2026 ARC Reviews
Spoiler-free early reviews of the most anticipated upcoming releases.
5 days
Getting Away With Murder
Shari Lapena
Jill and Ted’s New York brownstone isn't just a house—it's their identity. They’ve perfected every expensive inch. But when a bad investment threatens their sanctuary, they panic.
Their solution is simple and shocking: murder.
To save their home, they plan to kill a wealthy relative and secure the inheritance. It’s the perfect crime... provided they can trust each other, make no mistakes, and avoid any surprises.
Shari Lapena has done it again! "Getting Away with Murder" is a fantastic, medium-paced thriller. The characters are so well-developed and the plot kept me guessing the entire time.
This book is a page turner with little reveals throughout that kept me fully engaged.
I loved watching Jill and Ted spiral as they desperately tried to control their own destiny. It was so enjoyable seeing the chaos and waiting to see how Jill and Ted would handle it.
The plot has such depth compared to a typical, shorter thriller and the ending was satisfying. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a compelling thriller that really lets you sink into the story and enjoy the ride.
8 days
Copycat
Laura Ann
Cressida, the notorious thirty-year-old "Girlfriend Killer," has made her peace with dying behind bars. But five years into her life sentence, desperate detectives arrive at her cell with a chilling revelation: a copycat is recreating her gruesome murders. Initially intent on playing twisted mind games with the investigators, Cressida's dark amusement turns to cold terror when she learns the identity of the latest victim—Alexandra, her ex-girlfriend and the only woman she ever genuinely loved.
The prison setting does a lot of the heavy lifting here, creating a gritty atmosphere that grounds the story. For such a brief read, the narrative feels surprisingly slow to build momentum, and the transitions between scenes are choppy in places. I spent a good portion of the time questioning the logic behind several character decisions, as their motivations just aren't fleshed out enough to explain their actions. On top of that, several plot points are introduced and then left completely unresolved by the end. Despite the baffling character arcs, loose threads, and uneven pacing, it is a fine read with a satisfying ending.
If you like confined prison settings, sudden plot twists, and unpredictable characters, then you will enjoy this book.
8 days
The Date
T.H. Murdock
A year ago, Miles Deverill was a rising star. Then he was charged with the murder of Caira Kennedy after their very first date. Though acquitted, the public isn't convinced, and the media won't let him breathe. When he begins receiving threatening messages in Caira’s own voice, Miles flees to the woods with friends to escape the nightmare. But when a member of their group is murdered in the isolated forest, Miles realizes someone close to him knows the truth about that night—and they aren't finished with him yet.
The Date is a tense and enjoyable read. I really liked T.H. Murdock's writing style and the short chapters. The narrative structure—jumping between the present tense and past snippets from Miles’s trial across a few different POVs—builds and layers the suspense.
The official book blurb feels a little deceptive, as the characters don't reach the forest until the 50% mark. However, the steady build-up and sharp prose make the journey worth it.
Miles is an interesting main character. The story keeps you questioning his guilt or innocence regarding what actually happened to Ciara, acting as a hook that keeps you turning pages right up to the reveal. With its escalating tension and a good twist, it’s a solid thriller from start to finish.
#NetGalley #TheDate
8 days
The Safe Room
Lisa Unger
Private investigator Rae Donovan hasn't spoken to her father in years. But when word reaches her that he’s dying in hospice, she drops everything—only to arrive too late. He's already unresponsive, and the diagnosis is chilling: poisoning.
Hunting for answers at his isolated Adirondack home, Rae uncovers a hidden room packed with high-tech surveillance gear, weapons, and a safe overflowing with cash. Her unassuming, retired father was living a double life. Now, Rae must face a dangerous ultimatum: walk away, or unearth a family truth deadly enough to get her killed.
The Safe Room missed the mark for me. The story is around sixty pages, yet it lacks any chapter breaks. That stylistic choice frustrated me because I need those natural pausing points to digest what I am reading. Without them, the narrative felt like one continuous stretch, which amplified my struggle to stay engaged.
The main character, Rae, is genuinely well-developed. I had a firm grasp of who she was and what drove her. Despite that strong foundation, I could not pull myself into the actual story. The plot dragged, leaving me feeling bored rather than hooked. A novella of this length should be punchy, but this one felt oddly sluggish.
When the conclusion finally arrived, it did not offer a satisfying payoff. Instead of a natural resolution, the ending played out as a mild information dump. It hurriedly explained the lingering mysteries in a dense rush rather than letting the reveals unfold organically. While the character work with Rae is commendable, the slow pacing, lack of structural breaks, and clunky finale made this a tedious reading experience.
10 days
Before I Close My Eyes
Kay Elem
Joe counts before letting his eyes drift shut. He tallies the floor tiles, the number of stairs, the exact seconds between the flare of a stranger’s cigarette in the blackness. Sleep has evaded him for weeks, maybe months. These strict, obsessive patterns are the only glue holding his fractured mind intact. He must be precise this time. Someone is tracking him down - he feels it in his bones. Yet, his deepest fear isn't the predator in the shadows; it's the terrifying uncertainty of his own mind. The real question isn't who Joe is watching, but whether what he sees is actually there at all.
Thank you to InsideStory and the author for an advanced copy of this book.
Before I Close My Eyes is a novella that uses a matter-of-fact writing style to build an eerie atmosphere. The story centers on Joe, a man struggling with severe insomnia and paranoia. Watching his mental illness escalate from a distance made the narrative feel grounded and deeply tragic.
Even with such a short page count, the buildup to the twist is timed perfectly. The twist itself is solid, but the final few sentences are what really make the story memorable. Those closing lines add an entirely new layer to everything that came before, shifting the entire context right as the book ends. I recommend this book for anyone who loves an emotional read that delivers a satisfying conclusion.
10 days
Fatal Fitting
Danielle Fear
Iris is the perfect employee: reliable, friendly, and entirely forgettable. From her post at a quiet lingerie boutique in a declining mall, she spends her days blending into the background while meticulously studying the customers she serves. Iris isn't just selling silk and lace; she is decoding the secrets of the people around her.
When a series of women vanish from the mall, the disappearances are dismissed as random occurrences in a sea of transient faces. But Iris has been paying attention.
She isn’t the only one. Across the corridor, Eiralynne has been observing Iris with equal intensity, waiting for the perfect moment to move.
As the walls close in and long-buried secrets emerge, Iris realizes she is entangled in a lethal pattern—one that stretches back decades and hits closer to home than she ever dared to fear. In a game of observation and evolution, the greatest threat isn't the stranger you don't know, but the person who knows you too well.
Fatal Fitting by Danielle Fear is a quick read with short chapters. Despite the brief length, it delivers a lot of suspense and mystery from the start. The character development is good for a short story, and I specifically liked the mystery surrounding the character of Eiralynne, which made it easy to get invested in the plot.
There were a few parts where I found myself wondering, "Is the author implying what I think she's implying?" That kind of subtle ambiguity feels typical of this author, and it works well to build the atmosphere. It is an engaging thriller that executes its premise without dragging on. I highly recommend this story if you want a short read that is a bit darker than your typical thriller.
10 days
Insatiable Depravity
Tayler Vaughn
For a decade, the Milkweed Murderer was America's favorite true-crime obsession and the town of Patterson’s worst living nightmare. Then, the trail went ice cold.
Years of a deceptive, hard-won peace are abruptly destroyed when Flora Everett is found dead, her body staged with the exact same terrifying signature that haunted Patterson from 2005 to 2015. The monster is back.
Now, Jennifer finds herself running the exact same race that killed her father. Sheriff Stone dedicated his entire life to hunting the Milkweed Murderer, and upon his death, he passed the torch—and his all-consuming obsession—to his daughter. With the clock ticking down to the next victim, Jennifer will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Even if the answers hit far too close to home.
Thank you to InsideStory and Tayler Vaughn for an advanced copy of this book.
Tayler Vaughn’s Insatiable Depravity hits the ground running with a dark, engaging narrative that alternates between Jenny's perspective and the killer's point of view. Getting a direct look inside the killer's head adds a deeply unsettling layer to the plot that grabbed my attention right away. Vaughn has a real talent for painting vivid mental pictures, and the sharp writing makes it easy to visualize every scene as the tension builds.
Because the chapters are short, the pacing feels relentless, driving the story forward without any drag. The plot holds its own throughout, but the ending is where the book truly shines. That final twist caught me off guard and wrapped up the suspense in the best possible way. This book touches on some dark themes so I suggest checking trigger warnings before diving in.
10 days
Written In Malice
Carly Black
Desperate to cure a fourteen-month bout of writer's block and save his career, author Daniel Park retreats to a completely isolated cabin in the foggy woods of Kentucky. On his second night without cell service or an easy way home, he finds a mysterious, unusually warm journal in the attic. Despite a nagging instinct to leave it alone, he begins writing in its pages. Almost immediately, his block is cured, his sleep returns, and his novel starts to flow effortlessly - a sudden stroke of luck that feels dangerously ominous.
Written In Malice starts strong and wastes no time dropping you into an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. The creepy cabin vibes are perfectly executed, building an immediate tension that hangs over the entire story. The medium-length chapters keep the suspense building, letting the dread mount steadily.
The pacing stays strong as the plot unfolds, leading to a solid twist that caught me off guard. It shifts the perspective on everything that happens in the cabin just enough to elevate the final act. The ending is decent, wrapping up the narrative in a satisfying way that stays true to the spooky groundwork laid in the beginning. If you like the isolated cabin in the woods trope, you will enjoy this book.
21 days
The Next Lie
Camden Baird
Surviving their daughter’s kidnapping was supposed to be the hardest test of Sadie and Allen Wilson’s marriage. But just as their lives finally begin to stabilize, their neighbor is found murdered, and Allen vanishes without a trace. Left to navigate the police investigation alone, Sadie uncovers a chilling trail of deceit. As the body count rises and dark secrets from Allen’s past come to light, Sadie is forced to question if she ever truly knew the man she married.
Camden Baird delivers a standout sequel with The Next Lie. As the second book in the series, it does a great job of catching the reader up on the events of the first installment without relying on a heavy information dump. While I think it is best to read the first book first to fully appreciate the stakes, the transition here feels natural and well-paced.
The structure makes the story super engaging, using very short chapters and multiple timelines to keep the momentum high. The narrative is told from several points of view, which adds layers to the suspense and mystery. Several of the characters are likable, but because everyone is so suspicious, it’s difficult to truly root for anyone. Despite the large cast, they are not hard to keep track of if you have already laid the groundwork with book one. I flew through this book very fast and was sad when it ended!
27 days
The Other Patient
Daniel Hurst
She possesses the life I was always meant to live. First, I took her name. Now, I’m taking the rest. I turn my head on the stiff hospital pillow, watching the woman in the bed beside me. Long brown hair. High cheekbones. Dark, vacant eyes. We look so alike it's terrifying—and entirely by design. Every step that brought us to this hospital room was meticulously orchestrated. By me. Freya has it all: boundless wealth, endless freedom, and a life most people would kill for. But she doesn't deserve a second of it. For months, I’ve scrubbed her pristine floors and swallowed her entitled demands, playing the invisible maid. She thought I was a nobody. She didn't realize I was watching, learning, and uncovering the dark, rotting secret she hides from the world. While she lay unconscious, the switch was made. I am Freya now. And she has no idea what kind of nightmare I have planned for her next…
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this title.
The Other Patient is built on short chapters, though the pacing runs quite slow. The story alternates between Freya and Iris's perspectives, with Iris quickly emerging as the more dominant narrator. She definitely comes off as suspicious throughout, while her boyfriend Isaac tries to keep her in check. Her edge grounds the book, which helps, since there are long stretches focused on describing the character’s thoughts and movements rather than dialogue and that drags the momentum down.
Despite the slow burn, the payoff salvaged the read. Hurst drops in some good twists just as the domestic details start to feel tedious, and the pacing finally snaps into high gear in the last ten chapters. The ending pulls everything together in a satisfying way, leaving me glad I stuck with it to the final page. It requires some patience to get through the middle, but the conclusion delivers exactly what the story needed. If you love unexpected twists and don’t mind a slow burn this book is for you! #NetGalley #TheOtherPatient
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What is an ARC?
An ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) is a pre-publication version of a book provided by publishers so reviewers can share early feedback. Our spoiler-free reviews help you decide which upcoming titles to add to your pre-order list!
Advance copies reviewed on SpoilThePlot are securely sourced through industry partners, including NetGalley and Inside Story.