Whether you’re counting down the days of summer because you don’t want it to end or you can’t wait for fall to smother the heat, publishing is ready to stack your mystery and thriller TBR list! You can put on your sleuthing cap for cozy mystery solving — delicious food and even some vampires included — or pack in all the tension with thrillers. There’s something for middle grade readers, YA readers, and adult readers.
August’s mystery and thriller releases will keep you wildly entertained—seriously, there’s a delicious hook in a thriller that will have you saying “what?!” There’s also a cold case unit at the DA’s office, a tween after a ghost photo who stumbles onto a murder mystery, a murder mystery set two months before the world ends, an accident-or-murder trope involving a sizable will, and so much more! How do we order more time for reading?
All We Hide by Robyn Gigl
For fans of cold case units and murder mysteries
Lauren Kelly has been sent to the DA’s Cold Case Unit, which she knows is to avoid her claiming discrimination as the county’s only trans detective. Now she’s looking into a former classmate’s murder, and the case is pointing at a cover-up that will entangle a lot of people. It might also be tied to Lauren’s own childhood mystery…
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson
For fans of middle grade mysteries, supernatural, and ghost tours
Following her grandmother’s death, 12-year-old Harmony Roundtree is touring the country with her guitarist dad rather than being home in Harlem. While staying in Savannah, Harmony is determined to prove ghosts exist, but ends up instead with a murder mystery connected to the woman her father is staying with.
Murder At The End of the World by Akane Araki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
For fans of detective duos, Japanese murder mysteries, and “an asteroid is about to hit the earth” setting
If there are only two months left to live—an asteroid is about to hit the earth—what’s the point of solving a murder? Turns out some people are trying to go about their lives as usual until they figure out what to do. Enter Haru, a university student getting her driver’s license, and Isagawa, her instructor/former police detective. When they find someone stabbed to death, they decide to investigate since the police most likely won’t.
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The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian
For fans of literary crime novels and fictional memoirs
In the summer of 1978, 18-year-old Mira Winston’s life was changed forever after she accidentally killed someone. While at a country club, she hit a golf ball that hit a young caddie and killed him. The incident means that she doesn’t head to Yale, an affair with a much older man is revealed, and eventually, there’s a trial.
Not a Word by Linwood Barclay
For fans of murder mystery thrillers
Strap in for this hook: Reese finds his mom and dad dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Except it doesn’t look right, and his mom calls him to check on his dad—she’s out with friends! Reese asks her to come home, but instead, she disappears… What is happening?!
The Hardest Ones to Fool by Christina Li
For fans of twisty YA and scammer stories
Amelia Wu is running a scam in her senior year of high school, posing as various girls (Amy, Ellie, Mia) in order to date three wealthy men. It’s all going great until her best friend is found dead following a party they were all at.
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
For fans of fictional serial killers, recanting in an old case, and childhood best friends
Twenty-five years ago, Barb, Nicolette, and Lorelei were best friends hanging out with a man working at the local amusement park, Wonderland. Now the serial killer who had once confessed to Lorelei’s murder has recanted, the amusement park is set to reopen, and Barb and Nicolette are left to face the past.
This is a standalone thriller in the same setting as Wonderland.
My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru
For fans of YA mysteries, family reunions, wills, and banter!
Sixteen-year-old Jayshree Devi is at her annual family reunion when her Grand Mom is almost killed. With a sizable fortune and will at play, Jayshree teams up with her cousins to figure out if Grand Mom was involved in an accident or something far more sinister.
New In Mystery Series

And Then There Were Bun (Noodle Shop Mystery #13) by Vivien Chien: A delicious cozy mystery series centering Lana Lee (amateur sleuth, of course!) and her family’s restaurant in Ohio. The series began with Death by Dumpling.
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