If you are in the mood for the kind of book that makes you miss your stop on the train or stay up far too late promising yourself “just one more chapter”, then this month’s new crime and thriller releases deliver exactly that.
From the return of crime giants Michael Connelly and Tom Clancy to standout debut mysteries from exciting new voices including pyschotherapist Philippa Perry, here is our pick of the best to get lost in in May…
Solace House by Will Maclean
A heady collision of gothic horror and campus novel, this 1990s-set tale follows a group of students clearing a remote Victorian house who become ensnared by its eerie journals and talk of parallel realms. Unsettling, cerebral and deeply addictive.
Atlantic Books, £20
Blood, Rust and Steel by Stuart MacBride
As DI Roberta Steel eyes retirement, a body is found in a wheelie bin and the case soon spirals into chaos in this gritty, darkly comic second book in the Scottish crime author’s latest series. Packed with protests, politics and Aberdeen’s criminal underbelly, it is a wild, 600-page ride.
Macmillan, £22
Honey by Imani Thompson
A bored Cambridge PhD student turns to murder in this provocative, whip-smart debut, which blends feminist rage with campus politics and dark humour. Thompson’s literary thriller is surrounded by buzz for good reason.
The Borough Press, £16.99
Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd
Former nun Nora Breen returns for a second outing in this atmospheric seaside mystery, where a séance ends in murder. As bodies mount, Kidd blends wit, charm and the supernatural into a deliciously eerie whodunnit with a strong sense of place.
Faber, £16.99
Ironwood by Michael Connelly
A drug bust gone wrong and a long-buried disappearance collide on Catalina Island in the latest procedural from the bestselling author. As Detective Stilwell joins forces with Renée Ballard, Connelly delivers a tightly plotted mystery with plenty of mounting tension.
Orion, £22
Shrink Solves Murder by Philippa Perry
The psychotherapist and author of the bestselling The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read turns her pen to fiction with this witty crime caper. Fittingly, the novel centres on a therapist – one who turns to sleuthing when a patient’s death doesn’t add up.
Hutchinson Heinemann, £18.99
Rules of Engagement by Tom Clancy
A suspicious plane crash pulls President Jack Ryan into a web of global intrigue in the 27th instalment to Clancy’s bestselling series. With missing bodies and deception aplenty, you can rely on the author for a high-octane thriller.
Sphere, £25
Death Under the Slovenian Sun by Georgina Stewart
A glamorous coastal resort provides the backdrop for murder when a social media star is found dead on a drifting yacht. Detective Petra Vidmar must navigate a world of wealth and illusion in this sun-soaked, twisty summer read.
Constable, £22
A Very Dangerous Pursuit by Ben Miller
The comedian and actor recasts the protagonist of John Buchan’s spy classic The Thirty-Nine Steps in this rollicking historical adventure. From the Orient Express to the Titanic, it follows Richard Hannay on a globe-trotting chase involving espionage, intrigue and a mysteriously significant washbag.
HarperCollins, £20
Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan
A murdered MP and a looming cyber attack propel this tense, tech-driven thriller. As DCS Kat Frank teams up with her partner – who just so happens to be the world’s first AI detective – the book smartly probes trust, truth and the uneasy future of policing.
Simon & Schuster, £18.99
Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara
When two young women vanish after a wedding, suspicion fractures a long-standing friendship. Given that Mara’s novel All Her Fault was recently adapted into a TV series starring Succession’s Sarah Snook, you know you can expect good things from her latest psychological thriller.
Bantam, £16.99
Just Kill by Remi Kone
Three mysterious cases across London – from a missing mother to a brutal murder – converge, and in turn reveal a conspiracy with global roots. Following last year’s propulsive Innocent Guilt, this is the second in Kone’s DI Leah Hutch series.
Quercus, £22
The Secrets from the Deep by Satu Rämö
The fourth entry to the Hildur series – which is being adapted for TV – sees a decades-old disappearance resurfacing in Iceland’s Westfjords. Interweaving timelines from 1995 and the present, it’s a chilling, slow-burn mystery steeped in Nordic atmosphere.
Zaffre, £9.99
The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani
10 months after he and his friend Will were presumed drowned, a bedraggled, silent Danny Yates walks back into his remote, dying town. Only when he finally speaks, he swears he is Will. A page-turning, unsettling read from the prize-winning author of The Midnight King.
Viper, £18.99