A thriller that focuses on ordinary people impacted by extraordinary, unexpected events is always a must-read for me. That explains my love of domestic suspense and domestic thrillers.
You start with what should be a safe environment—the home, the family, the neighborhood—and watch it all unravel when secrets and lies refuse to stay buried. The past gets dredged up. Every bad choice gets weaponized. The books are a constant reminder that a few terrible decisions can upend everything.
Here are a few domestic thrillers you can grab right now.
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C.L. Taylor, The Guilty Couple
Olivia was wrongly convicted of plotting her ex-husband’s murder. Now, she’s out of prison, ticked off, looking to reconnect with her daughter, and out for revenge. Wouldn’t you be?
This is a twisty mix of questionable allies, big secrets, and subterfuge. It doesn’t go where you think it will go, and that’s why it’s special.
Disha Bose, Dirty Laundry
This is about women in an Irish village with a lot of…you guessed it…dirty laundry. Ciara is the “perfect” one. She had a husband and kids and money thanks to being a social media influencer. Of course, her life isn’t as shiny as it seems. When Ciara is murdered, her friends and neighbors move into the spotlight.
The women in this book are different, and those differences lead to jealousy, blame, and shame. A lot of readers compare this one to Big Little Lies and you’ll understand why.
B.A. Paris, Behind Closed Doors
The title of this book tells you all you need to know to pick it up. It’s a reminder that people who seem charming and together on the outside might be a mess on the inside or at least hiding a very big secret. In this case, deceit, abuse, and danger. Jack and Grace have a twisted relationship.
If you’re looking for unsettling and disturbing try this one.
Lisa Jewel, The Family Upstairs
My advice? Do not accept a dinner invitation from the Lamb family. When Libby inherits an abandoned residence from the birth family she’s never known it seems like a good thing. It’s not. The house was the scene of an unspeakable mass suicide, cultlike act that destroyed Libby’s family decades ago.
Masterfully told through separate narrators in different timelines. You’ll read it and understand why Lisa Jewel is a thriller queen.
Trisha Sakhlecha, The Inheritance
The Agarwal patriarch gathers his family on a private Scottish island to talk about how he should divide the family business among his three children. Locked-room thriller antics and dysfunctional family dynamics combine to make this one irresistible. Someone is murdered. Everyone has secrets and personal interests to protect.
This book proves characters don’t have to be likeable so long as they’re compelling and here they are.
And here are two domestic thrillers that come out in 2026 that you should preorder:
Ava Roberts, The Summer House Murders
Three sisters inherit a lake house and meet there with their families, as requested by their now-deceased mother. That might sound like the start of a nice vacation but it’s not. The sisters are estranged. Everyone is hiding a secret. There’s a dead body in the water. I don’t have a sister. After this book, I’m not sad about that.
Chelsea Conradt, The Secret Attic
A woman travels to her husband’s childhood home after his mother dies. Addison and her mother-in-law weren’t close, and Addison wants to leave almost as soon as she arrives. Finding a room full of creepy dolls doesn’t help.
This book is atmospheric and haunting and gives a whole new meaning to the idea of a revenge thriller.
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