Best New Thriller and Mystery Books of October 2020
11 New Thriller and Mystery Books That Will Make You Want to Stay Inside This October
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Nothing goes better with that chill in the air than a brand-new thriller or mystery book. Luckily, there are plenty of fresh thriller releases coming your way this October. It's clear publishers understand that nothing makes us want to cosy up with a book full of twists and turns quite like shorter days and crunchy leaves. So go ahead and block out some extra time now, because you're going to want to read all of these new releases. This month's thriller offerings include a chance encounter on a train, a nefarious case of mistaken identity, and a snow-covered house full of secrets. And if that's not enough suspenseful tales to keep you going, don't forget to check out last month's selection of can't-miss thrillers and mysteries.
1 Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates reaffirms her status as one of America's greatest contemporary writers with Cardiff, by the Sea, a collection of four bone-chilling novellas. The collection includes the foreboding tales of a woman who inherits a house from an unknown relative, a young girl who finds a protector in a stray cat, a pregnant college student whose professor isn't the mentor she believes, and a boy who survives his mother's breakdown that left her and his sister dead only to find his new stepmother seems to be haunted by the traumas of the past.
Out Oct. 6
2 Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger
Lisa Unger's latest thriller Confessions on the 7:45 puts a fresh spin on Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers on the Train setup. When Selena Murphy's train to work stalls on the tracks, she strikes up a conversation with the stranger across from her. The woman reveals that she's been having an affair with her boss, and Selena confesses that she thinks her husband is sleeping with the nanny. However, when the nanny later disappears, Selena finds herself facing suspicion, a crumbling marriage, and questions about who the woman on the train really was.
Out Oct. 6
3 Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
Dear Child by Romy Hausmann will pull you into its twisted narrative and refuse to let go until the final page. After 14 years, a woman who claims her name is Lena escapes from the man holding her captive in the woods. However, when she returns to her family, they're convinced she's not their daughter, despite all the signs that she is.
Out Oct. 6
4 Santa Monica by Cassidy Lucas
Attention Big Little Lies fans, Santa Monica by Cassidy Lucas is your new favourite book. Set against the backdrop of sunny Santa Monica, the story revolves around the murder of a trainer to the rich and famous, and three women whose desire to keep their secrets could implicate one of them in his death.
Out Oct. 6
5 Snow by John Banville
Booker Prize winning author John Banville's Snow is a feast of a novel. Set in 1957, the death of a priest draws Detective Inspector St. John Strafford to the tightknit community surrounding Ballyglass House, home to the secretive Osborne family. Met with resistance at every turn, Strafford struggles to crack the case as snow covers the village and his deputy suddenly disappears.
Out Oct. 6
6 Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy
Aimee Molloy's Goodnight Beautiful is a domestic thriller with bite. Newlyweds Sam Statler and Annie Potter move to Sam's hometown to start their lives together. At first everything seems perfect, at least until Annie discovers she can hear her therapist husband's sessions through a vent upstairs. The prospect of listening in is too tantalizing to resist, but when Sam seemingly disappears after a session with a French woman, she'll come to question her decision to eavesdrop.
Out Oct. 13
7 Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell is back with another compulsively readable novel. Invisible Girl focuses on Owen, a man in his 30s who lives with his aunt, and the family across the street that's convinced he's trouble. When a girl goes missing, Owen is the last person to see her, but despite the finger-pointing, he may not be the most dangerous person in the neighbourhood.
Out Oct. 13
8 They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo is a dark and daring story of vigilante justice. English professor Scarlett Clark specialises in finding the worst man at Gorman University and murdering him. When her body count begins raising suspicions, she seeks to ingratiate herself with Dr. Mina Pierce, who is investigating the case.
Out Oct. 13
9 A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
John Grisham serves up a good, old-fashioned court room drama in A Time for Mercy. When a 16-year-old boy is accused of killing a deputy, Jake Brigance ignores the public's cries for a swift sentencing as he digs into the case to prove the young man's innocence. However, Brigance's search for justice may end up costing him everything in the process.
Out Oct. 13
10 The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle
Rose Carlyle's debut thriller The Girl in the Mirror puts a new twist on the most well-worn tropes in the genre. The book kicks off with a jealous twin stepping into her sister's life after a sailing mishap, but she soon discovers that the creeping paranoia that comes with keeping up her charade may not be worth the price of her twin's "perfect" life.
Out Oct. 20
11 House of Correction by Nicci French
House of Correction by Nicci French will leave readers questioning everything they think they know about the book's protagonist. Shortly after moving back to her hometown in England, Tabitha is accused of murdering her old teacher. Now behind bars, she'll stop at nothing to prove her innocence, even as she realises she can't quite remember what happened on the day her former teacher was killed.
Out Oct. 27
