Eight thrillers with suspense elements
I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday, which was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog,
Today on Top Ten Tuesday, the prompt is “Genre Freebie,” and I’m focusing on “Thrillers With Suspense Elements” a subgenre I haven’t really thought about before. Ever since the rampant success of novels like Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window, and Gone Girl, thrillers have been in a never-ending twist-off competition, constantly trying to out-do each other with jaw-dropping, out-of-nowhere plot explosions that don’t even necessarily make sense, most of the time. So this list is reserved solely for the novels that seamlessly slipped in twists that felt satisfying, earned, and of course, truly f*cking shocking. Luckily, I was able to find not ten but eight books! These are on my TBR.
Whether you’re in the mood for a psychological whodunit, a dangerous game of deception, or a race against time to uncover buried truths, these eight must-read thriller books in 2025, curated by Storizen, are guaranteed to captivate and leave you questioning everything. Here’s a peek into the gripping tales awaiting you this year.
Bonded in Death by J D Robb. When a man known as Giovanni Rossi is murdered just minutes after arriving in New York, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is left with more questions than answers—an elderly victim with a hidden past, an untraceable weapon, and a crime seemingly tied to the long-buried secrets of the Urban Wars. But when the case leads her to Summerset, her husband’s enigmatic and fiercely private confidant, the mystery takes a personal turn. Decades ago, he was part of The Twelve, a secret organization now being systematically hunted. As more of its former members fall, Summerset may be next—and Eve must unravel the past before the killer completes their deadly mission.
https://amzn.to/42NucW6
All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman. Florence Grimes is a thirty-one-year-old party girl who’s stuck in a rut, living a life of unfulfilled potential after the collapse of her girl band career. Her only reason for getting up every day is her ten-year-old son, Dylan. But when Alfie Risby, the bully who torments Dylan and heir to a frozen food empire, goes missing during a school trip, Dylan is suddenly the prime suspect. With no skills and no friends among the school moms, Florence is forced to step up and clear her son’s name—if she can. The problem? She’s not sure Dylan is as innocent as she wants to believe. Hilarious, twisted, and full of surprises, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is the darkly comedic thriller everyone will be talking about in 2025.
https://amzn.to/4guHgTG
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. On Camilla’s first day back at work and her daughter’s first day at nursery, her husband Luke is nowhere to be found—only an unfinished note remains. She tries to push away the unease, believing there must be a logical explanation, until breaking news shakes her world: a hostage situation is unfolding in London, and the police confirm Luke is at the center of it. But he isn’t a victim—he’s the gunman. The devoted father, successful writer, and eternal optimist she thought she knew has become the country’s most wanted man, and only Camilla holds the key to understanding why, hidden in the note he left behind.
https://amzn.to/434yPeP
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. When Roman Carruthers returns home after his father’s suspicious car accident, he finds his family in crisis—his brother Dante drowning in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister Neveah struggling to keep their crematorium business afloat. As Roman tries to buy Dante’s way out of trouble, he quickly realizes that the people he’s dealing with aren’t just wannabe thugs but real gangsters who won’t be satisfied with money alone. With his father in a coma and long-buried family secrets resurfacing, Roman is forced to put his own skills to the test, willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family—because in Jefferson Run, everything burns.
https://amzn.to/413nom4
The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose. Molly the maid has always been surrounded by secrets, quietly observing the hidden lives of guests at the Regency Grand Hotel as she wipes away their traces. But when a simple trinket—a faux Fabergé egg—turns out to be a priceless antique, Molly finds herself thrust into the spotlight, only for the treasure to vanish without a trace. Determined to solve the mystery, she follows the trail of dust and deception, uncovering clues buried deep in the past. In the pages of her late grandmother’s forgotten diary, Molly discovers secrets that could unravel everything—if only she can piece them together in time.
https://amzn.to/40PFVkh
The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed. Nura Khan has built a thriving matchmaking business in Atlanta, crafting perfect love stories for her elite clients—until their weddings start falling apart in eerie and disturbing ways. Used to handling occasional disgruntled prospects, she brushes off the first disaster, but as the incidents escalate, it’s clear someone is sabotaging her work. With her childhood best friend (and fake fiancé) Azar by her side, Nura must uncover the truth before she loses everything—including her own safety. But as she digs deeper, she realizes the culprit might be closer than she ever imagined.
https://amzn.to/3Euu5or
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. Nic Monroe has spent seven years trapped in the shadow of her sister Kasey’s disappearance, stuck in a dead-end job and drowning in pity from those around her. The only clue to Kasey’s vanishing—a car abandoned miles from home—mirrors another unsolved case from the same time, that of Jules Connor. When Jules’s sister, Jenna, unexpectedly enters Nic’s life, she brings something Nic thought was lost forever: hope. Together, the two women embark on a relentless search for answers, uncovering chilling secrets that could finally bring their sisters home—or shatter everything they’ve ever believed.
https://amzn.to/4jGpVd4
True Dinosaurs by Qyula Narratives. When a strange fossil is discovered in Antarctica, renowned scientist Dr. Theo Carter and his team uncover a global conspiracy tied to an extra-terrestrial mystery, one that shatters everything we thought we knew about Earth's past.
https://www.truedinosaurs.com/