Best New Mystery Books to Curl up with This Winter—from Cozy to Gripping!
See our picks from bestselling authors Tana French, Laura Dave, James Patterson and more
After the chaotic holiday rush, evenings finally feel more low-key—and with blustery winter weather swirling outside, there’s no better place to be than curled up on the couch reading. Mystery books are beloved year-round, but many readers argue that winter pairs especially well with the genre. Between the atmospheric settings, long-buried secrets and edge-of-your-seat twists, this genre provides a highly immersive and entertaining escape from ho-hum nights spent cooped up inside. So if you’re looking for a captivating new mystery book, we have you covered.
We combed through dozens of anticipated new mystery books for 2026 and selected our favorites from bestselling authors like Laura Dave, James Patterson, May Cobb, Tana French and more. Our selections range from chilling mysteries with a locked-room feel (see our picks below for the latest from Rachel Hawkins and Jenna Satterthwaite) to haunting dark academia-laced stories (An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole) to riveting retellings (The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe by James Patterson) and more!
Keep reading for all the best new mystery books to read this winter!
For a modern psychological thriller with an unhinged protagonist, try:
‘Best Offer Wins’ by Marisa Kashino
When acclaimed author Taylor Jenkins Reid read Best Offer Wins—the debut novel by Marisa Kashino—she immediately ranked it as a top book of 2025. The plot follows Margo Miyake, a 37-year-old publicist dreaming of moving out of the apartment she shares with her husband Ian. After 11 lost bidding wars, she gets a tip about the perfect house before it goes on sale—and she has to have it. But when does ambition cross into dangerous obsession?
What readers are saying: “Margo is a particularly unlikeable character, but she drew me in with her increasingly crazy behaviour—I just had to know where this was going. In fact I didn’t warm to any of the characters, except for Fritter the dog, who was adorable. Did I enjoy it, though? I most certainly did!”
For a well-researched, deeply intriguing retelling, try:
‘The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe’ by James Patterson
With more than 450 million books sold, James Patterson is one of the bestselling authors of all time—and his new novel, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, turns its gaze to the dazzling Hollywood legend. In this fictionalized yet well-researched account, he takes readers along for Marilyn’s meteoric rise in Hollywood and through the final—shocking—weeks and hours of her life. Part crime thriller, part mystery, it’s a riveting retelling of Marilyn’s last act.
What readers are saying: “A thoughtful, impeccably well-researched and written account of the months leading up to the death of one of the most recognisable faces of the 20th century. As a Marilyn fan and reader of many biographies about her, this ranks up there with the best. It is also my first James Patterson book, but I’m certain it won’t be the last.”
For a wickedly wild murder mystery, try:
‘The New Year’s Party’ by Jenna Satterthwaite
Looking for a razor-sharp page-turner that’s part thriller and part juicy mystery? The New Year’s Party delivers! Olivia and her friends used to throw a fabulous annual New Year’s Eve party. Now, between kids and marriage drama, the group isn’t quite as close. This year, they vow to put their busy lives aside and party like old times. But each person has a secret—and one might become a motive for murder.
What readers are saying: “The New Year’s Party was a fun, fast-paced thriller about a NYE party that gets way out of hand—I raced through this in just a couple of days! The characters were delightfully chaotic—unlikable, unpredictable and impossible to pin down. I honestly didn’t trust a single one of them, and I had no clue who the culprit was until the very end, which I loved.”
For a twisty dark academia tale, try:
‘An Arcane Inheritance’ by Kamilah Cole
An elite school, spellbinding magic, sinister danger…this riveting story has all this and more. In An Arcane Inheritance, the story follows student Ellory Morgan, who is determined to prove her place at Warren University, an Ivy League school with a history of dark secrets. As she settles in, she can’t shake a mysterious sense of déjà vu. Can broody legacy student Hudson Graves help uncover secrets to Ellory’s past?
What readers are saying: “The first half is a slow build, with the real fireworks arriving in the second half. But once the pace kicks in, the story takes wild, unexpected turns that hit you in the face and pull the rug out from under you. It’s twisty, surprising and brilliantly wrapped up in a finale that left me both satisfied and impressed. I’m glad I kept reading—because when it finally takes off, it’s mind-blowing.
For an atmospheric locked-room thriller, try:
‘The Storm’ by Rachel Hawkins
In the mood for a fast-paced, atmospheric story packed with suspense? This Southern-set tale by Rachel Hawkins checks all the boxes. The novel follows Geneva Corliss, owner of the cozy Rosalie Inn located in St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. When a true-crime writer arrives to investigate a past murder, Geneva notices the writer has brought Lo Bailey—the suspect in the case. Soon, a destructive storm hurtles toward St. Medard’s as secrets are unearthed.
What readers are saying: “This may just be my favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date! After a brief, slow start to set the stage, the tension increases as the storm neared the shoreline. I had both the digital and audio versions and with a large cast of narrators, I can definitely say the audio won out and is the best way to experience the book!”
For a mysterious, dual-timeline family drama, try:
‘The First Time I Saw Him’ by Laura Dave
Laura Dave’s novel The Last Thing He Told Me—which was also made into an Apple TV series—left readers on the edge of their seats. And her new book, The First Time I Saw Him, is the long-awaited sequel. It’s been 5 years since Hannah Hall’s husband, Owen, disappeared. She and her stepdaughter Bailey are trying to move on when Owen shows up again. As new dangers surface, they must outrun their past fast.
What readers are saying: “I don’t want to give too much away about this sequel, but I can say this: it’s pure adrenaline. The kind of book you inhale like your favorite snack—you keep reaching for just one more handful until suddenly, the box is empty. I couldn’t stop. My heart was in my throat!”
For a twisted mystery inspired by ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ try:
‘All The Little Houses’ by May Cobb
May Cobb is beloved for her wild Texas-set thriller The Hunting Wives—now a hit Netflix series—and her new novel is brimming with her signature deliciously wicked drama. It’s the mid-1980s in Long View, Texas, and Nellie Anderson and her mother, Charleigh, are used to getting anything they want. But when a wholesome new family moves to town, their carefully constructed social empire is suddenly threatened. When we sat down with Cobb a couple of months ago, she described the book as “my twisted wink and nod to Little House on the Prairie.”
What early readers are saying: “Cobb delivers a gripping, darkly entertaining look at a toxic mother-daughter relationship like you’ve never seen before. Told in her signature multi-POV style, the story takes the reader to East Texas in the ’80s, where ‘small town drama’ is an understatement.”
For a spellbinding suspense saga, try:
‘The Keeper’ by Tana French
Stephen King once called bestselling author Tana French “incandescent,” and her latest novel, The Keeper, is the third and final book in the million-copy-bestselling Cal Hooper trilogy. This installment is set in the remote Irish village of Ardnakelty and begins after a young woman named Rachel Holohan is found dead in the river. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends in the small village and wants to help them—even though his fiancée Lena wants to stay far from the town’s drama. As secrets and schemes are uncovered, dangers lurk closer than ever before. (Out March 31, 2026)
What early readers are saying: “I’ve been sad all day since finishing this exquisite novel. The Keeper is the finale in the literary mystery trilogy that started with The Searcher and The Hunter. The books need to be read in order to fully appreciate the depth of the characters, their relationships and the role that the small Irish village of Ardnakelty plays in all three novels. (Can a village count as a main character? Because I swear it feels like one!).”
For a creepy, addicting small-town mystery, try:
‘The Girls Before’ by Kate Alice Marshall
If you’re in the mood for a page-turning mystery with eerie twists and turns, we suggest the latest novel from Kate Alice Marshall. In this story, a girl is locked away in a basement. As she begins to run out of food and water, she wonders if anyone will ever find her. Meanwhile, Audrey is volunteering with the local search and rescue team—something she feels passionate about ever since her best friend Janie disappeared years ago. When she uncovers evidence that a teenage runaway might’ve actually been kidnapped, she’s stunned. As she digs into the clues—including the fact that the land where the girl went missing belongs to the town’s most prominent family—she’s pulled into a mystery that could reveal what happened to multiple missing girls. (Out February 14, 2026)
What early readers are saying: “Talk about long-buried secrets…the secrets revealed in The Girls Before will definitely take you by surprise. The book starts as a slow burn to pique your curiosity about what Audrey is going to do and to get you invested in what is going to happen to the girl below.”
For a fast-paced, jaw-dropping thriller, try:
‘My Husband’s Wife’ by Alice Feeney
Bestselling author Alice Feeney is back with another page-turner. My Husband’s Wife begins with a bang when Eden Fox returns home to find herself locked out of her house, which is inhabited by her husband and a woman claiming to be his wife. Then, the story flips from Eden’s confusing tale to that of Birdy, a woman with a lot of secrets—and more than one eerie link to Eden’s hometown and her husband. (Out January 20, 2026)
What early readers are saying: “Alice Feeney never lets me down!!! Thriller lovers will love this. It’s a good blend of psychological and domestic thriller and I had NO idea where the mystery was going, which is always fun.”
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