If you’re craving edge-of-your-seat suspense and stories that keep you guessing until the last page, you’re in the right place. Curated by Storizen, this list of the Best Thriller Books to Read in May 2025 brings together nine gripping novels that explore dark secrets, family mysteries, chilling conspiracies, and unexpected twists. Whether you prefer psychological thrillers, crime dramas, or pulse-pounding narratives, these handpicked titles promise to deliver unforgettable reading experiences this May.
1. The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
Neil Garvie has spent his life haunted by a moment from his childhood — not something he did, but something he failed to do. At twelve, he saw a boy in trouble and froze, hiding instead of helping. Now a respected criminal psychiatrist, Neil dedicates his career to dissecting the darkest corners of the human mind, convinced that monsters don’t exist — only people in pain. But when his father, a retired police officer, vanishes near a notorious suicide cliff, Neil is shaken. There were no warning signs, no cries for help — only the hint of a secret investigation into the brutal murder of an unidentified woman. As Neil digs deeper, he begins to question everything: why his father kept things hidden, what he uncovered, and whether it cost him his life — or led him straight to a killer. And as the threads pull tighter, Neil must confront not just a murderer, but the buried truth of what happened all those years ago — and whether he finally has the courage to stop hiding.
2. A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain
Omar Hussain’s gripping debut A Thousand Natural Shocks is a razor-sharp thriller that dives deep into trauma, memory, and the fragile threads of identity. Dash, a reporter in Monterey, is trying to leave his past behind — but the present won’t let him. By day, he chases the chilling return of a dormant serial killer; by night, he slips into the shadows of a criminal cult offering a pill that promises to erase his pain. But as the pills begin to strip away his memories and sense of self, Dash uncovers a terrifying truth buried within the cult — a secret so disturbing, even its members don’t know it. Now, with time running out and his mind unraveling, Dash must expose a killer, outrun the cult, and face the very past he’s trying to forget — before there’s nothing left of him to remember.
3. The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb
In The Dark Maestro, Brendan Slocumb delivers a powerful and pulse-pounding thriller that strikes all the right notes of suspense, heart, and resilience. Curtis Wilson, a gifted cello prodigy from the projects of Southeast D.C., rises above a difficult childhood and a drug-dealing father to perform with the New York Philharmonic. But just as he’s reaching his peak, everything falls apart — his father, Zippy, turns informant, forcing the entire family into witness protection and pulling Curtis away from the music that defines him. As the threats close in and the justice system fails to deliver, Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa — the woman who raised him — must take matters into their own hands. With danger around every corner and new identities to uphold, Curtis must summon every ounce of courage, talent, and loyalty to protect the people he loves — and figure out if his music can be both his weapon and his salvation.
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4. The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
At twenty-four, Nicole Monroe feels stuck—trapped in her small Indiana hometown, working a dead-end job, and reeling from a recent DWI. But the weight she truly carries is the seven-year disappearance of her sister, Kasey, whose vanishing act left behind more questions than answers and only one eerie connection: Jules Connor, a young woman who went missing under nearly identical circumstances just weeks earlier. With both cases long cold, Nic has resigned herself to a life of grief and stagnation—until Jules’s sister, Jenna, suddenly appears, reigniting a spark of hope Nic thought she’d lost forever. What unfolds is a tense and emotional journey as two women, bonded by shared loss, begin to unravel the mystery that tore their lives apart—risking everything, including the truth they thought they wanted, in their desperate search to bring their sisters home.
5. The Ascent by Allison Buccola
In The Ascent, Allison Buccola delivers a chilling, twist-filled thriller about buried secrets, fragile identities, and the haunting grip of the past. Lee Burton has spent years trying to forget the cult she once escaped—the mysterious commune known as The Fifteen, whose members vanished without a trace two decades ago, leaving Lee, then just twelve, as the sole survivor. Now a new mother struggling with anxiety, sleepless nights, and a growing fear of losing control, Lee’s carefully rebuilt life begins to crack when a stranger arrives on her doorstep, claiming to hold the answers to the questions she’s spent her life avoiding. As Lee teeters on the edge of paranoia, she’s forced to confront a terrifying choice: protect the fragile world she’s created or uncover the truth about the cult she left behind—even if it destroys everything.
6. The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
In The Retirement Plan, Pam, Nancy, and Shalisa thought their golden years would be all sunsets, margaritas, and stress-free relaxation—until their husbands gambled away every cent of their savings. Now, retirement looks less like a dream and more like a nightmare, and the idea of cashing in on their husbands’ life insurance starts to sound dangerously tempting. With the help of the town barber—who moonlights as a hitman—they hatch a wild plan that quickly spirals out of control. But what they don’t know is that their husbands are scheming too, and the game is far from over. Packed with sharp humor, unexpected twists, and unforgettable characters, this darkly comic thriller proves that it’s never too late for a little mischief… or murder.
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7. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
In Parents Weekend, a highly anticipated thriller from the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me, a celebratory night for five families turns into every parent’s worst nightmare. While they sip cocktails and share stories during their kids’ first year at a cozy Northern California college, their children—residents of Campisi Hall—vanish without a trace. What begins as mild concern quickly spirals into full-blown panic as hours pass with no calls, no texts, and no explanations. With campus police scrambling, social media sleuths dubbing the missing teens The Five, and the weight of buried family secrets surfacing, the search unravels a complex web of dysfunction, expectations, and haunting choices. Told through multiple perspectives and timelines, and featuring the return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller, this gripping novel explores how the bonds we form—and the ones we inherit—can both protect and endanger us.
8. The Doorman by Chris Pavone
In the heart of New York City’s glittering chaos stands the Bohemia, a legendary hotel where stars, moguls, and tastemakers converge—and where Chicky Diaz, the beloved doorman, watches it all unfold. But tonight, beneath the hotel’s glamorous façade, something dark is brewing. As the staff, largely Black and Hispanic, gather in the basement reeling from the police killing of a Black man nearby, unrest erupts across the city. Yet Chicky’s eyes aren’t just on the streets; he knows something far more sinister is unfolding within the Bohemia’s walls. With a gun tucked away and instincts on high alert, he braces for a night that promises betrayals, explosive secrets, and deadly consequences. In a city on the brink, the line between survival and destruction may come down to one man and one long, unforgettable shift.
9. The Tenant by Freida McFadden
Blake Porter’s life unravels quickly after losing his job as a VP of marketing and struggling to pay the mortgage on the brownstone he shares with his fiancée. Desperate, he rents a room to Whitney, who seems perfect at first—but soon strange things begin to happen. A persistent smell of decay haunts the house, neighbors start treating Blake differently, and eerie noises wake him in the night. As paranoia grows, Blake realizes someone might know his darkest secrets, and the home he once loved becomes a trap where danger lurks in every shadow. In this gripping thriller, Freida McFadden explores how revenge, privilege, and buried secrets can turn even the safest place into a nightmare.
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From haunted pasts and chilling cult secrets to desperate plans and dangerous strangers, these Best Thriller Books to Read in May 2025 offer a wide range of heart-racing stories that will keep you hooked well beyond the final chapter. Curated by Storizen, this selection ensures that your May reading list is packed with thrillers that combine masterful storytelling with unforgettable characters. Dive in and discover your next must-read thriller that will leave you breathless and eager for more.
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