10 moody rainy-day thrillers to curl up with this July

Rain does something strange to us. It slows time, muffles city chaos, and turns all of us—temporarily—into melancholic main characters with unresolved trauma and a playlist for brooding. It also happens to be prime reading weather. Especially if you like your books dark, twisty, and full of unreliable narrators. The kind where people disappear, neighbours aren’t what they seem, and the real danger is usually something much worse than a storm.

If you're craving something with murder, mystery, and at least one emotionally damaged protagonist, we've got you. These 10 thrillers are all atmosphere, thrill, and addictive tension. Think: cosy in the body, chaos in the brain. Happy spiralling.

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

 

Jet Mason has seven days to live—thanks to a catastrophic head injury from a brutal Halloween attack. Most people would shut down. Jet decides to solve her own attempted murder before it kills her. As her condition worsens, so does her grip on reality, but with a childhood friend by her side and a family full of secrets, she refuses to go quietly.

Read this if: You’re into race-against-time thrillers with sharp dialogue, small-town secrets, and big Gone Girl energy.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 

Steve Wheeler’s happy in his quiet, retired life—until his daughter-in-law Amy calls for help. She’s guarding a celebrity on a remote island, someone ends up dead, and now they’re being hunted. Cue a cross-continental game of cat and mouse, blending Osman’s signature warmth with all-new stakes. Think: cosy crime goes full action-thriller.

Read this if: You like reluctant heroes, endearing chaos, and murder mysteries that don’t take themselves too seriously.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

 

When Nina’s husband dies, a stranger from his past reappears. He’s charming, familiar, and everything she needs—except her daughter doesn’t trust him. Across town, a young mother starts to question her own marriage, and the two stories begin to converge. Taut and slow-burning, this is classic Jewell: domestic unease with a terrifying undertow.

Read this if: You enjoy psychological thrillers where the real horror wears a friendly face.

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava

 

Sloane lies to make her life sound less bleak. One tiny fib lands her in a posh brownstone as a nanny to a perfect New York family—and that’s when things get dangerous. The lies multiply, the cracks widen, and it’s not just Sloane keeping secrets. Fast-paced and cutting, this one turns social performance into a literal threat.

Read this if: You love smart, stylish thrillers with sharp women and sharper twists.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

 

Lowen’s new writing job seems ideal—until she finds an unpublished manuscript hidden in the house. Its contents are horrifying. Its author is incapacitated. And her employer, the grieving husband, is getting harder to resist. This cult favourite delivers dark romance and psychological tension in equal, uncomfortable doses.

Read this if: You’re here for a slow descent into madness, lust, and morally grey everything.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

 

Five teens walk into detention. Only four walk out. When the school gossip dies during the session, everyone becomes a suspect—and everyone’s got something to hide. With its mix of high-school drama and high-stakes mystery, this is the ultimate “who do you trust?” read, especially if you never got over Pretty Little Liars.

Read this if: You want a fast-paced teen thriller with secrets, scandal, and plenty of red herrings.

Tideline by Penny Hancock

 

Sonia opens the door to a teenage boy and decides not to let him leave. What follows is a disturbing tale of obsession, memory, and the pull of the past. Set in a crumbling riverside house filled with secrets, this is psychological suspense at its most eerie and intimate.

Read this if: You’re drawn to dark female characters, slow unravellings, and thrillers that feel like fever dreams.

What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan

 

Nina and her boyfriend disappear during a weekend getaway. One comes back. The other doesn’t. What follows is a slow-burning unravelling of grief and conflicting truths. Emotional, taut, and deeply affecting, this is a thriller that’s as much about justice as it is about loss.

Read this if: You want a story that grips your pulse and your feelings, with a deeply satisfying undercurrent of rage.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 

A glamorous island wedding goes murderously wrong in this moody, multi-POV mystery. As guests gather and tensions rise, old grudges and buried secrets bubble to the surface—until someone ends up dead. With stormy weather, unreliable narrators, and major Agatha Christie vibes, it’s a murder mystery with a glossy twist.

Read this if: You can’t resist a whodunnit where everyone has a motive and no one’s telling the truth.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

 

In 1929, a teenage girl was accused of killing her entire family. Decades later, a nurse arrives at the decaying mansion to care for her—and uncovers a story that refuses to stay buried. Gothic, tense, and brimming with secrets, this is a locked-room mystery with a haunting feminist edge.

Read this if: You’re into spooky old houses, unsolved crimes, and people bearing the chilling weight of the past.

Whether you’re fully committed to the duvet life or just waiting out the next thunderstorm, these thrillers will keep you on the edge of your comfy monsoon spot. Creepy cottages, jealous lovers, twisted families—sometimes the only thing scarier than the rain is what's on page 237. Happy (un)settling!

Lead image: Pexels

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