9 Best Mystery Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down During Spring Break
You’ll want to keep a light on when you’re reading these thrillers.
While getting away for a while is nice, you can still have a rejuvenating spring break by staying at home. All of the things you need for a relaxing pause from school or work can be found right in your neighborhood. You can set up some luxurious snacks, make some gourmet coffee, and finally get to all of the reading you’ve wanted to do — and not because you’re anticipating a pop quiz. Check out some of the best mystery books for your spring break, and be sure to grab more than one, because you’re about to blow right through them.
These books have thousands of five-star reviews that confirm you won’t be able to put them down. Each one has its own unique storyline, but they all involve a mystery that must be solved, a ticking clock, and a twisty plot with clues you’ll piece together along with the main character. Plus, these books all move super fast, so once you sit down, be sure you’ve got your snacks on hand because you won’t be getting up for a while.
Reading is a relaxing pastime to pick up (or pick back up) while you're on break, especially if you're chilling on a hammock in your backyard or cozying up on your coach. Unlike the busy semester that constantly summoned your thoughts to a million subjects at once, you'll just be focusing on this one thing. If you’re ready to take a deep dive into a good mystery, any of the best mystery thrillers will do the trick.
We only include products that have been independently selected by Elite Daily's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
01
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
With over 73,000 rave reviews, it’s easy to see why this super hyped mystery is a smash hit. Readers and reviewers love the twisty plot and following along with Hannah Hall, a new wife whose husband mysteriously disappears. As Hannah unravels her husband’s secrets while caring for his daughter, Bailey, she starts to realize that he was never who he said he was.
02
A History Of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
When acclaimed author Maggie St. James goes missing, her parents hire private detective Travis Wren to find her. But soon Travis stumbles into the recluse community called Pastoral, and disappears on his own. Enchanting and thrilling, readers will love unwinding the clues about what happened to Maggie and Travis, and they won’t see that plot twist at the end coming.
03
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
In this brand new mystery from bestselling author Lucy Foley, broke and alone Jess shows up at her brother’s apartment in Paris to catch her breath after leaving her job. But when she shows up, Ben’s not there — and it doesn’t look like he’s coming back anytime soon. Now everyone in the building is a suspect and Jess has to watch her back.
04
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
This knockout bestseller has a ton of super fans, even years after its original publication date (myself included). The story focuses on Nicolette, who goes back to her small hometown to tie up loose ends around her old best friend’s mysterious disappearance a decade earlier. There are suspects everywhere, and Nicolette isn’t sure who to trust. But what makes this book so riveting is that it’s totally backwards, going from Day 15 to Day 1, so the reader has to piece the clues together out of order.
05
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
This thrilling mystery is set at the Paris Opera Ballet, both fifteen years ago and in the present day. Rising star Delphine Léger returns to the theater where she once performed to choreograph a new dance and hopefully make amends with her old friends, Margaux and Lindsay. But as the story is told back and forth through the past and present, Delphine and the reader both realize that some secrets can no longer stay buried.
06
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
An Amazon Editor’s Pick, this mystery by Mary Kubica is one of those books you can devour in a single sitting. Domestic secrets are taken up a notch when Shelby Tebow goes missing, followed shortly by Meredith and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah. But when Delilah returns eleven years later, everyone wants to know what happened. No one is prepared for the truth.
07
The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg
If you’re a true crime fan, you’ll love diving into The Third Rainbow Girl. This book explores the mysterious murder of two women in the Appalachian mountains, and the aftershock of what happened in the small, rural community. The author resolves to put the pieces of the story together while working to uncover who the third mysterious “rainbow girl” was that may have escaped a tragic end.
08
Verity by Colleen Hoover
This New York Times bestseller has tons of rave reviews from readers who blew through this book in one sitting. It’s the perfect blend of mystery and thriller, with twists and turns no one can predict. Lowen Ashleigh is hired to finish the manuscripts of injured writer Verity, but when she starts to develop feelings for her husband, Lowen decides to share some of the horrifying secrets she’s uncovered about Verity for a major cost.
09
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
In this brilliantly plotted young adult thriller, the cheerleaders of Sunnybrook are either dead or missing. When a memorial is held to remember them, Monica begins to unravel the mystery of what really happened to the squad five years ago. People in town know a lot more than what they’re saying, and Monica is going to find out…even if it costs her her own life.
This article was originally published on
