July is shaping up to be a great month for crime and thriller readers, with plenty of new releases vying for a spot in your suitcase. Whether you’re a fan of suspenseful domestic thrillers, high-octane spy stories or atmospheric detective mysteries, there’s plenty to keep you turning the pages this summer.
This month’s new releases include the latest books from bestselling authors Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and Ajay Chowdhury, all of which will make for excellent holiday reads. Read on for some of the best thriller and crime books out this July, and be prepared to discover your next obsession…
It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
Publication date: 2nd July 2026
The countdown to Lisa Jewell’s latest psychological thriller is finally over. It Could Have Been Her is a dark, character-driven companion novel to Don’t Let Him In (but can be read as a standalone), packed with the suburban secrets, dysfunctional relationships and creeping sense of unease that have made Jewell one of the biggest names in crime fiction.
When amateur sleuth Jane Trevally tries to return a stray dog to its owner, she realises that she recognises the house: she narrowly escaped its owner 25 years ago. If you enjoyed The Family Friend by Claire Douglas and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, this domestic noir will have you hooked.
Getting Away With Murder by Shari Lapena
Publication date: 16th July 2026
Shari Lapena puts a delicious spin on the classic whodunnit in this new, addictive thriller. When a bad investment leaves Jill and Ted on the verge of losing their beloved New York brownstone, they come up with a seemingly flawless solution: murdering a wealthy relative. Their only problem? Getting away with it.
Not short of morally questionable characters and escalating tensions, this page-turner is perfect for readers who enjoy the domestic suspense of Lisa Jewell and the addictive plotting of Freida McFadden.
Eden Falls by Ajay Chowdhury
Publication date: 23rd July 2026
Ajay Chowdhury’s latest race-against-time techno thriller is both intelligent and unnervingly timely. After her husband vanishes at Delhi airport, Aisha finds herself at the centre of a nightmare that reveals she may have never known him at all. As she follows a trail of clues across continents, she is drawn into a world of weaponised AI and secrets that could change everything.
This thought-provoking, high-stakes thriller is perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Abir Mukherjee.
Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
Publication date: 16th July 2026
This twisty, page-turning mystery thriller is the latest release from the bestselling author of The Trap and 56 Days. What if the home of your dreams came with a deadly history attached? Two women’s lives collide around a house whose secrets could bury them both. Inspired by so-called ‘stigmatised properties’, Buyer Beware is an intricate yet emotional puzzle-box thriller that asks whether a home can ever truly escape its past.
With Catherine Ryan Howard’s trademark twists and mounting suspense, this is a must-read for fans of Andrea Mara and Liz Nugent.
The Parkwood Murders by Chris Chibnall
Publication date: 16th July 2026
Detective Nicola Bridge returns in the highly anticipated follow-up to Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall’s Death at the White Hart. What should be a relaxing escape turns sinister when a body is found in the swimming pool at the idyllic Parkwood Holiday Village. With suspects all around her and tensions rising, Detective Bridge must race against time before the killer strikes again.
Fans of The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman will thoroughly enjoy this atmospheric, closed-circle mystery.
Ballistic by Frank Gardner
Publication date: 30th July 2026
Fans of high-octane spy thrillers will want to add this latest installment in the Luke Carlton series to their summer reading list. This up-to-the-minute espionage story from Frank Gardner sees MI6 on high alert when intelligence suggests a Russian nuclear submarine may be preparing to deploy a devastating new weapon in the Arctic. The stakes quickly spiral towards a global catastrophe when Carlton is sent to the Finnish-Russian border to extract a key asset.
Ballistic is perfect for readers who love tense, contemporary spy fiction in the vein of modern geopolitical thrillers, like the works of Tom Bradby, Frederick Forsyth and William Boyd.
The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith
Publication date: 2nd July 2026
This glamorous new summer thriller from the author of The Beach Party is perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke and Gillian Flynn. Nikki Smith delivers a twisty Gone Girl-esque mystery set against the sun-soaked backdrop of South Africa. When Leo Kennedy’s wife disappears, his life is blown to smithereens, but things take a darker turn when he finds a missing poster with his own face on it – and he realises someone wants him gone too. Full of twists and crackling tension, this fast-paced destination thriller is perfect to read by the pool.
Can You Solve the Murder? – The Forest of Death by Antony Johnston
Publication date: 9th July 2026
Why simply read a murder mystery when you could solve one yourself? In Antony Johnson’s new interactive cosy mystery, you become the detective investigating the murder of a rock singer found dead in an ancient stone circle. Choose which suspects to interview, follow leads and decode ciphers to solve the case. Not everyone is telling the truth, though, so be careful who you trust. If you fancy yourself a novice detective with a soft spot for puzzle-box mysteries like The Appeal and choose-your-own adventure stories, this immersive whodunnit will keep you guessing for hours.
The Missing Dead by J M Dalgliesh
Publication date: 2nd July 2026
The latest installment of J M Dalgliesh’s bestselling Misty Isles series sees D.I. Duncan McAdams investigating a desecrated grave. But during his investigation, he uncovers long-buried secrets connected to the mysterious deaths of a trawler crew years earlier. Combining a compelling cold case with the rugged charm of island crime fiction, this atmospheric mystery is an addictive read for anyone who enjoys classic detective stories. Fans of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths will certainly want to add it to their to-read list.
The pick of the paperbacks
The following titles have already hit the shelves in hardback and are newly available in paperback this month.
Other must-read new crime releases
We’re not just excited about the new crime books being released this month: there are already so many titles that have been released this year that we would call the best crime books of 2026. These include, but are not limited to:
- Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davies (released 9th March 2026): a legal thriller about a small-town judge who must decide on an abortion case.
- The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent (released 12th March 2026): a psychological suspense about two separated sisters still reeling from a shocking incident from their adolescence.
- The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (released in paperback on 2nd July 2026): a high-octane mystery sees Professor Robert Langdon decode a conspiracy in a race against time to save the woman he loves.
- The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (released in paperback on 7th May 2026): the latest Thursday Murder Club mystery sees the gang return to track down a missing wedding guest, and a tech mogul who will stop at nothing to crack an uncrackable code. Osman’s new novel We Chase Shadows will also be released this year, on 10th September 2026.
Love it when Dead Good books appears in my in box!
I have my favourite authors but it is good to have insight into other books and authors.
So 2 years on, and 2 years older, I am still thrilled when I see “Dead Good”
appear – Gruesome twosome and I (dogs) looking forward to sitting by the fire and reading our way through the winter months. Once again – Thankyou!
Some very good books on this list, my to be read pile just got higher!
There are a good few of these books that I must read it’s looking like an exciting summer
So many books and so little time to read them! At least you’re helping me to narrow the titles down to a shorter list 🙂