Best Mystery Books for Summer That Will Keep You Hooked on the Beach

Mrs Blossom is a widow who has never left the US. But she’s also a lottery winner with an unexpected fortune. Determined to finally see the world, she books a cruise along the Seine, but twenty-four hours into the trip, a man is dead, a precious artifact is missing, and a mysterious stranger is claiming her life is in danger. 

Who can she trust? Maybe blending into the background has its perks… no one will see this 
unlikely detective coming! This is a fun, entertaining, cleverly-plotted read with such a fantastic main character you can’t help but love.

If you haven’t seen this book around, where have you been? Even Taylor Swift has read it! When their thirteen-year-old daughter Barbara goes missing at summer camp, all eyes fall on the Van Laar family. They own the camp. And it’s happened before. Fourteen years ago their little boy, Bear, vanished without a trace. Two children lost to the same wilderness. A tragedy or a crime?

A clever, atmospheric read that some readers have called the best book they’ve ever read. A fascinating mystery that you won’t want to put down. It was the winner of the Goodreads Mystery and Thriller Book of the Year in 2024.

The Guest would make an excellent beach read! Alex is a young woman on the edge. She’s behind on her rent and with nothing to keep her in New York, she agrees to spend August by the beach, in the lavish house of the older man she’s been seeing. But after one misstep at a dinner party, she’s dismissed and told to go back to the city. However, Alex decides to stay on the island instead…

She charms her way into the lives of the wealthy and leaves a trail of destruction behind her. How long can she keep going before she’s found out? This one is atmospheric, tension-filled and unpredictable, perfect for fans of The White Lotus.

If cosy crime is your summer go-to, the second book in the Dedley End Mysteries series is perfect! The annual Dedley End village fete is just around the corner, and Nancy is delighted when bestselling author, Thomas Green, agrees to launch his new novel there. But then a series of sinister events lead Nancy to realise someone is trying to sabotage their fete, so she, along with friends Jane and Jonathan, must play detective.

When a body is discovered, mirroring a scene in Thomas' latest bestseller, things certainly start to heat up… This book features loveable amateur detectives and has some brilliant twists. Perfect for fans of fans of Richard Osman, S.J. Bennett and The Marlow Murder Club series.

The second book in the Secret Vigilante series continues the story of The Serial Killer Support Group, where a mysterious someone named The Caretaker has been brutally murdering abusive men, one by one. But seeing the good work this person has done and continues to do, women across the country are inspired. So inspired that they want to take back control of their own lives, to seek revenge on those who hurt them.

A new network of survivors is born… and things spiral. If you like a dark read, you will eat this book up. If you like your Dexter-esque serial killers, this might just be your new favourite series. A masterpiece of a sequel!

Tense and twisty, The Summer She Vanished is set in a small town with a dark past. In the summer of 1972, Sister Francesca Pepitone was found strangled in a parking lot on the outskirts of Boweridge. A week later, seventeen-year-old Minna Larson disappeared. Now, over forty years later, Minna's niece Maggie learns that days before vanishing, Minna was telling people she knew who had murdered Sister Fran, and that she had the evidence to prove it.

But no one believes Minna. Because everyone knows that Minna lies… A real page turner of a book that is as shocking as it is compelling. Perfect for fans of Sweet Little Lies and The Girls Who Disappeared.