As Summer comes to an end for the year, try not to be too discouraged, as a whole new vibe is sweeping across, getting us in the mood for bone-chilling times. As Fall comes to greet us, here is a list of five perfect, thrilling, and mysterious books to get your season started. Grab your favorite Fall drink, get out your credit card, and start reading because these are good.
Come Shell or High Water by Molly Macrae
If you are anything like me, Summer ends too quickly. For all the Summer lovers, here is the perfect novel for your Fall transition. Meet folklorist, Maureen Nash, who makes a trip to the North Carolina barrier island shell shop, and inside discovers a shocking inhabitant: a pirate ghost, who had an untimely death. Maureen finds a series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger, who was previously the proprietor of The Moon Shell. From letters to a strange request, Maureen finds herself in the middle of a bizarre murder mystery. She must cheat death, come into contact with ghosts from centuries past, and unravel the truth of a killer.
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
After being fired from his marketing VP job, unable to pay his mortgage, and in a true bind, Blake Porter is screwed. Whitney, a charming, sensible, and easy-going woman, is looking for a room to rent. Blake and Whitney are exactly what each other are looking for: a tenant. Soon enough, something seems off when the neighbors, whom Blake is so accustomed to, begin to treat him differently. As the smell of death fills his home, he fears that someone knows something they shouldn’t. Is it too late for Blake, or has his tenant beaten him in his own house?
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Frank Szatowski hasn’t spoken to his daughter, Maggie, in three years, until she calls him and invites him to her wedding. As he feels the excitement rushing through him and a will to make things right with his daughter, Frank is quickly set back as he finds out who Maggie is marrying: Aidan Gardener, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Frank feels completely out of place, and in his attempt to get to know his future son-in-law, he finds that Aidan is very withdrawn from him. Maggie doesn’t seem to have time to spend with her father, and Frank comes to find out that the locals of the secluded town in New Hampshire are hostile to the Gardeners. A new mystery sets in as Frank is determined to uncover who the family his daughter is marrying into really is, all while avoiding pushing Maggie further away.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
I’m going to switch up the vibe here and say with all honesty that I am not a big CoHo reader, but this book sets all of her others apart. In this mind-twisting, psychological thriller, we meet Lowen Ashleigh, who is offered a true dream job as a struggling writer. She will complete the remaining books in an extremely successful series. Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, is not only a grieving husband of his injured wife, but also a father. As Lowen gets ready, sifting through notes and material, she uncovers a bone-chilling, unfinished autobiography.
Lowen gets deeper into the manuscript, depicting what truly happened on the day their daughter died, but she cannot decide if she should keep the words hidden from Jeremy. The feelings Lowen begins to develop for him intensify, and she is put in a position to either choose herself or Verity. Who will Jeremy devote his loyalty to, his non-coherent wife, or the woman in place of her?
Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller
Sarah Anderson has it all: the house, the family, and yet her marriage is shriveling up. Out of nowhere, Sarah’s husband, Matthew, vanishes. What was once a family vacation in the north is now a survival ground. Sarah and her children are almost lost due to the treacherous nature of their surroundings, and things only get worse as a huge storm brews. A lawman comes to her and her children’s aid, holding great interest in their predicament. Even as the trail goes cold, Sarah is still determined to find out what happened to her husband. Things are not as they seem in the pages of this novel. Secrets are buried in the soundproof snow, lies flow like the freezing lakes, and mysteries lurk over every cliffside.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
What could possibly go wrong when Leonora is invited on a weekend trip deep into the English countryside? Lee, or Nora, as some know her, hasn’t spoken to her friends in many years. A weekend away doesn’t seem like the brightest idea, as she is usually a homebody; yet, she shows up anyway. Only 48 hours later, Leonora wakes up in the hospital with injuries, yet still breathing. The real issue — she knows someone is dead. She tries to recall the events that occurred in the last two days, but there are buried secrets that Leonora doesn’t want to dig up just yet. Will she find the answers she so seeks, or will her secrets bury her alive?
Lies on Bristol Lake by Jean Nicole Rivers
After finally gaining control of her PTSD due to being left almost dead in a university pool, Dahlia Dixon has the dream life. She married her extremely wealthy boss and was quickly swept away to his isolated home on Bristol Lake. Oddly enough, her new husband’s previous wife had drowned in the same lake just a few months before. Dahlia feels an extremely haunting presence around every corner of the large house, and when Dahlia learns of another woman who has died in the lake, she realizes she can’t trust anyone. Secrets, lies, and murder are following her, and she must reach the surface of these falsities before she is pulled under the water and left for dead.
Murder at Wrightsville Beach by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
The weather is perfect for a good beach day, so Ashley Wilkes heads straight for Wrightsville Beach. She meets her sister, Melanie, there, where she rents an oceanfront cottage. Who would’ve thought murder would take place on the sister’s vacation time, and as the body count grows, the houseguests and neighbors around her begin to behave oddly. She goes back to town, where she restores an old house, but even the restoration site shakes with fear. It comes as a great shock to Ashley as she takes a nightly stroll with the killer. Will she survive, or will she go down with the rest of the victims?
The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry
Belinda, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of her husband, just wants to start over. When she wants this to happen at the Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart, where the owner, Mabel, has spent her life. First, she started as an evacuee during the Blitz, but now she is the oldest resident, yet she holds many secrets of the house. These secrets could cause detrimental damage, and someone is onto both Belinda and Mabel, all from room six. They have made it a point not to give up without finding out the truth about their pasts. Will the women live with their secrets, or will their foundations come crumbling down on them? Find out and make sure to preorder your copy of this unreleased novel that releases on October 7th, 2025!
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
Made partner at thirty-five, Sarah Morgan is an extremely talented criminal defense attorney. With everything in her life going as planned, the opposite is in place for her husband, Adam. As a failed author who grew bitter seeing his wife achieve all she set her mind to, he began to have an affair, which lasted two years before her body was found outside of their lake house. When Adam is arrested for suspicion of murder, Sarah must choose between her vows to her husband, who didn’t keep them himself, and the law. For certain, Adam slept with the mistress, but what if he didn’t actually commit the crime? If he didn’t, then who did? Find out in this thrilling tale of betrayal, lies, and illicit affairs.
I hope you get the chance to enjoy at least one of these excellent novels and fall in love with the mysteries that lie in the dark. There are many more novels within this fascinating genre, so make sure to stay tuned for more wonderful recommendations!
Be sure to take a read about the upcoming film of Verity here!
Check out our awesome Mystery, Thriller, and Crime bookshelf filled with the best of the genre!
