Best new books: 5 sizzling summer thrillers

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

There’s not a pleasant character in this dark yet easily digestible thriller. After a young man is stabbed to death on a houseboat, each suspect is found to be hiding their own rage and tragic backstory. So which one killed him? As you would expect from this author, the full picture only emerges on (almost) the last page. A firecracker of a tale that will surely be snapped up by Hollywood.

(Doubleday, £20) Read by Marianne Jones, editor-in-chief

Payday by Celia Walden

This page-turner is as much about sexual politics in the workplace as it is a tense thriller. The premise is all very Big Little Lies: handsome man is murdered in a gruesome fashion. The novel alternates between three strong female characters, his former PA, his boss and a colleague, each with grievances, all potential suspects. It’s modern, intelligent and totally gripping. Nicole Kidman TV miniseries is written all over it.

(Sphere, £14.99, out 2 September) Read by Laura Powell, features editor

The Wedding Night by Harriet Walker

When Lizzie and Dan call off their south of France wedding a week before the big day, Lizzie’s best friends resolve to buoy the bride’s spirits with a getaway – to her would-be wedding venue. But when they arrive at the chateau to find the wedding feast already set up, suspicions mount. A stylish, taut thriller – and an ideal poolside read.

(Hodder & Stoughton, £14.99) Read by Emily Cronin, senior fashion editor

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

This fast-paced novel centres around Chloe Sevre, an American undergraduate, diagnosed as a psychopath. She and six other students – also psychopaths – sign up for a clinical trial, where their moods and actions are scrutinised. When a participant is found murdered, Sevre uses her manipulative charm to find the culprit. Utterly gripping.

(Harvill Secker, £14.99, out 9 September) Read by Jason Morris, art director

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Screenwriter and workaholic Adam Wright is face blind and struggles to recognise his friends, wife, even his own reflection. In an attempt to save their 10-year marriage, his wife arranges a weekend getaway. But their escape to an isolated and spine-tinglingly depicted chapel in the Scottish Highlands is laden with something sinister. A cleverly crafted novel with a grand twist.

(HQ, £8.99) Read by Sameeha Shaikh, beauty assistant

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