With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid re-imagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

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Staff thoughts: A fun and fantastic re-imagining of Jane Eyre (and du Maurier's own retelling, Rebecca) that will have you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. Both this and Hawkins's other books (Reckless Girls and The Villa) are the perfect summer thriller reads!

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard.

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Staff thoughts: Ruth Ware has been called the modern Agatha Christie, and her breakout hit is worthy if the nickname. This suspenseful psychological thriller will have you questioning right up until the end--and the book's introduction is one of my favorite thriller cold opens of all time!

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills. When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

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Staff thoughts: If you're looking for a low-stakes, action-packed laugh, this is the book for you! Raybourn branches out of her historical mystery/romance niche with this high-octane action thriller about the wonders of sisterhood... and murder!

From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs–Steph, Paul and teenage daughter Freya–but has never got to know them. Until one day, she hears something that seizes her attention: Freya has vanished and the police are questioning Steph and Paul about their life. The effects of Freya’s disappearance ripple outward, affecting not just her parents, but everyone who lives in the building, including Emma and local driving instructor Chris, who was the last person to see the teenager before she went missing.

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Staff thoughts: One of the most intricately-crafted modern mysteries I've read in the past few years, this hidden gem is a must if you like slow-burn dramas. Everyone has a secret to hide, and I never knew what was going to happen next--even when I was convinced I had the answer!

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

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Staff thoughts: This gut-wrenching slow suspense novel went to places I absolutely did not expect, and the mid-book twist is absolutely mind-blowing! I highly recommend if you're in the mood for something a little bit darker... or if you'd like to cry.

Hester Marley used to have a plan for her life. But when a catastrophic attack left her injured, indebted, and stranded far from home, she was forced to take a dead-end security job with a powerful mining company in the asteroid belt. Now she spends her days investigating petty crimes to help her employer maximize its profits. She's surprised to hear from an old friend and fellow victim of the terrorist attack that ruined her life—and that surprise quickly turns to suspicion when he claims to have discovered something shocking about their shared history and the tragedy that neither of them can leave behind.

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Staff thoughts: This sci-fi murder mystery was a wild ride from start to finish, and was a refreshing twist on the mystery/thriller genre! Its space opera setting is easy to follow, so I can wholeheartedly endorse this for both sci-fi fans and sci-fi newbies alike!

Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend's yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating waitressing job, but once she's aboard the luxurious Lion's Den, it soon becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.
 

Staff thoughts: If you're looking to a fun summer read full of drama, intrigue, and the wildest finale I've read in recent memory, this is the book for you! The Lion's Den is pure turn-off-your-brain delight right up until the last page--and let me tell you, I was hollering by the end. I also recommend St. John's other summer thriller The Siren, too.

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Camille Gardner is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.
When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of women—the collective—Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.

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Staff thoughts: I've never read anything like this before in a thriller, and I highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible. This is as much an exploration of grief as it is an interesting and unique thriller. Highly recommend!

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In the lucrative world of finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are at the top of their game. They’ve mastered the art of the deal and celebrate their success in style―but a life of extreme luxury always comes at a cost.
Invited to participate in an escape room challenge as a team-building exercise, the ferociously competitive co-workers crowd into the elevator of a high-rise building, eager to prove themselves. But when the lights go off and the doors stay shut, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary competition: they’re caught in a dangerous game of survival.

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Staff Thoughts: Goldin's books never disappoint, and this is no exception. With a wild premise and a cast unique, delightfully hate-able characters, this mystery/thriller will have you screaming right along with its protagonists as the Saw-style plot unfolds. I highly recommend this and Goldin's other works, including The Night Swim.
 

Twenty-two-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.
Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they're not alone in the forest... and that Eileen's disappearance wasn't an accident.

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Staff Thoughts: One of my favorite thrillers of all time, this book starts and does not stop. Elements of the plot skew more to horror than a traditional mystery/thriller, which is why it is so low on this list--but if you like your thrillers bloody and terrifying, this is the book for you! Just don't read it if you're planning on hiking alone any time soon...