Discover the summer’s hottest reading trend

The hottest reading trend this summer is to match your book to your break with a suspenseful destination thriller.

The undoubted master (or mistress) of this genre must be Agatha Christie, who penned such classics as Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and Evil Under the Sun. These masterpieces share a relaxed holiday atmosphere in exotic locations, that makes it all the more shocking when evil comes calling. The assorted characters all harbour secrets and connections only gradually revealed to the reader as the plot progresses, and introduced the world to the horrifying reality that even the most glamorous of holidays in the hottest of destinations can take a deadly turn.

The continuing popularity of this sub-genre make it extremely appealing to authors, who strive to deliver their own unique take on a tried and tested formula, in real or imagined holiday locations. The key, of course, is to keep the reader guessing by not giving too much away at a time, while making it impossible for them to stop reading. They simply have to know the ‘who’ and the ‘why’.

Whether your idea of paradise is a smart hotel overlooking a sunny palm-fringed beach, a high-end spa resort, a lavish private villa in a secluded location, or even a luxury cruise, if you want to join the summer’s hottest reading trend remember to pack an exciting thriller set in your destination of choice.

Check out the map below for a selection of recently released destination thrillers. Details and purchase links can be found by hovering over and clicking the scrolling cover image.

BAD SUMMER PEOPLE by Emma Rosenblum

Published by Michael Joseph 8 June 2023
Location: Fire Island, New York State, US

You are cordially invited to summer on New York State's idyllic Fire Island.

Thirty miles of golden sand:
No traffic. No tourists. No trash.

The city elite gather here every year, trailing kids, their nannies, wine and seafood imported from Manhattan: hard workers need their playtime.

Take the Parkers and the Weinsteins. Lauren and Jen hold sway on the beach and the tennis court. Their husbands are childhood friends bearing grudges as deep as they are secret.

Their lone single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he's the new tennis pro - or someone else's husband. She's not picky.

And while this season starts out quietly as any other, it soon changes when beneath the boardwalk, a body is found.

No one is claiming to be a good person . . . But is someone actually capable of murder?

THE LAST PASSENGER by Will Dean

Published by Hodder & Stoughton 11 May 2023
Location: Atlantic Ocean

A luxury cruise liner, abandoned with no crew, steaming into the mid-Atlantic.

And you are the only passenger left on board.

Caz Ripley, a cafe owner from a small, ordinary town, boards the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend Pete and a thousand fellow passengers destined for New York.
The next morning, she wakes to discover that everyone else on board has disappeared.
And that's just the beginning. Caz must prepare for a crossing that will be anything but plain sailing ...

A GAME OF LIES by Clare Mackintosh

Published by Sphere 20 July 2023
Location: North Wales, UK

They say the camera never lies.

But on this show, you can't trust anything you see.

Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for.

Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated - they'll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they'd ever imagined, and they're trapped.

The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people really are - knowing she can't trust any of them.

And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.

THE FINAL PARTY by A.A. Chaudhuri

Published by Canelo Hera 25 May 2023
Location Sorrento, Italy

SIX FRIENDS.

In a luxury villa set high in the hills above the glamorous town of Sorrento, southern Italy, three couples gather for the perfect 40th birthday celebration.

ONE BODY.

Before the week is out, one of them is dead.

COUNTLESS LIES.

Their perfect reunion quickly becomes the holiday from hell when one of the group starts receiving anonymous messages, threatening to expose a dark secret from their university days.

As old friendships are tested to the limit, it’s clear that what happens in the dark past won’t stay buried…

A heart-racing psychological thriller that will hook you from the very first page, with twist after twist that will make your jaw drop.

THE OTHER GUEST by Heidi Perks

Published by Penguin 22 June 2023
Location: Ixos island, Greece (fictional)

Laila and her husband arrive for a week's holiday in Greece in desperate need of a reset.

As Laila sits by the pool she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the other family staying in their resort.

Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently.

Five days later Em's world will be blown apart by a horrifying event.

Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened. But in telling Em what she's seen, she stands to lose everything she holds dear.

And what if she's got it wrong?

THE HONEYMOON by Kate Gray

Published by Welbeck 20 July 2023
Location: Bali

Two happy couples.
One dead body.
A whole load of secrets.
Married life wasn’t meant to start like this.

On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff-side restaurant.

No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident.

The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there’s another side to this story . . . and your life depends on uncovering it.

Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really ’til death do us part?

THE DIVE by Sara Ochs

Published by Bantum 20 July 2023
Location: Koh Sang, Thailand

Welcome to paradise. We hope you survive your stay...

Escape to paradise.

Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand's world-famous party island. It's supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control...

Leave your secrets behind.

By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.

But don't get lost for ever...

Because someone is making sure that backpackers never leave paradise - one murder at a time. And Cass has a feeling she might be next...

THE VILLA by Ruth Kelly

Published by Pan 22 June 2023
Location: Aruna, Balearic Islands

A VILLA IN PARADISE

It’s destined to be the ultimate reality TV show. Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have total control over those competing for the cash prize.

A JOURNALIST UNDERCOVER

Reporter Laura is told to get the inside scoop on her fellow contestants. But once the games begin, she soon finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless producer willing to do anything to increase viewer numbers.

A REALITY SHOW TO DIE FOR

There is more to every contestant than meets the eye, including Laura. They all have secrets they’d like to keep buried, and the pressure in paradise quickly reaches boiling point. How far will the contestants go to secure audience votes? And would somebody really kill to win?

THE BEACH PARTY by Nikki Smith

Published by Penguin 20 July 2023
Location: Mallorca, Spain

Six friends.
The holiday of their dreams.
One night that changed it all . . .

1989: The tunes are loud and the clothes are louder when a group of friends arrives in Mallorca for a post-graduation holiday of decadence and debauchery at a luxury villa.

A beach party marks the pinnacle of their fun, until it isn't fun any longer. Because amidst the wild partying - sand flying from dancing feet and revellers leaping from yachts - an accident happens. Suddenly, the night of a lifetime becomes a living nightmare.

Now: The truth about that summer has been collectively buried. But someone knows what happened that night.

And they want the friends to pay for what they did.

SHE STARTED IT by Sian Gilbert

Published by William Morrow 13 June 2023
Location: Bahamas

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends--or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven't quite turned out as they'd hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected--but not entirely unwelcome--invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy's Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good--and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island's accommodations are just as opulent as expected...even if the scenic island proves more remote than they'd anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they've underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

Endlessly twisty, sharply observant, and deliciously catty, She Started It is sure to shock readers until the very end.

Happy summer, everyone!