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In 2021, there’s been no shortage of thrillers to add to your tbr stack, and summer is the perfect time to kick back and enjoy all that’s outrageous, twisted, exciting, and, let’s be honest, sometimes downright. disturbing. From reading a mystery in a locked room with your feet warm in the sand, the ocean before you as far as the eye can see, to a riveting murder investigation from the comfort of your air-conditioned couch, there’s something for everyone.
You are reading: Summer mystery books 2021
These are the most captivating thrillers you won’t want to miss in 2021.
all the girls are so nice here by laurie elizabeth flynn (March 9, 2021)
This chilling and twisted thriller centers on two former best friends who return to their alma mater for a college reunion. once there, they quickly realize that someone is attacking them to get revenge for what they did ten years ago. devastatingly dark and full of tension, the girls are all so nice here offers a juicy and unflinching portrait of the intricacies of friendship and social ambition.
kaira rouda’s next wife (May 1, 2021)
kate nelson had it all. a flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. until john left for another woman, half her age, named tish. tish has developed a friendship with ashlyn and thinks she won. but the truth is that there is a lot of baggage. that is, his first wife, kate, and suspicions of her infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As the best laid plans fall apart, there’s no telling what one woman will do in the name of love and revenge. There’s no limit to the lies, suspicions, and secrets that can poison the perfect marriage in this twisted thriller from America’s best-selling author, Kaira Rouda.
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mary dixie carter’s photographer (May 25, 2021)
As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite. But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she weren’t behind the camera but part of the scene, in the beautiful home and elegant life of the Straub family. that’s when delta puts her plan in motion, taking care of natalie’s children; make friends with her mother; find opportunities to listen to her father. soon she is bathing in the master tub, drinking her expensive wine and looking out over the beautifully finished garden apartment in her row house. a story of suspense and envy, astutely observed, told in the captivating and compelling voice of a character who will make you doubt that seeing is believing.
the other black girl by zakiya dalila harris (June 1, 2021)
Nella is tired of being the only black girl in her office, so she gets excited when Hazel starts working alongside her. Then Hazel becomes the office’s new girlfriend, and Nella is left in the dust with creepy messages on her desk. Nella begins to spin and question the sinister forces, including Hazel, that are interfering with her career.
tell me the truth by matthew farrell (June 22, 2021)
Jenny Moore was looking forward to a fresh start in college, but her dreams were crushed by the people in her life. When her mother discovers Jenny dead behind her house, she begins a murder investigation. State Police Detectives Liam and Susan immediately sense that something isn’t quite right, and the secretive family is no help. the clues contradict her parents’ story and the town has a history of hiding the truth. Will liam and susan solve the case before it’s too late?
her last breath by hilary davidson (July 1, 2021)
The death of Deidre’s sister, Caroline, leaves her heartbroken and confused. Caroline had sent Deidre a note days before, warning her that her death was not an accident and that her husband, Theo, had killed her first wife. deidre confronts theo, only to discover that her beloved sister had been having an affair. paranoid and armed with information, deidre sets out to dig deeper and uncover the truth.
kill all you love by david bell (July 6, 2021)
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After years of struggling to write after the death of his wife and son, English teacher Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about the murder of a young woman. There’s just one problem: Connor didn’t write the book. his missing student, presumed dead, did. and then she shows up on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to expose him. Connor’s problems escalate when the police insist that details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder two years ago. a provocative and suspenseful novel about the sexual harassment still rampant in academia, and the lengths to which those in power will go to cover it up.
such a quiet place by megan miranda (July 13, 2021)
hollow rim used to be a quiet place. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. a year and a half later, the edge of hollow is boiling. residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty truett house and smothered by his trial testimony implicating one of their own. ruby fletcher. And now, ruby’s back, his conviction nullified. in a matter of days, the suspicion spreads like a virus around the edge of the hole. It’s becoming increasingly clear that not everyone was telling the truth about the night of the Truett murders. Throbbing with suspense and packed with the surprising twists that are Megan Miranda’s trademark, Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet – a twisting thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
participation by megan abbott (Aug 3, 2021)
dara and marie have been dancers since birth due to their mother’s glamorous studio. When their parents tragically die, the two girls take over the dance studio, along with their favorite student, Charlie. the three have perfected running the business, until a suspicious accident occurs just before the nutcracker’s performance. Will the three dancers be able to balance it all? Or will his poise and perfection finally break?
dark road by chevy stevens (Aug 3, 2021)
Hitchhikers have been disappearing along the dangerous Cold Creek Highway for decades. women have been known to have cars that break down and disappear. still, hailey mcbride tests her fate with cold creek when she runs away. A year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek to mourn the highway’s victims, including Ella’s sister Amber Ella. Ella Beth has become addicted to drugs and she hopes this memorial will bring her peace. Ella Beth begins to connect with people who knew Amber and she soon learns that many liars hide beneath the fear of Cold Creek.
a slow fire that burns by paula hawkins (Aug 31, 2021)
Four years after her last novel, Paula Hawkins is back with a riveting new mystery, set on a London houseboat. After a young man is found murdered, the police investigate three women with separate connections to the victim and equal motives for revenge. Full of unpredictable twists and turns, this compulsive reading thriller will keep you guessing until the very last page.
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