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.

best books 2022 QUICKSILVER

#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. 

best book 2022 The Golden Couple

#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.

best book 2022 Don Winslow

#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 DogThe Cartel, and The Border).

best book 2022 Rachel Hawkins

#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. 

best book 2022 King and Chizmar

#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.

best book 2022 THE MAID

#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.

In The Blood

#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.

Best books 2022 The Recovery Agent

#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.

The Match

#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.

Genre: Crime

Publisher: Century

Pub Date: March 17, 2022

Why it’s a must-read book of 2022:
No one drops readers into the minds of serial killers like No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Harlan Coben.

The Paris Apartment

#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.