Looking for something to keep your pulse racing while the temperatures soar? Whether you’re lounging by the pool or hiding out in the AC, these cool and chilling mysteries are the perfect summer escape.
Offering a nice mix of psychological suspense, domestic thrillers, legal suspense, literary mysteries, and traditional crime fiction, here are some titles published in 2026—and available with your Livingston Library card.
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
Camille needs an alibi—and Aubrey agrees to become her double for one night. While Camille secretly investigates her husband’s suspicious activities, Aubrey steps into her life. But when Camille’s husband is found murdered the next morning, both women become entangled in a web of deception where the truth could destroy them both. A fast-paced psychological thriller packed with twists.
Beach Thriller by Jamie Day
Returning to her family’s abandoned beach house nearly twenty years after her sister’s tragic death, struggling author Holly hopes to write a bestseller and rebuild her life. But as she uncovers long-buried secrets tied to one of the town’s most powerful families, an unseen watcher begins stalking her every move. This atmospheric beach-town thriller delivers suspense, secrets, and plenty of twists.
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder : A Novel by Nina Swamidoss McConigley
When an Indian American professor is found dead at a prestigious university, a young woman is drawn into an investigation that exposes long-buried family secrets, academic rivalries, and questions of identity and belonging. Blending sharp wit with an engaging whodunit, this literary mystery offers a fresh twist on the classic campus crime novel.
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
A wealthy family gathers at a luxury island estate for a reunion where the billionaire patriarch plans to name his successor. But with hidden agendas, long-buried secrets, and fierce rivalries, the celebration soon turns deadly. This twist-filled locked-room mystery proves that family can be the most dangerous suspect of all.
The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch
Four sleepless strangers who meet nightly at an all-night diner form an unlikely friendship. When one of them suddenly disappears, the group sets out to uncover the truth, revealing hidden secrets and proving that even those closest to us can be strangers.
It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara
A single misdirected text to a neighborhood group chat unleashes rumors, threats, and deadly consequences. When a woman with the same address is murdered, one question remains: was she the intended target? This fast-paced thriller is packed with tension and unexpected twists.
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
When artist Eden Fox returns home to find another woman living in her house—and her husband claiming she’s his wife—her world is turned upside down. As long-buried secrets emerge, this twisty psychological thriller keeps readers guessing until the final page.
The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
In 1966 California, three women whose husbands were convicted serial killers forge an unlikely friendship. When a new string of murders begins, they join forces to catch the killer, proving that no one understands a murderer better than those who once lived with one.
The Storm by Rachel Hawkins
When a true-crime writer arrives at a historic Alabama inn with the woman accused of a decades-old murder, long-buried secrets begin to resurface. As a powerful hurricane approaches, the search for the truth becomes a race against time in this atmospheric Southern suspense novel.
Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh
After a devastating fire leaves his wife in a coma and her wealthy family dead, Tavish Advani becomes the prime suspect. As he fights to clear his name, he uncovers dark secrets that suggest his in-laws were hiding far more than a perfect image.
Too Close to Home by Seraphina
In the picture-perfect community of Cloverhill Lakes, secrets lurk beneath the surface. When a car explosion at a neighborhood party leaves the wrong person dead—and Regan Hoffman sees her supposedly dead husband alive—she must uncover the truth before it destroys everything she knows.
We Would Never Tell : A Novel by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
At the glamorous Cannes Film Festival, three aspiring Hollywood women chase fame and fortune—but when a priceless necklace disappears and a body is found in the Mediterranean, their dreams turn into a deadly scandal.
–Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian