aren’t convinced.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (July 25) At boarding school, four best friends create a game based on deceiving everyone outside of their foursome. Years later, their high school hijinks come back to haunt them.
A Stranger In the House by Shari Lapena (August 15)
After receiving a mysterious phone call, a woman wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the accident she was in. Now the police (and her best friend) suspect she was involved in a crime.
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