When the heat of summer starts to creep up, so does the desire for a book that can be quickly devoured. A book that is easy to read yet completely engrossing is imperative for this season. Thriller books are the perfect book for summer, especially for those who don’t favor romance novels.
I had been an avid reader for a while before finally picking up my first thriller, Pet Sematary, by Stephen King. This quickly opened up a new genre for me, which I’m still reading consistently after five years. I’ve read my fair share of predictable and flat books that aren’t worth the time, but those have led me to the great ones.
It can be tricky to find books for the summer with the right vibe. With a mix of well-known novels and some hidden gems, these five picks will have you thinking long after you turn the last page.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – thriller books
A gothic apartment in Paris, drama within a wealthy family, and a missing half-brother — these ingredients mix together for a riveting plot in Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment.
When Jess Hadley arrives in Paris to visit her half-brother, Ben, she quickly realizes he is missing from his apartment. While that may seem odd, the plot thickens. All of his personal belongings are still there. Jess feels sorely out of place around the wealthy tenants, and no residents are helpful in her search for Ben.
As Jess starts to develop wary friendships with people who have connections to Ben, she begins to realize she may be in deeper trouble than she ever thought imaginable.
This thriller book features multiple points of view, which adds so much to the story. The characters are rather dysfunctional, creating a layered narrative. It culminates in a twist I never saw coming. In fact, I still think about the author’s character choices!
I read this novel in two days last summer, and it was one of my most memorable reads!
Available at Barnes & Noble for $15.99.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
The king of horror, Stephen King, never disappoints! In this novel, Stephen King writes a tightly knitted “careful what you wish for” plot with supernatural elements that will make you realize that “sometimes dead is better.”
Dr. Louis Creed moves his wife and two children to Maine (a classic setting for King’s books), which causes a domino effect of life-changing events. Shortly after moving in, the Creed family’s cat, Church, is struck and killed by a car on the road near their house.
Louis buries Church in the pet cemetery (marked by a sign that says “Pet Sematary”) in the woods by their house. This quickly proves to be the worst mistake he could have made. The spine-chilling ending of this novel has stuck with me in the years after I finished it.
King tends to write gory horror plots, but Pet Sematary is a true thriller. It does the job of cultivating a creepy atmosphere without much blood. Don’t get me wrong, though—it gets intense.
Available at Barnes & Noble for $16.98.
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell – thriller books
What would you do if the daughter of the man you’re seeing is a spitting image of your missing child?
This thriller book follows a mother, Laurel, whose daughter went missing a decade previously. Though the case has been determined closed, the disappearance still weighs heavily on Laurel. After she starts dating a man, she meets his nine-year-old child, who bears a shocking resemblance to Laurel’s missing daughter. Could it be paranoia or delusion from the pain of losing a child? Or could it be something more?
I’m not going to lie; this book confused me a bit, but in a good way. The reveal takes a while, but the plot is easy to follow and absolutely worth it! The slow-burn pace caused me to be completely engrossed in the novel as I devoured it in less than 24 hours.
I also love it when authors show a significant part of the book on the cover. To someone who hasn’t read the novel yet, it might just look like tree branches and leaves, but it hits pretty hard once you know the importance behind them.
I recommend checking the trigger warnings for this book since some themes might be upsetting to some.
Available at Barnes & Noble for $13.99.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl is the story of a love turned cold, a missing wife, and a fractured plot that might give you trust issues with the main character.
When Nick’s wife Amy disappears, he becomes the first person of interest due to a series of incriminating events. This thriller is told from both characters’ points of view, generating a great deal of confusion between the opposing sides.
This staggering novel likely caused the “unreliable narrator” epidemic of all thrillers published in the last decade. I’m not complaining, though — that is one of my favorite tropes in this book genre.
Gone Girl is a classic for thriller lovers, and for good reason. I love it when a story can successfully throw me for a loop, and this one does just that.
It took me a few years of consistent reading to finally pick up this book because its popularity was a bit intimidating to me. Let me tell you, it’s very much worth it.
Available at Barnes & Noble for $15.99.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Alex Michaelides definitely read Gone Girl before writing this chilling thriller. With unlikeable characters and riveting aspects of psychological study, The Silent Patient has become a best-selling sensation for good reason.
Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, becomes engrossed with the case of Alicia Berenson — a woman in a seemingly perfect marriage who, out of nowhere, shoots her husband five times over. Afterward, Alicia goes completely mute and is placed in a long-term psychological facility.
Six years after the murder, Theo starts to visit her regularly, determined to uncover what truly happened that night. Told from Theo’s point of view with supplemental diary entries from Alicia, this novel is a literary mosaic that the reader pieces together throughout the reading experience.
This thriller book is perfect for those who love a main character that gets too attached to something they shouldn’t be attached to. Lovers of David Fincher’s 2007 Zodiac film would have a soft spot for this novel; it’s one of those stories where you want to root for the main character for as long as possible.
Available at Barnes & Noble for $14.99.
Where to find more thriller books
If you’ve already read most of this list, there are still plenty of places to go for recommendations in the summer months.
TikTok is a common place for recommendations, but some titles can become overhyped. I have read plenty of disappointing books that received raving positive reviews on TikTok and Bookstagram. TikTok is a great place for newer readers, yet finding fresh suggestions on that platform can be difficult.
Barnes & Noble has incredible pages for finding new titles and recommendations, especially underground ones. This list of thriller books has several sections with different recommendations — top picks from booksellers, monthly picks, bestsellers, and new releases from successful authors. When I want to scan through a page to find titles visually quickly, I love going to these pages on the Barnes website.
Hopefully, this article motivated you to visit your local bookstore or add some titles to your Kindle. Happy reading!
