Best thriller books to read in 2022: Top rated crime and suspense novels

In a nutshell: Teenage love turned incredibly sour

Award winning novelist Lisa Jewel has released countless thrillers all with their own dark twists and shocking revelations but The Night She Disappeared, her latest lockdown novel, is in another category entirely. This multi-layered story flicks between three time periods and perspectives simultaneously: a teenage couple with a newborn baby, their grandmother raising the child and a detective novelist moved from London to a lazy Surrey village. Eventually all paths will intertwine to reveal a terrible secret.

In a nutshell: Gripping story of a double life

This gripping thriller explores what it’s like to have a picture perfect life but with a deep and secret past. Set between Oregon in the US and a Welsh village, the book revolves around protagonist Grace Jenson who returns home one day to discover a dead body in her kitchen. From this she realises that her past, which she tried so hard to bury, has come back to haunt her and she must finally face up to what happened 17 years ago.

In a nutshell: A complex couple both harbouring secret identities

This debut novel by French writer Laure Van Rensburg is not one to be missed this summer. Inspired by a true story shared during the MeToo movement, this book explores the power dynamics and the issue of consent between a questionable couple who have gone away for a, supposedly, romantic weekend getaway to a cabin deep in the forest.

In a nutshell: A sexy summer read with a twist

If you’re looking for a summer read to devour by the pool or on the beach, look no further than Summer Fever. Set in the idyllic but remote Italian town of Luna Rossa, the book follows a struggling London-based couple who open a holiday home for other couples but not all is as it seems as they welcome their first couple to stay. With constant simmering undertones, this book will make you wish you were on holiday in Italy; just not with this group of people.

In a nutshell: A disgruntled journalist explores the dark secret of her childhood village

Written by the same author as Gone Girl, a story with an unforgettable jaw dropping twist, this book will equally shock and amuse readers. It follows a Chicago-based journalist with her own vices, who is sent back to her all-American childhood town to investigate the murders of two little girls – and what she discovers will change her life forever. The book has also been turned into a chilling TV series featuring Amy Adams.

In a nutshell: A horror novel that exploits our darkest fears

Written in 1986 by the king of thrillers, Stephen King, IT is his 22nd book and still holds as much grip over readers today as it did 30 years ago. The book has soared back into popularity following the chilling film series from 2017 and 2019. The story explores themes such as childhood trauma, the power of memory and what lies beneath the surface of seemingly idyllic American towns.

In a nutshell: The dangerous repercussions of forbidden love and deceit

Set in the smoky jazz bars of 1950s New York, this debut novel by Julie Owen Moylan brings to life an array of powerful, bold and complicated women – all of whom have their own stories and secrets. The mystery at hand is soft and gently unfolds to climax into a satisfying but heartbreaking ending.

In a nutshell: An unravelling marriage in the era of the MeToo movement

Published in 2018, but regained fame in recent months thanks to the powerful Netflix drama based on the book, Anatomy of a Scandal explores society’s entrenched ideas of class, toxic masculinity and privilege all through the lens of a high-profile marriage unravelling at the heart of British politics.

In a nutshell: The iconic Hercule Poirot investigates his first case

Fans of Agatha Christie will have no doubt read the first of the Poirot novels along with the other 33 books he appears in. However, this collectors edition brings the story to life with a beautiful hardback cover and wonderful illustrations throughout, meaning whether you’re a diehard Christie fan or a first time reader you’ll want to re-read this novel to re-examine what you thought you knew.

In a nutshell: Cold war espionage thriller of a Russian mole at MI6

The first in Le Carré’s Karla trilogy, Tinker Tailor Spy is a cold war thriller like no other. Shrouded in history, spymaster George Smiley is brought out of retirement and instructed to hunt down the Moscow Centre mole who has infiltrated Britain’s Intelligence Service. As one of the greatest espionage novels of all time, you’ll be unable to put this book down.