My five-star thriller reads of the year 2025

As the end of 2025 approaches fast, I’ve looked back over my year of reading to bring you my favourite thrillers from the last 12 months.

These are the five-star reads that kept me up late into the night, flicking furiously through the pages. The plots and characters that left a lasting impression and which I’d recommend to anyone who loves a great story.

They’re not necessarily books that have been released this year (in at least one case they’re quite old) but nonetheless they are worthy of reading, in this author’s humble opinion.

So, in no particular order, here are my favourite thrillers of 2025:

The Woman in the Cabin – Becca Day

Such a beautifully written book, this one had me hooked – and completely unsettled - from page one.

Claustrophobic and unpredictable, it charts the story of Mary, a woman trapped in a Scottish cabin by a controlling husband who rules over her with a rod of iron.

Atmospheric and really twisty, I was totally drawn in by Becca’s eloquent and sophisticated writing style.

The Last One at the Wedding – Jason Rekulak

I loved Jason’s previous book, Hidden Pictures with its creepy, supernatural storyline – and this one didn’t disappoint.

Completely different in tone and content, it’s nonetheless a brilliant read, all about a man who hasn’t seen his daughter for years but who contacts him out of the blue to invite him to her wedding.

Like The Woman in the Cabin, it’s both unsettling and unpredictable with a memorable twist that creeps up unexpectedly.

Truth Truth Lie – Claire McGowan

I love the premise of this book by the author of What You Did (one of my favourite thrillers of recent years) and didn’t disappoint.

It centres a group of friends who head to a private Scottish island and end up playing a game in which everyone has to write down two truths and a lie.

But among the slips of paper are three chilling threats including the statement that all the guests have been responsible for killing someone.

Definite Agatha Christie vibes with this one!

59 Minutes – Holly Seddon

One of my favourite conventions of the modern thriller is the ticking clock. The countdown to imminent disaster or death.

It’s a trope that this entire ambitious novel by Holly Seddon embraces – with the simple premise: what would you do if you had only 59 minutes before a nuclear bomb dropped and threatened to wipe out the population?

It’s a huge storyline – but tackled cleverly by focusing on a cast of three women trying to make it home to their families.

The twist at the end is a real jaw-drop moment.

Allegedly – Tiffany Jackson

There are some books I see being talked about on social media so often, I can’t resist taking a look to see what the fuss is all about.

Allegedly is one of those – and boy, am I glad I did.

It’s not your traditional psychological thriller, but it us utterly compelling. A stunning read that takes you deep inside the head of a child, Mary B Addison, who is in care after allegedly killing a baby.

Uncomfortable reading in places, it’s taut and suspenseful and hard to put down.

One Perfect Couple – Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware is another of those writers who never disappoints and in One Perfect Couple she delivers again.

This is one centres around a small group of couples who are taking part in a reality TV series on a island in the Indian Ocean, but who become cut off from the world when a hurricane hits.

With distinct Lord of the Flies overtures, it becomes a battle to survive and a wonderful canvas for Ware to explore the darkening relationships between a group of strangers.

Next of Kin – Kia Abdullah

Kia Abdullah was a new author to me but this was a massively accomplished legal thriller.

Again, it has a deceptively simple but effect premise which hooks you from the first page.

Leila was supposed to drop her nephew at the nursery on her way to work – but when the nursery calls to say they’ve not see him, Leila is accused of neglecting the child.

And as the high-profile trial plays out in court, we get to witness a family ripped apart in real time.

Little Secrets – Jennifer Hillier

Jennifer Hillier remains to my mind one of the best thriller writers of her generation.

This one seems to start as missing child story but quickly evolves into something much deeper and more disturbing when Marin discovers through a private investigator looking for her son that her husband is having an affair.

This one twists, turns and jinks in lots of unexpected directions and is so evocatively written, it’s hard to put down.

The Woman in Coach D – Sarah A Denzil

Sarah A Denzil is another classy writer I adore. I was drawn to this one of hers by the cover, title and premise.

Again, it’s a simple idea. A woman travelling home on the train spots her friend who she thought died years ago when they both took part in a dare to jump into the abyss at the notorious Hangman’s Cave.

Has she been alive all this time? Or was it all in her imagination?

Cue a frantic search for answers and the discovery of a hatful of secrets and lies.

I Let You Go – Claire Mackintosh

I’ve been meaning to read this one for years as I’ve heard so many people talk about how shocked they were by the twist.

I thought the twist was okay – but not as a special as I’d been expecting, but the story is compelling and the writing excellent.

It’s all about a mother who sees her child knocked over and killed – and her attempt to come to terms with what happened and work out who the driver was and why they drove off without stopping.

Beautiful Ugly – Alice Feeney

Another corker from Alice Feeney – this one reminded me of The Wicker Man with all its strange characters and set on a claustrophobic island.

It’s features writer Grady Green whose wife mysteriously disappears in the first chapter, apparently murdered.

As he’s dealing with his grief, he heads to a small island to try to move on with his life – only to spot his wife on several occasions, apparently alive and well.

A wonderful mystery that begs so many questions and a delightfully evocative setting.

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So there you go. Those are my favourite books of the year. How many have you read?