BookList Queen Best Thriller Books of 2026

IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER, Lisa Jewell
ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI, Ashley Elston
HER LAST BREATH, Taylor Adams
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE, Alice Feeney
THE FINE ART OF LYING, Alexandra Andrews

also under Best Books
MAD MABEL, Sally Hepworth
YESTERYEAR, Caro Claire Burke

Pet Peeve: the use of the term “thriller” to describe psychological/domestic suspense novels. But the use of it has become so widespread that I might as well be spitting in the wind.

Some people consider YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke to be a quasi-crime novel. It’s a stretch, but I’ve listed it here because I suspect it will be on other lists of best mysteries and crime novels of 2026. We’ll see.