The best books out this month

Summer reading season is here, and June brings with it a blistering lineup of thrillers, courtroom dramas, and pulse-pounding mysteries to sink your teeth into. Whether you’re after political intrigue, survival in the Sahara, or secrets buried in seaside towns, this month’s standout releases deliver twists, tension, and characters you won’t forget. From Riley Sager’s high-speed revenge thriller to Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s latest White House drama, these books are built for binge-reading – ideally with an iced drink and nowhere to be. Ready to turn pages into the night? Here are the best books to keep you hooked during June.

New crime books out this month:

The First Gentleman by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

In this fast-paced political thriller, the President of the United States fights for re-election while her husband – an ex-NFL star turned First Gentleman – is on trial for a decades-old murder. As investigative journalists dig deep and courtroom drama unfolds, shocking secrets threaten to unravel everything. This is a page-turner with short, punchy chapters, shifting perspectives, and high-stakes tension that will keep you guessing until the final twist.

The Protest by Rob Rinder

This gripping courtroom drama is set against the glamorous but cutthroat backdrop of the London art world. When controversial artist Max Bruce collapses after being doused in blue paint laced with cyanide, all eyes turn to the protester, Lexi Williams. Enter newly minted barrister Adam Green, thrust into a high-stakes murder trial alongside his formidable mentor. With twists, rivalries, and courtroom fireworks, this is a fast-paced legal thriller full of wit, mystery, and morally grey areas. Perfect for fans of character-driven crime with a sharp legal edge.

Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch

In the blistering heat of the Sahara, 250 miles from comfort and civilisation, one woman runs for redemption. Adri, disgraced by a scandal and desperate to reclaim her name, joins the ultimate ultramarathon. But when a fellow runner is found near-dead and another vanishes, the race becomes a deadly game of survival. Who’s the predator in the dunes – and can Adri outrun a killer, or is she just running towards danger? A propulsive thriller with a searing pace, Runner 13 grips from the first mile to the final breath.

The Bodies by Sam Lloyd

How far would you go to protect your child? When Joseph Carver finds his teenage son bloodied and broken in the kitchen, claiming it was an accident, he makes a choice that will haunt him forever: he helps cover up the crime. But when it happens again, the lies grow darker, the secrets deeper, and the truth more horrifying than he ever imagined. A relentless, breath-stealing thriller about fatherhood, guilt, and the terror of doing the unthinkable – twice.

Believe by S. M. Govett

A woman who wasn’t believed. A husband accused of the same crime. Natalie built a new life after trauma shattered the old one – but when her husband is accused of sexual assault and the accuser turns up dead, everything she thought she knew begins to fracture. As DI Helen Stratton hunts for the truth with ghosts from her own past snapping at her heels, this dual-narrator thriller twists through loyalty, doubt, and what it really means to believe a woman.

Can You Solve the Murder? by Anthony Johnston

A brilliantly original twist on the classic whodunnit, Can You Solve the Murder? turns you into the detective at a luxurious wellness retreat where a murder has rocked the peaceful façade. With interactive choices, branching paths, and multiple outcomes, this is part-novel, part-game – and completely gripping. Smart, inventive, and fiendishly clever, it’s perfect for fans of Janice Hallett or anyone who loves solving puzzles as much as reading them.

The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry

After serving 15 years for her husband’s murder, Belinda is starting over in a seaside care home run by Mabel – an enigmatic 98-year-old with secrets stretching back to The Blitz. But someone is watching them from room six. Someone who’s waited decades for the truth to surface. Jane Corry’s latest thriller is a chilling mystery of betrayal, buried trauma, and survival across generations.

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

With a Vengeance is Riley Sager back at his best – dark, twisty, and full of bite. When Anna lures six enemies onto a luxury train to expose their crimes, a murder derails her plan. Trapped, hunted, and racing against the clock, she must survive the journey and outwit the killer. A locked-room revenge thriller dripping in tension, with grisly twists and nonstop action, With a Vengeance is perfect for fans of Final Girls and Home Before Dark.

The pick of the paperbacks

The following titles have already hit the shelves in hardback and are newly available in paperback this month.

In case you missed it: May’s biggest titles

Which books are going to the top of your to-read pile? Let us know in the comments below…