8 Wintry Mystery & Thriller Books To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat

Make yourself a warm drink, curl up with your favourite blanket and dig into some of these reads.

8 Wintry Mysteries And Thrillers To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat
8 Wintry Mysteries And Thrillers To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat

On a cold afternoon, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as curling up in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee, cracking the spine of a new book and getting lost in a new adventure. Especially when a chilling plot is involved — after all, ’tis the season that just seems made for mysteries and thrillers.

If you’re looking for the next book to add to your to-read list, here are eight wintry mystery and thriller books that will have you hooked.

 

1. One by One by Ruth Ware

One By One
One By One

We’re kickstarting this list with One by One, which is jam packed with murder, mystery and mayhem — all within the confines of a luxurious ski resort. Just make sure that you’ve got enough time to read the second half in one sitting, because you will not want to put it down.

The shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app at the moment, are gathering in the exclusive ski resort of Saint Antoine. It’s a make or break corporate trip — one which will decide the future of the company. There’s a billion-dollar dot com buyout on the line, which could make all of them millionaires…or leave some out in the cold.

Tensions in the chalet are high: the clock’s starting to wind down on the offer, and the group can’t agree on what to do. Then, when an avalanche cuts them off from help, disaster strikes: one of the board members goes missing in the snow, and the group are forced to wonder whether someone would resort to murder to get what they want.

 

2. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder On The Orient Express
Murder On The Orient Express

It wouldn’t feel right to have a list of wintry mysteries without including the Queen of Crime in some kind of capacity — and Murder on the Orient Express feels like the perfect fit. After all, it takes place in a luxurious setting, involves a snowy landscape and it’s got none other than Hercule Poirot.

It’s just after midnight when the Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. The train is surprisingly full for this time of year — but by the time morning rolls around, it will be one passenger fewer.

Mr. Ratchett, an American tycoon, has been found dead in his compartment. He has been stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. The guests are isolated and, with a killer among them, detective Hercule Poirot has to try and identify the murderer to prevent them from possibly striking again.

 

3. Dark Pines by Will Dean

Dark Pines
Dark Pines

An atmospheric and unforgettable thriller that will draw you in from the very first pages. It’s also the first book in the Tuva Moodyson series, meaning there are even more mysteries in store once you’ve finished Dark Pines.

After two bodies are found deep in a forest near a remote Swedish town, their eyes missing, Tuva thinks she has found the story that could make her career. But as she investigates, she has to unravel the complicated alliances and relationships within the town — and she soon discovers some dark secrets about the small town, as well as those who live there.

Tuva must outwit the killer before she before she becomes the final victim — something, she would like to think, she’ll be able to do. But first, she has to face her demons and go far into the deep, dark woods if she wants to stand any chance of getting the hell out of small-time Gavrik.

 

4. Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson

Whiteout
Whiteout

If you’re looking for a chilling Agatha Christie-esque story, then this will be perfect for you. Technically, it’s the fifth book in the Dark Iceland series — but it can definitely be read as a standalone, as well.

Days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump? Or did something more sinister happen beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the rocks? As winter closes in and the snow continues to fall, Ari Thór Arason finds out that the victim’s mother and sister had lost their lives in the same spot decades earlier.

The secrets of the village start to bubble to the surface and, as the death toll continues to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives need to race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place.

 

5. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

The Hunting Party
The Hunting Party

Fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French will love this chilling page-turner about a group of frenemies reuniting at a remote estate, only to get snowed in — and for one of them to turn up dead.

In the lazy, hazy days of the Christmas break, a group of thirty-something friends get together to ring in the New Year. It’s a tradition that began ten years ago, back when they were students. This time, they have chosen a remote and idyllic estate in the Scottish Highlands — what better place to relax and unwind?

They all arrive on December 30th, just in time for a historic blizzard to arrive and close the lodge off to the rest of the world. The trip began innocently enough, but it wasn’t long until a decade of secrets and resentments grew too heavy for them to bear — and on New Year’s Eve, the ties that bind them together snap. The next morning, a body is discovered — and one of the friends is behind it.

 

6. Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff

Murder Most Festive
Murder Most Festive

If you’re a fan of historical mysteries, then Murder Most Festive should be at the top of your to-read list.

In 1938, the Westbury family and their friends have gathered at their country home for another legendary Christmas Eve celebration. The champagne is flowing, the silverware is sparkling and the upstairs rooms are ready for their occupants. But one of the rooms is going to remain empty.

Because the next morning, David Campbell-Scott has been found dead in the snow. There’s a pistol in the snow, and only one set of footprints. However, amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston reckons that something doesn’t seem right about it all: David had only just returned from overseas with untold wealth – why would he kill himself? Hugh sets out to investigate…

 

7. The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar

The Hidden Girl
The Hidden Girl

A bit of a slower burn, The Hidden Girl will hook you in pretty quickly — and transport you to Tornley Hall, making you feel like you are snowed-in with Hannah as she tries to get to the bottom of everything going on.

It’s a cold March morning when a removal van arrives outside Tornley Hall in Suffolk. Will and Hannah Riley have been waiting a long time to adopt — and Hannah, a human rights worker, is convinced that this new dream family home will improve their chances with social services. But when Will starts to commute to London, going back to work, a heavy snowfall arrives — and Hannah finds herself cut off from the rest of the world.

It isn’t long until the house starts to reveal some unexpected secrets: rooms are locked, intruders break in, there are strange noises and shadows at night. Who are these threatening figures who lurk near their property at night? And why is her neighbour so keen to see them leave? Hannah has spent her professional life doing the right thing for other people. But after she witnesses a terrible crime, she realises she can no longer do that without putting everything she’s ever wanted at risk. But if she doesn’t do anything, she may be the next victim…

 

8. The Quality Of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

The Quality Of Silence
The Quality Of Silence

A harrowing and atmospheric thriller — and a heart wrenching look into a family going through trauma to find each other once again.

On November 24, Yasmin and her ten-year-old daughter, Ruby, take off across Northern Alaska. They’re looking for Ruby’s father, Matt, who is missing in the arctic wilderness. With each and every frozen mile that they cover, they’re traveling deeper into an endless night — becoming more and more isolated.

Ruby, who has been deaf since she was born, must brave the darkness where the sight can’t guide her — and she’s not going to abandon her father. But the wintry weather has started to tighten its grip, there is someone out there who wants to put an end to their journey. Someone who is tracking them through the dark.

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