26 Psychological Thrillers to Read in 2026
2026 looks set to be a thrilling year in more ways than one. Not only is my own psychological thriller, The Honeymoon Suite, out in June (eek), but there are oodles of excellent-sounding thriller novels hitting the shelves this year.
At the risk of finally toppling my already epic TBR pile, here (in no particular order) are just 26 of the psychological thrillers I can’t wait to read in 2026!
1. Five
by Ilona Bannister
The way I screamed when this was announced, though.
I read Ilona’s debut When I Ran Away back when it first came out, and I tore through it. I remember that it was an impulse pick from the ‘new books’ section at my local library, but that after reading (and returning) it, I immediately went out and bought a copy because it felt only right that I should own something that had spoken to me on such a primal level.
And now she’s back, with what sounds like a deliciously dark psychological tale with a twist, and I CANNOT WAIT. Unfortunately, I’ll have to - at least until May!
2. Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan
Rebecca is a fellow debut author (and one of the many Rebeccas conquering 2026!) and I am so excited that I’ll finally get to read Darkrooms as it’s out in just a few days!
I love a dual timeline mystery, and this one promises to deliver when the sister of a missing girl and the friend who returned from the woods alone are reunited in their home town years after the tragedy. What happened in the Hanging Woods? I can’t wait to find out.
3. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
I’ve been seeing this one pop up all over my socials, and while it isn’t out until April, I am READY FOR IT. I’m absolutely fascinated by the whole Tradwife movement, so I’m delighted someone has written a twisty thriller about it. Honestly, the only way I could be more thrilled about this book at this point is if I’d written it myself.
4. The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
There is literally nothing about this that I don’t love. Mid-century time period? Check. Glamorous setting? Check. The darkness hidden below the glittering surface? Check. Female friendships? Check. Solving crimes? Check. Did Elizabeth Arnott write this especially for me, or am I just a lucky duck? Either way, it’s out on the 3rd of March, and I cannot wait for my pre-order to land.
5. In Deep Water by Elle Blair
Look, all I can say is that watching cruise ship documentaries has me well in the mood for reading a thriller set aboard one. While I, personally, can imagine little more terrifying than boarding a floating hotel with thousands of strangers and spending my days green-gilled hanging over the railings on deck, luckily, Elle Blair can, and she has. In Deep Water - billed as Gone Girl meets The Woman in Cabin 10 sounds like the perfect cure for seasickness-by-proxy.
6. Adrift by Will Dean
Ok, so something you should possibly know about me (bear with me, I promise this is relevant) is that for a long time now - maybe around the last 8 years or so - I have secretly wanted to run away and live on a narrowboat. In fact, it was one of the first things my now-husband and I bonded over -a longing to just up-anchor and drift away, leaving our problems behind.
I have, of course, done much research since, and discovered that the reality can often be far different to the romantic image in my head (isn’t it always?) Plus, having never stepped aboard one, I’m not sure how I’d fare given the ol’ seasickness trouble (see above!) However, that doesn’t stop me watching old episodes of Narrow Escapes and occasionally browsing boat listings late at night.
Anywayyyy, all this to say that I pre-ordered Will Dean’s latest thriller faster than you can say ‘bilge pump’. Adrift is out next month, and my only worry is whether it will put me off my canal boat adventure more than the words ‘pump out toilet’. *shudder*
7. Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall
Another dual timeline thriller - this one is centred around who gets to tell a story and the different versions of what happened that summer, which are all themes I’m exploring in my second novel (that I’m currently in the thick of writing!)
Unreliable Narrator sounds right up my street, and it’s out March 5th, so I don’t have long to wait to get my grabby little paws on a copy!
8. Ours is a Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy
Nothing is as creepy as suburbia, and I literally cannot get enough of suburban thrillers where all is not as it seems. This one, out March 10th in the UK, sounds like it will tick all my boxes, plus I’m in love with the cover art!
9. The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
I adore meta novels, and this crime-novel-within-a-crime-novel sounds like a delight, with plenty of sly nods to the inner workings of publishing and the horrors of writing to a deadline.
Given that the first draft of my second novel is due with my editor the same month this book is released, reading it could be the perfect celebration - providing I make it to the end, of course. (Wink, wink, nudge nudge, etc.)
10. All the Little Houses by May Cobb
A novel set in the 1980s in America’s Deep South was pretty much always going to be a yes from me, and have you seen the cover? Lush. This one’s out in February.
11. The Storm by Rachel Hawkins
Another thriller set in the Deep South! Not going to lie, I’m feeling about as spoiled as the ambassador’s guests in the Ferrero Rocher commercial right now.
I loved Rachel Hawkin’s The Villa, so I’m excited to dive into her new book, out February.
12. The Death Bed by Chris Bridges
I read Chris’ brilliant debut Sick to Death last year and loved it, so I can’t wait to read his new thriller The Death Bed.
Sick to Death featured a chronically-ill main character portrayed in a way that, to me - as a chronically-ill person, felt both realistic and subversive, and in The Death Bed, we’ll meet nurses Laura and Sadie, with a dark secret in their shared past, so as a former nurse (which I know Chris is too!) I’m looking forward to some delightfully fresh and - no doubt slightly subversive - nursing representation!
The Death Bed is out 26/02/26.
13. Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
Butter was my first read of 2025, and I can’t wait to read the next delicious offering from Asako Yuzuki, once again translated by Polly Barton. I love a story of obsession, and also, can we all just take a minute to drool over the special edition foil cover?
14. Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
This probably seems like a daft thing for an author of psychological thrillers to say, but as a reader, I don’t handle tension very well!
So I’m both looking forward to and slightly dreading Gillian McAllister’s new book, as I know it’ll have me on the edge of my seat the entire time! Caller Unknown publishes on the 9th of April and asks what you’d do - and how far you’d go - if your teenage daughter was kidnapped on a mother-bonding road trip across America.
15. Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
I’m a huge fan of books where a house or building becomes a character in and of itself, so when I heard about Buyer, Beware, a book inspired by houses with violent pasts, I knew I had to add this one to my summer reading list. Out July 16th.
16. How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson
Rebecca is another one of my fellow 2026 debut authors (and another Rebecca!), and I’m so excited to read this dark and playful offering, which is based on the idea of a handbook for serial killers! How to Get Away With Murder is out in March.
17. The Date by T.H Murdock
I met fellow author T.H. Murdock at Harrogate Crime Writing Festival last summer, and I can’t wait to read his debut psychological thriller, The Date this summer.
In The Date, we meet Miles, who was acquitted of murdering a woman he met on a date, but just because the trial is over, doesn’t mean his ordeal is, and when a remote road trip takes a deadly turn, he has to face the fact that someone knows what happened that night, and they’re not going to let him get away this time…
18. Connie by Charlotte Duckworth
Not long to wait for this one as it’s out later this month!
I’ve followed Charlotte for a while now on Instagram, and I just love how honest and transparent she is about the highs and lows of author life, and the behind-the-scenes lowdown she offers aspiring writers.
From what I can gather from Charlotte’s recent posts, Connie was something of a nightmare to write, but then I sometimes think that the very best books are those where the author had to wrestle them onto the page, as it means they’re all the richer for us readers! (Or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself as I pull my own hair out writing Book Two!)
Either way, I can’t wait to read Connie, which will be out on the 15th of January.
19. Never Alone - Victoria West
Out in June, this thriller from fellow debut author, Victoria West, is about a criminal podcaster and socialite and her stalker. Told in dual POV, it promises to be fresh and twisty and I can’t wait to dive in. Plus, I am in love with this cover.
Never Alone is out on the 9th of June and available for pre-order now.
20. Esther is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney
Out at the end of this month, this another thriller from a fellow debut author, that deals with obsession, although this time it’s in the context of fandom.
Early reviews are raving about how darkly funny but emotional this one is, and I’m looking forward to reading when it comes out on the 29th.
21. Fellow Creatures by Emma Lowther
Another debut offering! Fellow Creatures is set in an elite London drama school, and has been described as intoxicating, dark and addictive - sign me up! Fellow Creatures is out on the 25th of June and I’ve got my pre-order in already!
22. Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding
This psychological thriller set in Costa Brava, is about a married couple trying to repair their relationship and their Spanish hilltop house when a pair of travellers turn up at their door, offering free labour in exchange for somewhere to stay…needless to say, I’m already hooked but I’ll have to wait until March to find out what happens next!
23. The Carrier by Ruth Newton
Ruth is another debut author, who I was lucky enough to meet at Harrogate Crime Writing Festival last year. The minute she told me about her clever sci-fi thriller, I was ready to pre-order then and there!
In The Carrier, we’re introduced to a revolutionary technology in which those wealthy enough can ‘outsource’ their unwanted emotions, and have one of the women - known as Carriers - process it for them instead. But who pays the price in a world full of suffering?
The Carrier will be published in July, and I just bet it’s going to be the talk of the summer!
24. The Pool Party by Rebecca Bainbridge
I’m an enormous fan of Liane Moriarty, so I can’t wait for this simmering summer suspense novel from fellow debut Rebecca Bainbridge.
The Pool Party is about two families, one summer’s day, and the secrets that threaten to spill out when a pool party turns tragic. Just looking at the cover has me feeling summery, and I can’t wait for my copy to land on the 16th of July so I can dive in!
25. A Healthy Appetite by Katie Huttlestone
Another debut offering, out on the 13th of August. A Healthy Appetite is a tale of morality vs mortality and centres around Hannah, who signs up to a clinical trial after receiving a cancer diagnosis in her twenties, but quite quickly discovers some unexpected side effects. As someone who is chronically ill, having been diagnosed with a long-term health condition in my twenties, I am 100% here for as much chronic illness rep as I can get in fiction, and, quite honestly, who could resist pre-ordering with a cover like this one?
26. Marion by Leah Rowan
As a huge fan of Hitchcock’s work, there was no way I wasn’t going to be thrilled to death by the promise of a Psycho reimagining!
In Marion, we get to imagine what might have happened if the leading lady fought back, and I am here for it! This one’s out 07/07/26.
So, there you have it! 26 psychological thrillers I can’t wait to read in 2026.
I’d love to know which of these you’re most looking forward to, and if there are any I’ve missed off that you think I should add to my TBR this year!
