Every big name was a debut once. Somebody read Freida McFadden before she was everywhere. Somebody picked up Martina Cole’s first book in 1992 and told their sister about it. This page is for anyone who would like to be that somebody.
The authors below all published a debut, or started a brand new series, in the last year. Their next books are on the way. Read them now and you get to say you were there first. If you would rather stick with the biggest names, try the most anticipated psychological thrillers of 2027.
| # | Book | Author | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Exes | Leodora Darlington | Debut, February 2026 |
| 2 | A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage | M. K. Oliver | Debut, February 2026 |
| 3 | Darkrooms | Rebecca Hannigan | Debut, January 2026 |
| 4 | Best Offer Wins | Marisa Kashino | Debut, January 2026 |
| 5 | The Hiding Season | A. C. Glass | Debut, March 2026 |
| 6 | How to Get Away with Murder | Rebecca Phillipson | Debut, March 2026 |
| 7 | The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives | Elizabeth Arnott | Debut, April 2026 |
| 8 | The Pie & Mash Detective Agency | J. D. Brinkworth | Debut, February 2026 |
| 9 | A Bad, Bad Place | Frances Crawford | Debut, February 2026 |
| 10 | The Enforcer | Carol Hellier | New series, September 2026 |
What makes a new thriller author worth watching?
A good debut thriller does the one thing big names sometimes stop doing: it takes a risk. A narrator you are not sure you like. A premise that sounds slightly mad. An ending nobody saw coming because nobody had heard of the author.
Every pick here has three things going for it. A premise you have not read a hundred times, a publisher willing to bet on it, and plenty of room to grow.
10 new thriller authors to watch in 2027
The first five write psychological thrillers. The second five lean towards crime, from a killer’s instruction manual to 1960s London enforcers.
The Exes
Leodora Darlington · Debut, February 2026
Natalie has blackouts, and her exes keep turning up dead. She is starting to wonder whether the killer everyone is looking for is her. Darlington is a London writer with a very dark sense of humour, and this is a debut with real swagger.
Side effects: a careful review of everyone you have ever dumped.
Read it if: you like your narrators unreliable and your jokes dark.
Find The Exes on AmazonA Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage
M. K. Oliver · Debut, February 2026
Lalla Rook lives in Muswell Hill, has a lovely husband and does not feel things the way other people do. The marriage is going very well. For now. Oliver was a headteacher in Liverpool before turning to crime, on the page at least.
Side effects: looking at your other half slightly differently over breakfast.
Read it if: you loved the wicked humour of Dear Debbie and want something even darker.
Find A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage on AmazonDarkrooms
Rebecca Hannigan · Debut, January 2026
Two girls walked into the Hanging Woods in 1999, and only one came back. The story moves between 1999 and 2019. Irish noir with a lot of quiet, creeping dread.
Side effects: avoiding woods. All woods.
Read it if: you like a mystery that takes its time and gets under your skin.
Find Darkrooms on AmazonBest Offer Wins
Marisa Kashino · Debut, January 2026
A woman in Washington DC loses out on eleven houses in a row. On the twelfth, she decides to stop playing fair, and the stalking and blackmail begin. It has been described as Gone Girl meets Selling Sunset, which is exactly as much fun as it sounds.
Side effects: an unhealthy interest in Rightmove.
Read it if: you have ever been gazumped and had dark thoughts about it.
Find Best Offer Wins on AmazonThe Hiding Season
A. C. Glass · Debut, March 2026
A woman escaping her divorce in Montana witnesses a brutal crime. Nobody believes her. The killer does.
Side effects: drawing the curtains well before it gets dark.
Read it if: you like a heroine on her own, a long way from help.
Find The Hiding Season on Amazon
An opening line to keep you up tonight
“Your husband is going to kill you on Saturday.”
How to Get Away with Murder
Rebecca Phillipson · Debut, March 2026
A serial killer leaves a manual at each crime scene, and that manual turns out to be the key to stopping them. It is a brilliant hook for a first novel.
Side effects: reading instruction leaflets with fresh suspicion.
Read it if: you want a clever puzzle with real teeth.
Find How to Get Away with Murder on AmazonThe Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives
Elizabeth Arnott · Debut, April 2026
In 1960s California, three women married to convicted killers team up to track a new string of murders. Who better to spot a murderer than the women who married one?
Side effects: wondering what the neighbours’ husbands really do in the shed.
Read it if: you like your crime with a period setting and women at the centre of it.
Find The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives on AmazonThe Pie & Mash Detective Agency
J. D. Brinkworth · Debut, February 2026
A woman vanishes, and she is the fifth woman called Nellie Thorne to disappear in fifty years. Two accidental sleuths decide somebody has to find out why. Proof that crime can be fun without going soft.
Side effects: a sudden craving for liquor and mash.
Read it if: you want something lighter between the darker books on this list.
Find The Pie & Mash Detective Agency on AmazonA Bad, Bad Place
Frances Crawford · Debut, February 2026
In 1970s Glasgow, a twelve-year-old finds a murdered woman by the railway. The victim’s father is a gangster, and he wants answers. Gangland seen through a child’s eyes is a fresh way into a world crime fans think they know.
Side effects: checking over your shoulder on the walk home.
Read it if: you love Martina Cole but fancy a different city and a different decade.
Find A Bad, Bad Place on AmazonThe Enforcer
Carol Hellier · New series, September 2026
Patrick O’Leary flees post-war Ireland for England with his wife and daughter, and is drawn into the brutal world of enforcing. As he rises, his family pays the price. This is book one of The Legacy series, with book two, The Governor, due on 14 January 2027. Hellier is not a debut, but if you have not met her yet, this is the place to start.
Side effects: a sudden urge to rewatch Peaky Blinders.
Read it if: you want a gangland family saga that spans decades, and something good for January.
Find The Enforcer on Amazon
A quick detour
Which kind of new thriller reader are you?
Not sure where to start? Take the 60-second quiz.
New thriller debuts already announced for 2027
Publishers buy books a year or two ahead, so a few 2027 debuts have already been announced.
The Not-So-Good Girl by Ildy Modrovich, a television writer and showrunner, is a psychological thriller about what happens when a classic good girl decides to break bad. It is due from Grand Central in 2027.
The Bone Tide by Sandra Marslund draws on the darker side of Nordic folklore and female revenge, and is due from Grand Central in summer 2027.
Neither has a firm UK date yet, so treat them as ones to keep an eye on rather than ones to pre-order.
Where to find new thriller authors before everyone else
Proof copies go out to booksellers and reviewers months before a book is published, which is why the best early tips come from bookshop staff picks and NetGalley reviewers rather than from the charts.
If gangland is your thing, keep an eye on Boldwood Books, which publishes a lot of new British gangland writing.
If you want the classics these new writers are measured against, start with books like Martina Cole or the best thriller books of all time.
Your questions answered
Who are the best new psychological thriller authors?
Leodora Darlington (The Exes), M. K. Oliver (A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage), Rebecca Hannigan (Darkrooms), Marisa Kashino (Best Offer Wins) and A. C. Glass (The Hiding Season) all published debut psychological thrillers in 2026.
Who are the best new gangland thriller authors?
Frances Crawford’s debut, A Bad, Bad Place, takes gangland crime to 1970s Glasgow. Carol Hellier’s new Legacy series starts with The Enforcer, and book two, The Governor, is due on 14 January 2027.
What were the best debut thrillers of 2026?
The Exes by Leodora Darlington, A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M. K. Oliver, Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan, Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino and A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford are five of the strongest.
Which new thrillers are coming out in 2027?
Big names with new books in 2027 include Freida McFadden (The Sleepwalker), Alice Feeney (Twist) and Ruth Ware (A Liar in the Family). See the new psychological thrillers of 2027 for dates.
Are any new thriller authors writing about London?
Yes. Leodora Darlington is a London writer, M. K. Oliver’s debut is set in Muswell Hill, Carol Hellier’s Legacy series moves to 1960s London, and Kadie Vellis sets her thrillers in Islington and Hackney.
How do I find new thriller authors?
Bookshop staff picks and NetGalley reviews are the best early signals, as booksellers and reviewers read proof copies months before publication. This page is updated as new names break through.
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