Hunker down with these 13 mysteries and thrillers from 2025

Hunker down with these 13 mysteries and thrillers from 2025 Mysteries and thrillers are enjoyable no matter the season, but there's something extra satisfying about curling up in the winter with a warm drink and an all-engrossing read. The 13 (spooked already?) books in this list, recommended by NPR staff and critics, fit the bill: stalkers, witchcraft, missing persons, suburban horror - there's something here for every thrill-seeker. And for more nail-biters, check out Books We Love, our annual year-end reading guide. All the Other Mothers Hate Me, by Sarah Harman This book got me out of a reading rut! It's about a mom who is struggling to keep her life together - while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery of her son's missing classmate. It's got fun twists and turns and characters who surprise you. Very plot driven and definitely hard to put down. - Elissa Nadworny , correspondent Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How? Audition , by Katie Kitamura I guess I could explain the plot to you: An actress meets up with a man who is convinced she's his mother. It turns out she's not. I think? Maybe she is? Or, maybe she's not but actually kind of is? What is a mother? The most impressive thing about this Booker Prize finalist is how Katie Kitamura plays with the narrative and toys with the reader without being overly clever about it all. She's stingy with details and answers, but generous with intrigue and depth. - Andrew Limbong , correspondent, Culture Desk and host, Book of the Day Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How? The Buffalo Hunter Hunter , by Stephen Graham Jones The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is many things: a clever nesting doll of narratives, a sanguine revenge thriller stitched inside the corpse of an old vampire yarn, and a fearsome accounting of America's murderous past. Lucky for us, Stephen Graham Jones has bound it all together with a hero (antihero?) for the ages - a man from the Blackfeet tribe, aptly named Good Stab, who is determined to right the wrongs of the past, even if it takes him a few lifetimes. - Cory Turner , correspondent and senior editor, Education Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How? Death of the Author , by Nnedi Okorafor This book will keep you guessing until the last chapter. The plot jumps back and forth between two connected stories: one about a human author and one about a robot obsessed with human stories. The book tackles some big themes, including fame and immigrant identity. But one of my favorite things about it is that the robot storyline is absolutely gripping. I couldn't put this book down, and thank goodness I didn't, or I would have missed the final twist! - Rebecca Hersher , correspondent, Climate Desk Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How? Elita , by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum This absorbing midcentury American take on...

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