Best New Mystery and Thriller Books of September 2021
11 New Thrillers and Mysteries — Including New Books From Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell!
As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
The number of major new thriller and mystery book releases in September is seriously impressive. This month is packed with new titles from the likes of Liane Moriarty, Alice Feeney, and Lisa Jewell. But, in addition to some of the biggest names in the thriller genre dropping fresh reads, this month also includes a number of twisty debuts and inclusive mysteries that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From a story told entirely from the point of view of a sociopath who is being stalked to the story of a Sri Lankan orphan with a secret to hide, these dark and tantalizing books are going to have readers buzzing.
1 Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons
Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons is a propulsive sci-fi thriller that questions the very nature of what makes us human. In a not-so distant future where human cloning is a reality, a woman named Constance awakes to discover her consciousness has been uploaded into her clone after her death. The catch is, she has no recollection of her final moments, and she's determined not to rest until she discovers what happened to her original body.
Out Sept. 1
2 These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall
A deceased woman's beloved mementos lead to a whole lot of trouble in Rachel Howzell Hall's nail-biting These Toxic Things. Mickie Lambert's job involves creating digital scrapbooks of people's beloved mementos, but her latest client's collection may put Mickie in the crosshairs of a serial killer who has been off the grid for years.
Out Sept. 1
3 The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville
Told in alternating perspectives, The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville is set in a house full of secrets in Northern Ireland. Shortly after she has a nervous breakdown, a woman named Sara finds herself uprooted by her husband as they move from England to Ireland, where he's from. Just as she's feeling particularly isolated, a woman shows up on her doorstep covered in blood and claiming the house is hers.
Out Sept. 7
4 Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
Vera Kurian asks readers to put themselves in the shoes of a psychopath in her eerie thriller Never Saw Me Coming. Freshman student Chloe Sevre looks unassuming enough, but she's one of seven students participating in a clinical study of psychopaths. And when one of the other students turns up dead, Chloe takes it upon herself to find the killer using her unique perspective as an asset in the search.
Out Sept. 7
5 The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Thriller maestro Lisa Jewell is back with The Night She Disappeared. One year after the disappearance of a young couple, a writer who recently moved into an English cottage discovers a sign that reads "Dig Here" in the foreboding woods that border her property. Soon, she can't stop wondering if the note is connected to the disappearances or if it's pointing her toward a different mystery entirely.
Out Sept. 7
6 Rizzio by Denise Mina
Rizzio by Denise Mina is a short, but riveting historical mystery inspired by the real murder of David Rizzio, Mary, Queen of Scots's private secretary. This darkly clever novella dramatizes the days leading up to March 9th, 1566, when Rizzio was stabbed 56 times by a group of assassins.
Out Sept. 7
7 Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Looking for a domestic thriller that will leave you guessing until the final page? Then you need Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney in your life. On their 10th anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Wright win a getaway to a secluded weekend away in Scotland, but it's not long before they realise something about their trip isn't quite right.
Out Sept. 7
8 Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Liane Moriarty, the bestselling author of Big Little Lies, is back with another page-turning domestic thriller in Apples Never Fall. This time around, the focus is on the Delaney family, a collection of privileged tennis enthusiasts whose world is rocked when their mother goes missing. The only trouble is the adult children are torn over whether or not to go to the police, because they suspect their father may be to blame.
Out Sept. 14
9 Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari
The genres of dark academia and revenge thrillers collide in Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari. Audra is a bright and talented artist and graduate student, but she's also the only person who knows her teacher's terrible secret. And now it's time to make him pay for the sins he committed 20 years ago by springing her carefully constructed trap.
Out Sept. 14
10 My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa
My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa asks whether or not a person can ever truly outrun their past. It's been years since Paloma was adopted from a Sri Lankan orphanage by loving parents who gave her the best of everything. However, at the age of 30, she decides to sublet her apartment to a man who discovers the secret she would do anything to keep from coming out, and when he ends up dead, it's no surprise she's the number one suspect.
Out Sept. 14
11 Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
True crime fans, this one is for you. In Nice Girls by Catherine Dang, Mary, who was recently kicked out of Cornell, returns home and begins working at a grocery store. It's there that she hears her old best friend has gone missing, leading Mary to wonder if her frenemy's disappearance could be connected to another missing person case in their small town.
Out Sept. 14
