It’s hot Wet Bulb summer! So pick up a psychological thriller and read it next to the pool, close to the fan, and late into the night. June’s best suspenseful tales feature delightfully unreliable narrators, wickedly funny skewerings, and intricately plotted reversals. Thanks, as always, for reading the column, and without further ado—the list!
Olivia Muenter, Such a Bad Influence
(Quirk)
Muenter’s Such a Bad Influence is a nasty little gem of a novel with a perfectly shocking twist. Hazel Davis is the underachieving sister of a social media star; when her influencer sibling vanishes in the middle of a live video, Hazel investigates the disappearance, but her quest for her beloved younger sister will lead her to a far darker place than she could have ever predicted. Muenter’s debut is wickedly clever and incredibly self-assured; I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Lucy Foley, Midnight Feast
(William Morrow)
This one is being billed as Midsommar meets Fyre Festival and I couldn’t agree more! Foley’s latest takes place during the opening weekend of a luxurious new getaway promising healing crystals, private beaches, and “forest baths” at a steep price. But you can’t put a price on inner peace, at least, not when so many disparate forces are praying for the resort to fail. The locals are pissed, the staff have their own agendas, the guests are not whom they seem, and the forest is full of rage and ready for vengeance.
Nicola Yoon, One of Our Kind
(Knopf)
Many have ventured into the “neighborhood that is not what it seems” category of suspense, but no one has done it better than Nicola Yoon. At the start of One of Our Kind, Jasmyn and King Williams move into a highly selective gated community catering to wealthy and successful Black families. Jasmyn soon finds, however, that despite the neighborhood’s claim to be a Black utopia, none of her new neighbors are interested in social justice or, indeed, Black culture as a whole. The town’s secret, when finally discovered, is both completely logical and absolutely jaw-dropping.
Tasha Coryell, Love Letters to a Serial Killer
(Berkley)
Would you strike up a romance with a potential murderer if he took your book recommendations? In this knowing critique of true crime culture and modern love, a woman begins a romance with a suspected serial killer and becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about her new paramour. I sped through this novel and related to many of its uncomfortable truths about the misogyny within ordinary relationships that makes dating a man accused of horrible crimes who treats you well seem…justifiable? Or at least, rather understandable…
Peter Swanson, A Talent for Murder
(William Morrow)
Swanson always delivers perfectly calibrated suspense alongside the thrills of a truly clever mystery. In his newest, A Talent for Murder, an archival librarian begins to suspect the man she married may be carrying out a series of murders around the country. Her unique skills, along with some help from an old grad school friend, soon throw her deep into an investigation. Swanson drives the story to a smart conclusion that will keep readers guessing to the end. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads editor-in-chief
Susie Orman Schnall, Anna Bright Is Hiding Something
(Sparkpress)
In this Silicon Valley-set thriller, Anna Bright is about to achieve her wildest dreams of success—as long as no one finds out that the biotech she’s shilling doesn’t exactly work as advertised. She just needs to outwit the board, tamp down internal dissension, and keep the journalists printing whatever she tells them. The story is obviously based on Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos, but there’s a wider aim to Schnall’s vision, as she spins her inspiration into a visceral takedown of misogyny and double standards in the tech industry.
Lori Brand, Bodies to Die For
(Blackstone)
I devoured this novel faster than the winner of a body-building contest drinks water after their win (a joke you’ll totally get if you dive into this searing critique of diet culture and the pressures of professional body-building). Lori Brand has had a long career in fitness that has led to her embracing strength, not weight-loss, and I’m pretty sure this book is the most physically—and emotionally—healthy thriller I’ve read in some time. I may even sign up for a boxing class now…
