2024: The Summer for Killer Mystery/Thrillers
I love a good mystery/thriller and summer of 2024 has offered a wealth of incredible mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels that border on horror. And, they each offer something unique for writers to learn from, if there’s a particular skill or writing tactic you want to read or practice more of. Below you’ll find 8 new and forthcoming novels you won’t want to sleep on, no matter if you want your next beach read or the next book to keep you on edge when a summer thunderstorm threatens to knock out your power.
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
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From the Publisher: In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?
Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers.
When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle. SEE LESS
For Writers: If you’re interested in writing a high concept novel, but want to see how one is executed first (see what we did there?), look no further than Assassins Anonymous. Not to mention, Mark’s character development over the course of the book is thoughtfully done, even as he’s on a high-stakes chase around the world.
[Hear more from author Rob Hart in his WD Presents podcast episode about The Paradox Hotel.]
The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
Publication Date: February 13, 2024 (OK so this isn’t technically a summer book, but too good to leave out!)
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From the Publisher: From bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.
San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.
His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined . . . until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.
For Writers: If you’re considering writing a book with a co-author for the first time, this is a perfect example. Kate Quinn (The Alice Network, The Diamond Eye) and Janie Chang (The Porcelain Moon, The Library of Legends) join together to tell the story of Gemma and Suling and include detailed notes at the end about their research and working process.
[Read the WD interview with Kate Quinn.]
Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe
Publication Date: August 1, 2024
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From the Publisher: She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.
After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.
That chief was Jac’s father.
Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.
Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.
But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.
For Writers: I loved Yasmin Angoe’s Nena Knight Trilogy because it was so easy to root for the strong and measured assassin overcoming a devastating backstory that continued to develop seamlessly over the course of the three novels. Jac, the protagonist of Not What She Seems, is so very different than Nena, but Angoe proves with this novel, that even though the protagonist is more of an average citizen (i.e. not an international assassin), readers will root for her just as strongly as they did for Nena—flaws and all.
(Learn how Yasmin anchors characters in a series at WDC2024!)
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
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From the Publisher: When cracks start forming in an influencer’s curated life, she finds out that jealousy is just as viral as a video in this riveting suspense novel by bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.
Influencer Meredith Lee didn’t teach Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media just to be ditched as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame Mer for doing a little stalking? Nothing serious, more like Stalking Lite. Then, Mer gets lucky; she finds one of Aspen’s kids’ iPads and swipes it. Now, she has access to everything: the family calendar and Aspen’s social media accounts. Would anyone else be able to resist tweaking things a little here and there, showing up in Aspen’s place for meetings with potential sponsors? Mer’s only taking back what she deserves—what should have been hers.
Meanwhile, Aspen doesn’t understand why her perfectly filtered life is falling apart. Sponsors are dropping her, fellow influencers are ghosting her, and even her own husband seems to find her repulsive. If she doesn’t find out who’s behind everything, she might just lose it all. What everyone seems to forget is that Aspen didn’t become one of TikTok’s biggest momfluencers by being naive. When Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen’s world is upended and mysterious threats begin to arrive—but she won’t let anything get in the way of her perfect life again.
For Writers: I don’t to spoil anything, so I’ll just say, keep your eye out for the Sept/Oct 2024 issue of Writer’s Digest for much more about this wild ride of a novel!
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
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From the Publisher: Award-winning author Wanda Morris returns with a powerful, haunting thriller following a lawyer who after the mysterious disappearance of a local landowner and the death of his sister just months before, uncovers a conspiracy that dates back to Reconstruction and persists in half the United States today.
Deena Wood’s life has fallen apart in the aftermath of losing her beloved mother, her marriage, and her prestigious job at an Atlanta law firm. She needs what the Geechee people of coastal Georgia call a “dayclean,” a fresh start.
She returns to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, to heal. But her return is anything but the respite she thought it might be. To make peace with all her loss, she often drives through the city. One day, she unwittingly finds herself on the oceanfront property of a loner widower who is fighting to keep land that has been in his family since the end of the Civil War. He threatens her and warns her to never return. But shortly after, he disappears, and his very expensive property is quickly put up for sale. Curious about what has happened to the man, Deena digs into his disappearance and finds a family legacy at risk. What starts out as a bit of curious snooping, turns into a deadly game of illegal land grabs and property redevelopment in poor and rural communities with dark and powerful forces at work.
Without realizing it, Deena finds herself caught up in a nightmarish scheme that threatens her community and her family. She’ll need help and finds it in a close but unlikely source because she knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sinister forces at play before she becomes their next target.
For Writers: If you’re a writer with a day job or other specialized skill you want to incorporate into a work of fiction, pick up this or any Wanda M. Morris mystery. Morris is formally trained as a corporate lawyer, and weaves in her legal knowledge in a way that only adds more tension to the nightmarish situation Deena finds herself in.
Middletide by Sarah Crouch
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
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From the Publisher: In this gripping and intensely atmospheric debut, disquiet descends on a small town after the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, with all clues pointing to the reclusive young man who abandoned the community in chase of big city dreams but returned for the first love he left behind. Perfect for fans of All Good People Here and Where the Crawdads Sing.
One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.
Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.
As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.
For Writers: If you’re interested in meta-novels, this is a fascinating slow burn. An author is accused of murdering a person in the exact way a character is killed in his novel. A murder-mystery writer’s worst nightmare…
House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias
Publication date: August 6, 2024
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From the Publisher: In the latest from Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil Takes You Home, a group of young men seek vengeance after one of their mothers is murdered in a Puerto Rican slum; Stand By Me with a haunted, obsidian-dark heart.
For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo’s mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.
Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide.
For Writers: Keep your eyes peeled for the Sept/Oct 2024 issue of Writer’s Digest for more about this intense, deeply felt thriller.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
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From the Publisher: 1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.
When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.
A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.
For Writers: This book has gotten a lot of hype in recent week, but deservedly so. For writers looking to write a genre-bending novel that spans decades and generational impacts of a traumatizing event, this should be your go-to.
Learn more about the craft and business of writing at the 2024 Writer’s Digest Annual Conference—this year in WD’s hometown of Cincinnati!