Great New Mystery Books and Thrillers
Welcome to The Best of Book Riot, our daily round-up of what’s on offer across our site, newsletters, podcasts, and social channels. Not everything is for everyone, but there is something for everyone.
13 New Mystery and Thrillers for May 2025
Welcome to a new round of what’s new in mystery and thrillers! Whether you’re picking your right-now-read or tossing things on your TBR for summer reading plans, there are plenty of options for different genres, subgenres, tropes, and moods, all under publishing’s crime umbrella.
There’s a YA murder mystery in an amusement park, wives plotting for their husband’s life insurance policies, a cellist forced into witness protection, cozy mysteries, a teen tarot reader with a family PI agency, a wellness cult and a serial killer (in the same book!), historical mysteries, witches, and more! So settle into your favorite sleuth-reading spot and enjoy your next criminal read!
Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gifts to Give Your Book-Loving Mom
So, Mother’s Day snuck up on you this year, and now all the gift options that require shipping are looking risky. Well, don’t worry, because if you have a reader for a mom, I have last-minute gift ideas for you that won’t seem last minute. I had to mention the usual suspects, like bookstore gift cards and book subscription boxes, but I have some more creative options here, too—including some crafts you can complete before Mother’s Day.
Move Over Rom-Coms, Here Are the Best Romantic Dramas
Reflecting on her books, author and founder of the co-publishing imprint, Frayed Pages x Wattpad Books, Anna Todd said, “I think people are 80% misery when they’re reading my books and then 20% excited because I usually only write tense, angsty romance.”
That is all to say, different people come to romantic dramas expecting some combination of misery, excitement, romance, and joy. Although there are pure romantic dramas on this list, some books still have some comedy peppered in. After the recent run of shows like The Bear and Succession, it is clear that sometimes comedic dramas do find an in-between. The same can be said for the following romantic dramas that are sure to steal your bleeding hearts.
Even With My High Expectations, This Book Still Surprised Me
I love a book that plays with genre, I love Arsenal Pulp Press, and I love trans lit, so when this book arrived on my doorstep, I knew it was likely to become a favorite. But even with my high expectations, it still surprised me. I ended up reading it in one day because every time I put it down, I immediately wanted to pick it back up again (and did). If you’re looking for something unusual and beautiful, thought-provoking and funny, tender and smart, and, most of all, if you love a book that feels like a work of art—this unconventional memoir is for you.
7 Books to Read for AANHPI Heritage Month and the Read Harder Challenge
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! To celebrate, I’ve curated a list of fantastic books by AANHPI authors that also check off tasks on the 2025 Read Harder Challenge. We have a queer sci-fi heist story, a mystery, a graphic memoir, a much-anticipated fantasy novel, romance, weird horror, and poetry to choose from.
