13 New Mystery and Thrillers for May 2025

As a musician, Brendan Slocumb blends music into his mystery novels for a winning combination!

Cello prodigy Curtis Wilson has reached great heights as a musician and played a solo with the New York Philharmonic, but he’s about to pay the price for his father’s past crimes. Zippy, who was a drug dealer when Curtis was a child, has now turned state’s evidence, meaning the entire family has to go into witness protection. But if the agency can’t protect them, the family will have to protect themselves.

For fans of PIs and seaside towns!

Sonny Rush is a former police officer who moves with her mother to a California seaside town to join her godfather’s PI business. The town appears to be so idyllic that Sonny’s on a lost dog case. But appearances are always deceiving in suspense novels, and soon there’s a dead body and Sonny is being threatened to leave town…

For fans of The White Lotus and Patricia Highsmith!

On an island off of Istanbul, Fehmi and Şener celebrate 40 years together as a couple. But things start to slowly crack when a new family moves in next door following their teen son’s attack on a fellow classmate. Suddenly what begins as a “harmless crush” is anything but harmless and will lead to choices with haunting effects.

For fans of YA thrillers, dual POV, and a will-they-won’t-they romance!

After a night of looting during protests, an activist’s brother is arrested for murder. Jason’s sister Monique is certain he did not murder anyone and teams up with Cooper—who was with Jason the night of the looting and has a crush on Monique—to clear her brother’s name. But can they solve this mystery without heading straight into danger themselves?

For fans of cozy mysteries, amateur sleuths, and family relationships!

Kausar Khan is a recent-ish widow when her daughter calls to say that she’s been arrested, accused of murdering the landlord of her boutique. What’s a mother to do? Travel to Toronto and use her wisdom and excellent observational skills to clear her daughter’s name!

For fans of twisty Japanese mysteries, golden age mystery tropes, crime writer characters, and remote settings.

Miyagaki Yotaro is a writer who lives in a labyrinth house. He invites four crime authors to his house for a party, only things take a turn and instead there’s a murder and a deadly game…

This is a super fun series that can be read out of order, but if you want to start at the beginning, pick up The Decagon House Murders!

For fans of amateur detectives, mystery solving with some action, Regency England settings, and women bucking at society’s rules!

This is a continuation of the first book, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. If you haven’t read that one yet, absolutely go pick up the series starter about twin sisters who are in their 40s and unmarried, so of course they’re useless to society…just kidding, they secretly help women and children and solve mysteries!

Now, if you have read it, you’re in for a treat with the sequel, which continues with twins Gus and Julia protecting a woman whose brother is in search of her to put her back in an asylum. They also have to clear a wanted man’s name before he’s dead, all stemming from a past duel. On top of dealing with an oppressive society and their own personal issues, the twins don’t always see eye to eye on the paths to take in their cases.