June 2021 Most-Anticipated Crime Books
New Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense Novels for Your TBR
Summer is almost here, and it’s bringing with it some incredible new crime fiction releases for us to devour! The coming months are jam-packed with amazing crime books, some of which I’ve been lucky enough to read already and others that are still on my personal TBR list. To help you plan your own reading lists, over the next few months I’ll be sharing monthly lists of my personal most-anticipated new crime fiction releases for that respective month. I can’t wait to share these books with you, and I hope they will catch your eye as much as they’ve caught mine! June 2021 kicks off the summer with new releases from bestselling and beloved crime writers Riley Sager and Alex Michaelides, and it also delivers chilling debuts, gripping psychological thrillers, and lots more—everything you need to build a perfect start-of-summer reading list. Read on for my picks for most-anticipated June 2021 crime fiction!
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June 2021 Most-Anticipated Crime Books
Organized by Publication Date
THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides
Available June 15, 2021
Why I’m Excited:
The bestselling author of THE SILENT PATIENT returns this month with his sophomore suspense novel, and it’s an absolute winner. THE MAIDENS is a moody and atmospheric blend of dark academia and murder mystery. Set on the campus of Cambridge University, this story follows a group therapist who begins to fear for the safety of her niece after one of her niece’s college friends is found murdered on campus. Unconvinced that local police are taking seriously her niece’s fears that a university professor may be the culprit behind this brutal act of violence, our protagonist sets out on her own mission to catch a killer before he can strike again. When a book is as beloved and wildly bestselling as was Alex Michaelides’ debut novel THE SILENT PATIENT, it can be a little bit nerve-wracking to read their follow-up. I’m happy to report that THE MAIDENS completely met—and even surpassed—my expectations. If you love mysteries that skew a bit slow-burning, are steeped in dark academia vibes, and are very cleverly plotted, you will adore THE MAIDENS.
About the Book:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers Weekly).
Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.
Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?
When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.
BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon
Available June 15, 2021
Why I’m Excited:
First things first: this book has one of my absolute favorite book covers of Summer 2021. I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover… but this one I would pick up for its stunning cover alone! Thankfully, the story found within its pages is just as outstanding. BATH HAUS is a thrilling cat-and-mouse story of suspense that takes readers into one man’s desperate race to keep a dark secret from coming to light. Oliver is happily married when, one day, he crosses a line that can never be undone: he cheats on his husband. The encounter turns violent, and Oliver flees, desperate to put this dangerous indiscretion in his past. But the man Oliver cheated with? He’s not going to let Oliver go so easily. Readers who love paranoia-inducing suspense novels and stories that keep you tense and on edge will find P.J. Vernon’s gripping BATH HAUS right up their alley. At the time of writing this blog post, I’m more than halfway through this book and loving it.
About the Book:
Oliver Park, a recovering addict from Indiana, finally has everything he ever wanted: sobriety and a loving, wealthy partner in Nathan, a prominent DC trauma surgeon. Despite their difference in age and disparate backgrounds, they've made a perfect life together. With everything to lose, Oliver shouldn't be visiting Haus, a gay bathhouse. But through the entrance he goes, and it's a line crossed. Inside, he follows a man into a private room, and it's the final line. Whatever happens next, Nathan can never know. But then, everything goes wrong, terribly wrong, and Oliver barely escapes with his life.
He races home in full-blown terror as the hand-shaped bruise grows dark on his neck. The truth will destroy Nathan and everything they have together, so Oliver does the thing he used to do so well: he lies.
What follows is a classic runaway-train narrative, full of the exquisite escalations, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and oh-my-god twists. P. J. Vernon's Bath Haus is a scintillating thriller with an emotional punch, perfect for readers curious for their next must-read novel.
SHUTTER by Melissa Larsen
Available June 15, 2021
Why I’m Excited:
I always love discovering new suspense novels by debut authors, and Melissa Larsen’s debut SHUTTER has been on my TBR for quite a while now! I had the pleasure of revealing the stunning cover for this book on Crime by the Book a number of months ago now, and as part of that cover reveal, I did a little Q&A on Instagram with author Melissa Larsen. I absolutely loved getting that little sneak peek into the book, and I can’t wait to finally dig into this one this month! I love suspense novels that have shades of horror inspiration to them, and based on this book’s plot description and the early reviews of it that I’ve read, it sounds like it’s going to be exactly that kind of read—a suspense novel with a bit of an extra-creepy edge. Plus, this book takes place within the world of filmmaking—a backdrop for a suspense novel that sounds very intriguing to me! I can’t wait to dig into this chilling suspense novel this month.
About the Book:
A young woman agrees to star in a filmmaker's latest project, but soon realizes the movie is not what she expected in this chilling debut novel.
In the wake of her father's death, Betty Roux doesn't allow herself to mourn. Instead, she pushes away her mother, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves everything behind to move to New York City. She doesn't know what she wants, except to run.
When she's offered the chance to play the leading role in mysterious indie filmmaker Anthony Marino's new project, she jumps at the opportunity. For a month Betty will live in a cabin on a private island off the coast of Maine, with a five-person cast and crew. Her mother warns against it, but Betty is too drawn to the charismatic Anthony to say no.
Anthony gives her a new identity--Lola--and Betty tells herself that this is exactly what she's been looking for. The chance to reinvent herself. That is, until they begin filming and she meets Sammy, the island's caretaker, and Betty realizes just how little she knows about the movie and its director.
HOSTAGE by Clare Mackintosh
Available June 22, 2021
Why I’m Excited:
Clare Mackintosh has been one of my go-to suspense authors here on CBTB since this blog’s inception, and this month, she returns to thriller writing after taking a couple years’ break from writing in this genre. Clare’s 2021 thriller, HOSTAGE, is a unique and inventive take on a “locked room”-style mystery—in this case, the “locked room” is an airplane. Flight attendant Mina is trying to focus on her job and enjoy her time on a history-making nonstop flight from London to Sydney when she receives a terrifying note from a passenger on board the plane—a note demanding that she follow the instructions of the note’s sender and assist in hijacking the plane, or else her young daughter will suffer the consequences. What follows is a tense and page-turning thriller that really does read like a blockbuster movie. HOSTAGE moves between the increasingly dangerous and nerve-wracking scene on the plane itself and chapters that delve into the lives of a few select passengers on the plane, and chapters that delve deeper into protagonist Mina’s home life. HOSTAGE is a thrilling, high-stakes suspense novel—this is one book you may want to read with both feet planted firmly on the ground!
About the Book:
From New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh comes a claustrophobic thriller set over 20 hours on-board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.
Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems with her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination: "The following instructions will save your daughter's life..."
Someone needs Mina's assistance and knows exactly how to make her comply.
When one passenger is killed and then another, Mina knows she must act. But which lives does she save: Her passengers...or her own daughter and husband who are in grave distress back at home?
It's twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours.
SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager
Available June 29, 2021
Why I’m Excited:
Any new thriller by the ever-amazing Riley Sager is cause for celebration, but Riley’s 2021 release SURVIVE THE NIGHT is a truly standout addition to this accomplished thriller writer’s bibliography. Unlike Sager’s previous novels, which tend to incorporate multiple timelines and spend significant time in flashbacks, SURVIVE THE NIGHT is all gripping forward motion. The book begins with a simple premise: a young woman accepts a ride from a stranger, and begins to fear that she may have unwittingly gotten into the car with a killer. Readers buckle in for the ride alongside protagonist Charlie, and the story takes off—and never relents until the book’s final page. Thrilling pacing, an utterly clever plot that is practically guaranteed to blow readers’ minds by the book’s end, and an endearing protagonist readers will be cheering for every step of the way make SURVIVE THE NIGHT my new favorite Riley Sager book. Bonus: if you’re a movie buff like author Riley Sager is, you will find lots of amazing movie references embedded within this thriller! Pick up SURVIVE THE NIGHT for an irresistible page-turner that will keep you utterly hooked this summer. This is a Summer 2021 must-read.
About the Book:
It’s November 1991. Nirvana's in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.
Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the shocking murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father—or so he says.
The longer she sits in the passenger seat, the more Charlie notices there’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t want her to see inside the trunk. As they travel an empty, twisty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly anxious Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s jittery mistrust merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?
One thing is certain—Charlie has nowhere to run and no way to call for help. Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night.
Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.