12 New Mystery & Thriller Books Out February 2024
Welcome to a new month! Publishing is in full steam, and there are plenty of mystery and thrillers hitting the shelves this February 2024 as brand-spanking new releases — more than anyone can keep up with, really. As usual, I have tried to give a round-up that offers something for all kinds of mystery readers, from favorite tropes to favorite subgenres and even genre mixes. Basically, if you like to curl up with a book and armchair sleuth and armchair travel, you’ll find something on this list. So what do I — really, publishing — have for you this month to solve?
There is an Alaska-set procedural where the current case hits real close to home for our detective, an amateur sleuth at an anime convention (fun!), some psychological horror with a past mystery coming for a group of friends who once witnessed something in a mine, a psychological thriller with a fictional true crime podcast (recent trope!), and the start to a delicious cozy mystery series!
There are also assassins (one desperately wanting to retire, actually) and spies (in a romance novel), a mystery set in Cuba, a remote mystery with a secret society in a forest, a New Zealand missing persons case, and finally, two English novels: both with inheritances and amateur sleuths!
Village in the Dark (Cara Kennedy #2) by Iris Yamashita
For fans of procedurals and an Alaska setting!
During her previous case — a remote mystery in Point Mettier — Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy was also grieving her son and husband, who had previously vanished while hiking, their bones later found. Now it seems their deaths are an actual murder investigation…
If you want to start at the beginning, pick up City Under One Roof.
Cosplay Crime by Marty Chan
For fans of middle grade mysteries and amateur sleuths solving a theft!
Bree Wong and Alix are excited to be at Anime Expo. But a theft of a valuable print gets a signing cancelled, dashing Bree’s dreams of meeting her favorite character’s voice actor. Clearly, she’ll have to investigate, but where to start when everyone is in cosplay?
A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian
For fans of returning home, past mystery crashes with present mystery, and some psychological horror.
Jia, who has visions, is called back to her small town, Wesley Falls, 20 years after she and a group of friends went into a mine to party in high school and were forever changed by the crime they saw. Now, one of those six has been murdered…
If you’re looking for the author’s backlist, pick up Never Saw Me Coming.
Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar
For fans of genre blends, psychological thrillers, fictional true crime podcasts, and past and present stories!
Dunia Ahmed is a pharmacist in New York who suddenly finds herself in danger as multiple attempts on her life are taken, starting with someone who apologizes after failing to push her in front of a subway train. And then she goes missing…
If you’re looking for the author’s backlist, pick up Kismet and FashionVictim.
Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow
For fans of delicious cozy mystery series!
In Pixie, California, Felicity Jin grew up in her mom’s magical bakery — more as an eater than a baker. But now she’s trying her hand at handmade fortune cookies and discovers they’re popular. The problem? A customer is murdered, and the police come looking at Felicity and the personalized fortune she wrote in his cookie…
If you’re looking for the author’s backlist, pick up Death by Bubble Tea and Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.
When She Left by E.A. Aymar
For fans of reluctant assassins and crime families!
Lucky Wilson would really like to be done working as an assassin for Chris’ family. But Chris needs him — his girlfriend, Melissa Cruz, just ran off with the photographer she fell in love with. So now, Lucky Wilson has one more job to do because Chris promises he can quit if he accomplishes this final task…
If you’re looking for the author’s backlist, pick up No Home for Killers and Midnight Hour: A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction from 20 Authors of Color.
The Spy and I by Tiana Smith
For fans of romance, action-adventure, and spies!
Dove Barkley works in cyber security — she is paid to try and hack into systems to show vulnerability — and ends up being mistaken for her sister, who is a spy! So the bad guys after her sister are after Dove, now forcing her into a government mission she wants nothing to do with, partnered with Mendez. He’s supposedly her sister’s partner and, well, she may have enough on her plate with all the assassins after her, but Mendez is also distractingly hot…
The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Schillace
For fans of main characters who work in publishing and inherit an estate!
Book editor Jo Jones is living in the English countryside after her divorce and job loss in New York. How’s England treating her? She’s not sure if her “Americanisms or her autism” stands out more. On the upside, the North Yorkshire family estate she now owns may be haunted! Back to the downside? The murder of the town’s groundskeeper makes her a suspect and amateur sleuth!
Last Seen in Havana by Teresa Dovalpage
For fans of armchair traveling and converging past and present stories!
In the present: Mercedes Spivey has had a lot of loss in her life. Most recently, she’s now widowed and is flying to Cuba to care for her grandmother who raised her after her father died. She also hopes she can finally find answers to what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared when she was just a child.
In the past: Tania, a college student in the ’80s, visits Cuba and falls in love with a soldier.
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The Boy Who Cried Bear (Haven’s Rock #2 ) by Kelley Armstrong
For fans of procedurals with a unique twist!
People who need a safe haven find themselves in this remote world, in the middle of a forest. It was created by Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton, now married, after their first experience living in this kind of community. But somehow, when you have people in hiding in a remote place, things go wrong. This time, there is fear of a bear attacking hikers and the community, but after a child dies and a witness swears the bear’s eyes were human, Duncan and Dalton are on the case!
If you want to start at the beginning of the series, pick up Murder at Haven’s Rock. And if you want to start at the series this is a spinoff from (but do not need to!) pick-up City of the Lost.
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
For fans of isolated English manors, suspicious deaths, amateur sleuths, and antiques!
Freya Lockwood wants nothing to do with her English hometown, but her daughter is in college, and her ex is about to sell the house out from under her. Her mentor, antique dealer Arthur Crockleford, sends her a letter needing her help in an investigation…and then dies, leaving her his business. So, she returns home. Now she’s paired up with Carole, her eccentric aunt, and embroiled in a mystery in an old manor…
Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath
For fans of novels set in New Zealand, suspense, and missing person cases!
Lorraine Henry works as a clerk for the Masterton police station. While not a detective, she’s forced to use her resources from working for the police when she feels they aren’t doing their job following the disappearance of three Maori children, one being her great-nephew.
As always, you can find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.
Want to read more about everything in the world of mystery, thrillers, and true crime — from backlist to new releases? We’ve got you covered.
