✈️ Murder, Mayhem & Mojitos: The Best Vacation Thrillers to Pack This Summer
Sun, secrets, and suspense—your next binge-read awaits.
Whether you're beach-bound, poolside, or just mentally checked out at your local café, nothing beats the thrill of a vacation thriller. These books transport you to sun-drenched islands, luxe resorts, and intimate getaways—only to twist the knife with murder, betrayal, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.
📝 Many of these are backlist titles—aka published a year or more ago—so you’ll likely be able to borrow them from your library with little or no wait. Perfect if you're building a last-minute summer TBR!
If you're looking for your next juicy read, here’s your guide to the most bingeable thrillers to devour this summer:
One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
Six women. One bachelorette party on a Greek island. Not everyone will leave alive.
Why You’ll Love It: Claustrophobic, character-driven suspense with a perfect blend of The Guest List and Big Little Lies energy.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Newlyweds honeymooning in Bora Bora find something underwater that turns their dream vacation into a moral nightmare.
Why You’ll Love It: Think paradise meets paranoia—this one's for fans of twisty, ethical-dilemma thrillers.
The Resort by Sara Ochs
On a remote Thai island, expats live by 3 rules: don’t ask, don’t tell, and run if anyone finds out who you are. But what happens when a murder shatters the silence?
Why You’ll Love It: Exotic setting, dark secrets, and expat intrigue give this thriller a tense, White Lotus–like vibe.
Drowning by T.J. Newman
A plane crashes into the Pacific, trapping a father and daughter underwater, while the mother launches a daring rescue from above.
Why You’ll Love It: Reads like an action-packed disaster movie with emotional punch. You'll hold your breath—literally.
The Trip by Phoebe Morgan
Two couples. One Thai vacation. One murder. Who’s hiding what?
Why You’ll Love It: Fast-paced, character-focused, and full of betrayal. This is The White Lotus, but bloodier.
Bad Tourists by Caro Carver
Three divorcées head to the Maldives to celebrate their new lives, but the past and a body on the beach catch up to them.
Why You’ll Love It: Female friendship meets midlife reinvention meets death at the resort.
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
Wealthy Fire Island residents play dirty—until someone turns up dead on the boardwalk.
Why You’ll Love It: Like Big Little Lies with salt air and martinis. Juicy, satirical, and full of scandal.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
A storm traps a group of glamorous friends on a private Greek island, and one of them won’t survive.
Why You’ll Love It: A closed-circle mystery told by an unreliable narrator. High style meets high stakes.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Two timelines collide at a villa in Italy, where one summer in 1974 ended in murder, and another could end in betrayal.
Why You’ll Love It: A moody blend of creative obsession, friendship breakdowns, and historical secrets.
The Vacation by John Marrs
Eight strangers at a hostel in LA discover that their pasts are more intertwined than they thought.
Why You’ll Love It: Backpacker vibes with thriller pacing—perfect for fans of The Stranger and Behind Her Eyes.
Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum
A startup retreat in Miami turns deadly when a top exec vanishes.
Why You’ll Love It: Skewers tech-bro culture with sharp wit and a solid mystery to boot.
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
A young woman investigates her sister’s death years after a Caribbean vacation tragedy.
Why You’ll Love It: A haunting exploration of grief, privilege, and the mysteries we never quite solve.
📣 Let’s Chat!
What’s your go-to popcorn thriller—the kind of book you fly through in one sitting, preferably with a cold drink in hand? I’d love to know what twisty reads you’ve loved lately. And while we’re at it… Any fun summer plans coming up? Drop your recs and travel dreams in the comments or hit reply, I’m always looking for new books and new adventures to add to my list!