Best Books of 2022
The Best Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime, and Suspense Books of 2022
It’s early. Way too early, really, to compile a must-read list for 2022, considering the year hasn’t even started yet. Still, there are already a number of big titles announced in the mystery, thriller, horror, crime, and suspense genres that demand our attention.
So, if you’re already putting together a reading list for next year, here are ten books you’ll want to add to your to-be-read pile.
#10
Quicksilver
Dean Koontz
During a shoot-out at a forlorn dude ranch, Quinn Quicksilver finally meets his destined companions: Bridget Rainking, a beauty as gifted in foresight as she is with firearms, and her grandpa Sparky, a romance novelist with an unusual past. Bridget knows what it’s like to be Quinn. She’s hunted, too. The only way to stay alive is to keep moving.
Genre: Suspense
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: January 25, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
Dean Koontz is a master of suspense, and this horror-suspense thriller will have readers on the edge of their seats.
#9
The Golden Couple
Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple–until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods. When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course.
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: March 8, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
The cryptic characters in this addictive page-turner will keep readers up well past bedtime.
#8
City on Fire
Don Winslow
Danny Ryan yearns for a more “legit” life and a place in the sun. But as the bloody conflict stacks body on body and brother turns against brother, Danny has to rise above himself. To save the friends he loves like family and the family he has sworn to protect, he becomes a leader, a ruthless strategist, and a master of a treacherous game in which the winners live and the losers die.
Genre: Crime
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Pub Date: April 26, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
This is a first book in a new trilogy, from the author of the Cartel series (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, and The Border).
#7
Reckless Girls
Rachel Hawkins
When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.
Genre: Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: January 24, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
From the author of The Wife Upstairs comes another suspenseful story readers will want to get their hands on.
#6
Gwendy’s Final Task
Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
Evil forces seek to possess the button box and it’s up to Senator Gwendy Peterson to keep it from them. At all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Cemetery Dance
Pub Date: February 15, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
As far as writing duos, King and Chizmar are the pinnacle. And The Button Box series is horror at its finest.
#5
The Maid
Nita Prose
Molly’s orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle.
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pub Date: January 4, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
Nita Prose is not a household name, but this closed-room mystery is getting major buzz ahead of publication.
#4
In The Blood
Jack Carr
Over 6,000 miles away, former Navy SEAL James Reece watches the names and pictures of the victims on cable news. One face triggers a distant memory of a Mossad operative attached to the CIA years earlier in Iraq—a woman with ties to the intelligence services of two nations … a woman Reece thought he would never see again.
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Pub Date: May 31, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
With Chris Pratt starring in the film adaptation of Carr’s The Terminal List, this is a series all thriller lovers should follow.
#3
The Recovery Agent
Janet Evanovich
Lost something? Gabriela Rose knows how to get it back. As a recovery agent, she’s hired by individuals and companies seeking lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. She’s reliable, cool under pressure, and well trained in weapons of all types. But Gabriela’s latest job isn’t for some bamboozled billionaire, it’s for her own family, whose home is going to be wiped off the map if they can’t come up with a lot of money fast.
Genre: Action Thriller
Publisher: Atria Books
Pub Date: March 22, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
The thriller master, Janet Evanovich, has launched a new series. Prepare for twists, action, and one of the best books of the year.
#2
The Match
Harlan Coben
As a young child, Wilde was found living a feral existence in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey. He has grown up knowing nothing of his family, and even less about his own identity. Wilde dives into DNA websites where he becomes caught up in a community of doxxers, a secret group committed to exposing anonymous online trolls. Then one by one these doxxers start to die, and it soon becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting this secret community.
#1
The Paris Apartment
Lucy Foley
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: William Morrow
Pub Date: February 15, 2022
Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
The Guest List was one of the most popular books of 2020. Now Foley is back with another surefire hit on her hands.