Thriller reviews, true crime deep dives, and behind-the-scenes writing chaos.
9 Deadly Beach-Town Thrillers, Ranked The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda: a Maine harbor town that lives and dies on summer money. The Storm Reaper by Kristen Van Nest: a Fire Island town that…
The best vacation gone wrong thriller books, ranked: 9 getaways that turn deadly, from remote hen weekends to storm-season Fire Island. Trust no one.
The best books set in New York, ranked: 9 twisty thrillers running from Manhattan high-rises to the barrier islands off Long Island. Trust no one.
The best female detective series novels, ranked — 9 binge-worthy sleuths from Kinsey Millhone to Vera Stanhope, plus a Fire Island newcomer to start at book one.
The best books set in New England are atmospheric thrillers where the isolated town is the real threat — 8 dark gothic thrillers from Donna Tartt to Shirley Jackson.
The best natural disaster books turn a warming world into a ticking clock — 8 climate fiction thrillers where the storm itself is the killer, from The Light Pirate to The Storm Reaper.
The best Substacks to read in 2026 — Panache Press, Sailingwriter, Read Against the Patriarchy, DEVOUR. The four I keep coming back to all summer.
Books like Only Murders in the Building: 9 cozy-but-clever comedy mysteries that balance real laughs with a genuinely twisty whodunit — picked by a thriller author who did stand-up.
Just finished Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke? Here’s the best tradwife thriller to read next. Same satirical bite, same performance-of-marriage premise.
Is Widow’s Bay based on a book? No — but here’s the closest novel to its cursed-island, small-town New England DNA. Free first chapters inside.