The 10 best new thrillers to read this spring

Spring has finally arrived, which means it's time to catch up on these addictively twisty 2018 tales
By David Canfield and Leah Greenblatt
March 29, 2018 at 02:19 PM EDT

1 of 11

2018's best thrillers so far

A long, cold winter is finally winding down, which means it's the perfect time to catch up on the year's best thrillers so far. From time-jumping mind benders to gripping crime sagas, these 10 addictively twisty books will keep you turning the pages long past your bedtime.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

'The Wife' by Alafair Burke

Harper

The latest from lawyer–turned–best-selling novelist Burke (The Ex) is as freshly topical as a #MeToo hashtag, but it unfolds with the slow-burn thrill of pure fiction: When a liberal Manhattan media figure is accused of sexual misconduct, should his young wife stand by her man? The answer is a genuine shocker, sneaky and smart. —Leah Greenblatt

3 of 11

'Sometimes I Lie' by Alice Feeney

Flatiron Books

A depressive British radio presenter with a faltering career and an increasingly distant marriage suddenly wakes up in a hospital ward. How did she get there? And what do her grade-school diary entries have to do with it? Former BBC reporter Feeney weaves a murderously twisty little tale out of the tricks perception and memory can play. —LG

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 11

'The Woman in the Window' by A.J. Finn

William Morrow

Former therapist Anna Fox, now a shut-in in her Harlem brownstone, loses herself most evenings — and mornings, and afternoons — in the bottom of a wine glass. But when she believes she sees something terrible one night through her neighbors' window, Finn’s smash debut begins to take a turn as darkly and deliciously Hitchcockian as Anna's beloved golden-age DVDs. —LG

Advertisement

5 of 11

'The Wolves of Winter' by Tyrell Johnson

Scribner

Johnson's stylish debut traverses a cold, vividly unforgiving landscape. In the aftermath of nuclear war, with disease continuing to spread, one woman forges ahead in the Canadian Yukon while haunted by memories of her past. Her arduous journey is harsh but unforgettable. —David Canfield

6 of 11

"The Sandman" by Lars Kepler

Knopf

There's an incredible backstory behind Lars Kepler, one of the world's most internationally successful crime authors. And finally, the author's books have arrived stateside. The Sandman is the first to be published, and it's a marvel: utterly unnerving, bordering on horror, dripping with suspense throughout. This one's also got a cliffhanger for the ages. —DC

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 11

'Sunburn' by Laura Lippman 

HarperLuxe

Few manage psychological suspense as consistently gripping as Laura Lippman. Sunburn is a modern noir in which two lovers with great intentions and terrible luck wind up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. The lyrical writing only amps up the tension, and that, combined with the riveting story, makes for a high point in one of our finest crime novelists' career. —DC

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 11

'Let Me Lie' by Clare Mackintosh

Berkley

After losing her mother and father to suicide within the space of a year, 26-year-old Anna Johnson is adrift — until she receives an anonymous note hinting that her parents' deaths may not have been voluntary at all. Crime-novel veteran Mackintosh doesn’t skimp on character development when it comes to her supporting players (a retired detective who takes up the case nearly steals the whole story), or on shock value in the book’s explosive final reveal. —LG

Advertisement

9 of 11

'The Escape Artist' by Brad Meltzer

Grand Central Publishing

Already a no. 1 New York Times best-seller, Artist is the latest hot title from the prolific Meltzer. The thriller has drawn comparisons to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in its introduction of the hauntingly enigmatic Nola, and with good reason: Her saga makes for a rich, harrowing foray into American history that keeps the pages turning. —DC

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 11

'Girl Unknown' by Karen Perry 

Henry Holt and Co.

An Irish college professor’s life is flipped sideways when a student confesses that she may actually be the daughter he never knew he had with a long-gone ex-lover. Perry — actually the pen name of husband-and-wife duo Paul Perry and Karen Gillece — has written a taut domestic drama that plays out like a particularly clever and nasty Lifetime movie, and that’s a compliment. —LG

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 11

'The Perfect Nanny' by Leila Slimani 

Penguin Books

"The baby is dead." So goes the first line of this deliciously twisty French thriller, a global phenomenon that's finally reached American audiences. Slimani's exploration of race and class is razor-sharp and brilliantly provides the fuel for a hair-raising tale of domestic horror. —DC

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Advertisement
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com