This is the list I wish existed every time I stand in a bookshop in November, holding three books, reading the backs of all of them and buying none. It is built from what is actually selling in the UK this month and the biggest new crime and thriller releases of the autumn.
It gets refreshed every month, so bookmark it and you will never have to read the back of a book in a shop again. For the all-time greats instead, see the best thriller books of all time.
The top 10 thriller books right now
Last checked 12 November 2026.
Chain Reaction
Lee Child and Andrew Child · October 2026
The 31st Jack Reacher novel, and it went straight into the UK top ten. General Susan Turner needs the one man she trusts to finish a job, which is a problem, because Reacher is extremely hard to find and quite happy to keep it that way.
Side effects: an unshakeable belief that you could handle yourself in a car park.
Read it if: you want a big, clean, can’t-stop action thriller.
Find Chain Reaction on AmazonThe Witch
Freida McFadden · October 2026
A gothic two-timeline thriller set on an old family estate called Pemberton, with a second story running back to a seventeenth-century witch trial. One of Amazon’s most-read books this autumn, and perfect for the dark evenings.
Side effects: checking that the noise upstairs was definitely the boiler.
Read it if: you want something spooky to read under a blanket.
Find The Witch on AmazonThe Hollow
Michael Connelly · November 2026 (UK)
Harry Bosch reopens the death of a boy he knew at the children’s home he grew up in. New in the UK this month and already in the charts. The kind of detective story that makes you feel something, which is rarer than it should be.
Side effects: wanting to phone an old school friend, for no clear reason.
Read it if: you love a proper detective with a proper heart.
Find The Hollow on AmazonThe Heights
Ian Rankin · November 2026
When the concierge of an exclusive high-rise dies in suspicious circumstances, the whole building turns into a crime scene. Rankin’s stylish spin on the classic closed-circle mystery, where every neighbour has something to hide.
Side effects: looking at your neighbours’ recycling with new interest.
Read it if: you like a whodunnit with a building full of suspects.
Find The Heights on AmazonIt Could Have Been Her
Lisa Jewell · July 2026 (UK)
A lost dog, an old house and a missing teenager. Jewell at her darkest and most addictive, and a perfect two-sitting read for a wet weekend.
Side effects: refusing to answer the door to anybody holding a dog lead.
Read it if: you want a dark family thriller you can finish by Sunday night.
Find It Could Have Been Her on Amazon
An opening line to keep you up tonight
“Stevie gave it ten minutes before somebody threw a punch. That was generous of her. With the Gunns, she normally gave it five.”
Big Little Truths
Liane Moriarty · August 2026
The long-awaited return to the world of Big Little Lies, ten years on. Secrets, school gates and the creeping sense that something terrible is about to happen at a social event.
Side effects: politely declining the next school fundraiser.
Read it if: you like your thrillers with sharp humour.
Find Big Little Truths on AmazonCaller Unknown
Gillian McAllister · May 2026
A mother, a missing daughter and a phone call demanding the unthinkable. McAllister at her most nerve-shredding, and very hard to put down.
Side effects: a deep and lasting fear of withheld numbers.
Read it if: you want pure tension from page one.
Find Caller Unknown on AmazonMy Husband’s Wife
Alice Feeney · January 2026
A woman comes home to find someone else living her life, and her own husband insisting he has no idea who she is. Feeney at her most unsettling.
Side effects: counting the wine glasses after a dinner party.
Read it if: you love a twist you will want to argue about.
Find My Husband’s Wife on AmazonAgrippa
Robert Harris · August 2026
Robert Harris back in Ancient Rome, with power, rivalry and the kind of plotting that made Conclave a hit. Proof that a thriller can wear a toga.
Side effects: renewed respect for anybody who survived a Roman dinner party.
Read it if: you want a clever thriller with history in it.
Find Agrippa on AmazonWhen They Find Me
Carter Wilson · November 2026
Two women’s paths collide in a remote village, on opposite sides of a plan for revenge. One of the most intriguing new releases of the month.
Side effects: reconsidering that cottage holiday.
Read it if: you love revenge plots with big twists.
Find When They Find Me on Amazon
A quick detour
Which kind of thriller reader are you?
Not sure what to read next? Take the 60-second quiz.
How is this list chosen?
I look at the UK bestseller charts each week, the biggest new crime and thriller releases, and what readers are actually recommending to each other. A book has to be genuinely good to stay on, not just new. For the whole year at a glance, see the best thriller books of 2026.
Your questions answered
What are the top 10 thriller books right now?
In November 2026: Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child, The Witch by Freida McFadden, The Hollow by Michael Connelly, The Heights by Ian Rankin, It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell, Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty, Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister, My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney, Agrippa by Robert Harris and When They Find Me by Carter Wilson.
What is the most popular thriller book at the moment?
Chain Reaction, the new Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child and Andrew Child, is the best-selling new thriller in the UK this month. Freida McFadden’s The Witch is one of the most-read.
How often is this list updated?
Every month. The date above the list tells you when it was last checked.
Are there any new thrillers coming out soon?
Little Apples Grow by Kadie Vellis is out on 1 December 2026 and can be pre-ordered now.
What thriller should I buy as a present?
For a safe bet, Chain Reaction or The Witch. For someone who has read everything, take the 60-second quiz on their behalf.
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