Sometimes, you want to sink softly into a relaxing read. Other times, you need to perch on the edge of your seat for a dark, twisted tale of sinister secrets (it’s okay; we contain multitudes).

Summer isn’t just for light and fluffy beach reads — spine-tingling stories can cool you down on those hot days and nights. From addictive psychological suspense to unsettling serial killers, turn up the volume on these heart-pounding stories you have to hear to believe on the free Libby app from your library.

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

Natalie becomes entwined in a deadly game of cat and mouse when her coworker goes missing, revealing a web of secrets within their office.

Also check out BookTok sensation Frieda McFadden’s latest 2024 release, The Teacher.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

This sharp and twisty psychological suspense dives into the complexities of female friendship as Margot's bond with the magnetic and dangerous Lucy leads to murder and mystery in their sophomore year of college.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

A thriller set in a remote rehab clinic on the Pacific Northwest coast, in which the death of a woman inside prompts her sister to enter the clinic as a patient in order to find the truth.

Don’t Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders

Joanne's seemingly perfect life unravels when her husband's estranged daughter, Chloe, moves in to help with their new baby, leading Joanne to question Chloe's true intentions.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

When Gabe fails to save a woman from the cliff near their dream home, his wife Pippa discovers he knew the victim, unraveling their perfect façade and revealing dark secrets. A thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Theo Benton moves to the U.S. to finish her novel, but gets entangled in a dangerous literary labyrinth when her mentor is murdered and her brother becomes the prime suspect. To protect him, she vanishes, leaving a story as a clue.

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea

Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But 20 years later, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past.

The Trees by Percival Everett

This uncanny literary thriller, addressing the painful legacy of lynching in the U.S., is a must-listen that opens with a series of brutal murders in the rural town of Money, Mississippi. This is an enormously powerful novel of lasting importance from an author with his finger on America’s pulse.

The Silent Woman by Minka Kent

Newlywed Jade Westmore has finally found her forever in husband Wells, a charming, successful, and recently divorced architect — only there’s one caveat: behind the gates of their elysian estate, hidden from street view in the caretaker’s cottage… lives Wells’s first wife, Sylvie.

The Whisper Man by Alex North

In this psychological thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study led by the enigmatic Dr. Shields, she expects easy money but instead finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and obsession.

The Resort by Sara Ochs

As a diving instructor on Thailand's Koh Sang island, Cass buries herself among expats with hidden pasts. When a dive student is found dead, her safety is threatened in this seemingly perfect paradise.

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian

Six high-school students witness a horrifying crime in 1995 and vow to bury the truth and never contact each other again. Twenty years later, they're forced to reunite when one of them is murdered, uncovering long-buried secrets.

*Title availability may vary by library & region.

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