2020 has been pretty mysterious and thrilling, don’t you think? Well, we’re looking forward to some thrilling mysteries that are fiction in 2021, something to get our minds off the real mysteries in our lives. We’ve rounded up these must-read mysteries and thrillers from some well-known authors (ready for the third installment of You by Caroline Kepnes?) and some new writers who will surely thrill you as well. Here are our must-read thrillers and mysteries for 2021!
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Ike, who is Black, and Buddy Lee, who is white, are ex-cons whose gay sons were married. Now their two sons are dead, and Ike and Buddy Lee are out to find who committed the crime. Their desire for revenge is strong, and even though they have put their criminal pasts behind them, they will stop at nothing to redeem their sons and bring down whoever murdered them.
The Survivors by Jane Harper
When Kieran returns home to his small coastal community, guilt from his past takes over. His parents are struggling, and his absent brother, Finn, still looms large even though he is gone. The long-ago questions that were never answered are asked again when a body is discovered washed upon the beach, and Kieran must face the facts of his past.
A Game of Cones by Abby Collette
The fun continues in book two of an Ice Cream Parlor Mystery series by Abby Collette. Bronwyn is happy to be working at her family’s ice cream shop, which has been newly restored in their small Ohio town. But things take a cold turn when a big city developer who wants to build a mall winds up dead. With several suspects, including Bronwyn’s best friend, she’ll have a lot of work ahead of her if she wants to crack this case and solve the murder.
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Jane is new to her community and is making ends meet as a dog-walker in Thornfield Estates – a gated rich community. Her clients are so rich, they don’t even know when a piece of jewelry goes missing. When she meets recently widowed Eddie, Jane thinks her luck is about to change and that she will finally get the happy-ever-after she desires. But the ghost of Eddie’s dead wife, Bea, is far from gone and may have other plans for Jane.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Struggling novelist and single mom, Finlay Donovan is having troubles. She needs to deliver a book she has yet to write, and when she is discussing the plot with her agent, someone overhears and mistakes her for a contract killer. Soon, she’s caught up in a real-life crime she never imagined. Is real crime easier to deal with than its fictional counterpart? Finlay is about to find out.
One Got Away by S.A. Lelchuk
Private investigator Nikki Griffin is out to find a con-man who has stolen from a wealthy San Francisco family. But Nikki has a secret mission as well and that is to save women from danger and punish the men who are causing the danger. As she searches for the con-man in question, she realizes that she hasn’t been told the whole truth, and soon her own life is in danger. She needs to decide who to save, and how to stay alive in the process.
Win by Harlan Coben
A recluse is found murdered in a penthouse and a leather suitcase and stolen painting may help solve the mystery of heiress Patricia Lockwood’s abduction twenty years ago. She escaped, and her captors were never found. But now, the suitcase and the painting lead authorities to one man—Windsor Horne Lockwood III, who might be able to help solve two cases that have baffled FBI for years.
Waiting for The Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton
Cadie has been keeping a secret for decades, hoping that it would never come to light. When her long-lost best friend Daniela reaches out, she returns home to the forest she once loved where the two must confront the memories from one magical summer and the dark secret that emerged.
You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes
The highly anticipated third book in the You series, You Love Me brings Joe back into readers’ lives. He’s done. With cities, posers, and love. He’s living easy on an island in the Pacific Northwest. When he gets a job at the library, he meets Mary Kay and he promises he will not obsess this time, and he’ll win her over the old-fashioned way. The only problem is, Mary Kay does not have room in her life for Joe. Yet.
A Hex for Danger by Esme Addison
Aleksandra Daniels has just discovered she’s descended from mermaids and is helping run the family business in the small town of Bellamy Bay. She and her water witch friend, Celeste, are planning the town’s annual Mermaid Festival, where Alex meets and befriends artist Neve Ryland. When Neve is found dead, a police investigation is sparked and Alex gets involved when Celeste becomes a suspect. She’ll do what she can to clear her friend’s name, but as she gets deeper into the investigation, Alex will learn there was more to Neve than anyone knew about.
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
It’s 1926 and young Black girls are being murdered. For Louise Lloyd, these murders are hitting too close to home. When she was younger, she was kidnapped and is now trying to live a normal life. But when more girls are found dead, the police give Louise an ultimatum: She’ll need to help the police solve the mystery, or she may end up in jail. It’s time for Louise to face her past fears so she can help catch a killer and keep herself safe as well.
Burn It All Down by Nicolas DiDomizio
Joey and his mother, Gia, who is also his best friend, have an addiction to getting involved in toxic relationships. When Gia’s most recent relationship fizzles out, the two go on a crime spree, and then leave the state. With nowhere to go, they end up at Marco’s lake house, who happens to be one of Gia’s exes. As Joey and Gia hide from the law, they must confront the wrong they have done and figure out how to redeem themselves.
1 thought on “The Must-Read Thrillers and Mysteries of 2021”
An absolute must read in 2021 is Debbie Babitt’s debut thriller Saving Grace. The book has received 5 starred praise from numerous NYT best selling authors and was named by She reads as “one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2021.” Pub date March 16, 2021 by Scarlet. For more visit http://www.debbiebabitt.com.