There's really no bad season to read thrillers, but its especially enticing when the long, chilly nights of fall begin. That puts September's best thriller and mystery reads [1] at a bit of an advantage, because they're arriving at just the right time to capitalize on those first long-awaited days of the season. Luckily for us, this month's crop of mystery-fuelled new releases are especially intriguing — there are domestic thrillers in the vein of Big Little Liars [2], a new mystery from J.D. Robb, and a buzzy genre debut from Alyssa Cole, who is best known for crafting passionate romances. The one thing all of September's new thrillers [3] have in common is that they'll keep you up way past your bedtime as you try to unravel their deliciously twisty plots.
The Finder by Will Ferguson
The Finder [4] by Will Ferguson is a globe-trotting novel about a mysterious figure known as The Finder that will quell your wanderlust and leave you following clues at the same time. Interpol agent Gaddy Rhodes is willing to follow The Finder, a collector of rare objects, to the ends of the earth, and she just might have to as they have no interest in being caught.
Out Sep. 1
Sins of the Bees by Annie Lampman
Sins of the Bees [5] by Annie Lampman is a dark read that includes the main character being sexually assaulted. However, if you're not put off by the heavy themes, Silvania August Moonbeam Merigal's journey to find her family is a wild ride that includes a bounty of secrets, a doomsday cult, and enough twists to satisfy even the most seasoned mystery reader.
Out Sep. 1
Three Single Wives by Gina Lamanna
Three Single Wives [6] by Gina Lamanna will keep you guessing until the last page. The domestic thriller kicks off with three women attending a book club and discussing an unfaithful husband, but by the night's end someone is dead. The only person who knows what really happened was at that meeting, but with each woman possessing her own secrets discovering the truth won't be an easy task.
Out Sep. 1
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole is best known for her swoon worthy romances, but with When No One Is Watching [7] she reveals she also excels at scaring readers senseless. When Brooklyn native Sydney Green delves into her gentrified neighbourhood's history, she uncovers a dark secret that suggests that her neighbours didn't simply move out of their homes after all in this Get Out-esque thriller.
Out Sep. 1
Once Two Sisters by Sarah Warburton
Sarah Warburton's debut novel Once Twice Sisters [8] grounds itself in the complex nature of sisterhood. Sisters Zoe and Ava have been estranged for years, but when Ava disappears someone goes to great lengths to make Zoe appear guilty. With her life on the line, Zoe is determined to prove her innocence and find the sister she belatedly realises that she actually loves.
Out Sep. 8
Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb
New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) continues her Lt. Eve Dallas series with Shadows in Death [9]. This time around, Eve is dealing with a case that hits close to home when her husband's dangerous half brother shows up in New York just as the lieutenant is investigating a case involving a hired assassin.
Out Sep. 8
Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker
Yes, Don't Look for Me [10] is a thriller, but it's also the story of one family's grief. This heartbreaking, but compulsively readable, novel follows Molly Clarke, a woman who seemingly walked out on her family. It should be an open and shut case, but what really happened to Molly isn't quite so simple.
Out Sep. 15
To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan
To Tell You the Truth [11] by Gilly Macmillan is an atmospheric, fast-paced read with an unreliable narrator right at its centre. The whole world knows that author Lucy Harper can tell a captivating story, but when her husband goes missing, her little brother's decades old disappearance resurfaces leaving many to wonder if Lucy's scariest story is the truth she refuses to tell anyone.
Out Sep. 22
The Nesting by C.J. Cooke
A nanny's dream job turns into a nightmare in The Nesting [12] by C.J. Cooke. The spooky story includes a remote house, a wife's death by suicide, and the Sad Lady, a mysterious figure that seems to be haunting the children in Lexi Ellis's care. This unsettling story is equal parts frightening and compelling.
Out Sep. 29
The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir
Linda Keir's The Three Mrs. Wrights [13] is the satisfying story of a lying man's unraveling. Lark, Jessica, and Holly are each as happy as they can be in their own marriages, and on the surface they have nothing in common, at least not until they realise that they share one important thing: the same husband.
Out Sep. 29