The Best Mystery and Thriller Books of 2024: Twists, Tension, and Unforgettable Characters

When Cal Hooper traded Chicago’s chaos for rural Ireland’s quiet hills, he thought he’d found peace—or something like it. With a fledgling bond growing between him and Trey Reddy, a scrappy teenager desperate for stability, life seemed almost manageable. Then Trey’s estranged father storms back into town with a wealthy Englishman and a glittering scheme to strike gold. What begins as a dubious treasure hunt quickly unearths fractures in the fragile trust between Cal, Trey, and Lena, the sharp-witted local who’s also tangled in the mess. As dreams of fortune ignite, so does a thirst for revenge. With tensions mounting and loyalties tested, everyone must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for love—or vengeance. Will their hard-fought connections shatter under the weight of greed and secrets?

“I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.” When reclusive mystery author Sebastian Trapp invites detective fiction expert Nicky Hunter to his San Francisco mansion, she expects literary intrigue—not a real-life mystery. Living among Trapp’s glamorous but fractious family, Nicky uncovers unsettling truths: twenty years ago, Trapp’s wife and son vanished without a trace. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? As Nicky dives deeper into Sebastian’s life, his protective daughter Madeleine begins questioning her father’s innocence. Then a body surfaces in the koi pond, and the stakes turn deadly. What secrets does this family harbor, and why is the past clawing its way back now? The truth may kill them all—or reveal a crime too perfect to forget.

July 1995. Newlyweds April and Eddie are lost on their honeymoon, driving down a desolate road called Atticus Line. When they stop for a lone hitchhiker, the woman’s bleeding jacket and a truck speeding after them spark a nightmarish chain of events. Hours later, the hitchhiker is dead, and April and Eddie are suspects in a string of unsolved murders. As the police close in, the couple digs into the chilling history of Coldlake Falls and its haunted road. What they uncover is no ordinary killer but a force far darker—and far more relentless. With their lives and sanity at stake, they must unravel the truth before Atticus Line claims more victims. Some roads should never be traveled.

In the hidden village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache’s tranquil morning is shattered by relentless phone calls he can’t ignore. When he finally answers, his fury cracks the calm. What follows is a string of baffling clues—a missing coat, a cryptic note, and a murder—that drag Gamache, his son-in-law Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste into a spiraling nightmare. Old friends seem suspect, enemies feel trustworthy, and the stakes grow with every chilling discovery. From Québec’s quiet villages to bustling cities and across borders, Gamache must unmask the sinister force looming behind it all. As the enormity of the threat becomes clear, the team races against time. If they fail, the devastation will spread far beyond Three Pines, changing lives forever.

In August 1975, thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her bunk at her family’s Adirondack summer camp. The Van Laars own the camp and employ most of the nearby residents, but their wealth and power can’t shield them from tragedy—this isn’t the first time a child has gone missing. Fourteen years earlier, Barbara’s older brother disappeared without a trace. As search parties comb the woods, long-buried secrets surface. The Van Laars’ carefully crafted facade begins to crumble, and tensions flare between the family and the blue-collar workers tied to them. With every revelation, the line between victim and perpetrator blurs. Richly layered and suspenseful, this gripping drama of privilege, loss, and betrayal reveals the truth behind the disappearances—and asks if some secrets are better left buried.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun has spent twenty years haunted by her sister’s disappearance. With no answers and too many questions, she’s channeled her pain into finding other missing girls. But most cases end in heartbreak, not miracles. When Ellie Black, a local teenager missing for two years, is discovered alive in the Washington woods, Chelsey hopes for a breakthrough. But Ellie is far from free—she refuses to reveal where she’s been or who she’s protecting. Determined to uncover the truth, Chelsey dives into a case riddled with secrets, lies, and threats that hit all too close to home. Solving Ellie’s mystery may bring closure to Chelsey’s past—or put the next girl at risk of vanishing forever.

Six CIA officers. A lifetime of stolen secrets. Now, they must betray each other. When a Russian with vital intelligence is assassinated in Singapore, the mission unravels. CIA operative Sam Joseph vanishes, and Artemis Procter, the operation’s chief, is scapegoated and ousted from the agency. Months later, Sam reappears with a chilling revelation: there’s a mole in the CIA’s highest ranks. Procter and Sam dive into a dangerous hunt, where allies and enemies blur. As their investigation narrows to Procter’s closest friends and fiercest rivals, a cunning Russian spymaster moves to protect Moscow’s agent, no matter the cost. What unfolds is a gripping test of loyalty, trust, and survival. When secrets bind and betray, how well can you truly know the people you trust most?

When reclusive ex–movie star Lana Farrar invites her closest friends to her private Greek island for an Easter escape, it promises glamour, laughter, and nostalgia. But the idyllic retreat takes a deadly turn when a murder traps them overnight, far from the world. Narrated by Elliot Chase, a longtime friend with secrets of his own, the story delves into a web of concealed grudges, buried betrayals, and simmering resentments among the glittering guest list. As tension mounts, alliances crumble, and suspicions swirl in a deadly game of cat and mouse. This isn’t just a tale of murder—it’s a story of love, revenge, and the darker side of fame. By dawn, the question remains: Who killed, and why?

Josephine and Penny Williamson may be Britain’s most beloved WWII veterans, but the glamorous sisters are far from typical war heroes. At 97, they’re sharp as ever, traveling the country for commemorations and always chasing their next thrill. This time, it’s a trip to Paris for the Légion d’honneur—though their devoted great-nephew Archie soon suspects there’s more to the visit than meets the eye. Archie knows his great-aunts as sprightly historians with “modest” wartime roles. But beneath their charm lies a shadowy past of secrets, scandal, and remarkable daring. When new clues about an old enemy surface, the sisters plan one final mission—mixing vengeance, justice, and a touch of mischief. Can these legendary women pull off one last heist, or will their illustrious careers end in chaos?

A midnight noise in an old house during a blizzard—easy to dismiss, until the footsteps climb the stairs. Home alone with her children, a mother’s worst nightmare unfolds as a shadowy figure appears in the hallway. Heart pounding, she hides her kids in a secret room concealed within the house’s walls. From their suffocating sanctuary, they hear his chilling attempts to lure them out—his voice full of promises and threats. But when the mother sees his face, dread turns to horror. She knows him. She knows what he wants. With no escape and nowhere to run, she must outwit the intruder to protect her children, even if it means risking her life. What unfolds is a harrowing battle of wits and survival in the dark.