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8 new TV and film adaptations based on thriller books
It’s an unspoken rule that whenever a new TV show or film is based on a book, it’s going to be good. After all, for the book to have attracted the attention of Hollywood (or Netflix), it must have a compelling story at its core.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the best thriller books being made into movies and TV shows in 2026. Each show is addictive and pacy, with corkscrew twists that will leave you glued to the sofa. But if you can’t wait for your next screen obsession, we recommend reading the book first.
Upcoming book to TV adaptations for 2026
Secret Service by Tom Bradby
1. Secret Service (ITV): Based on Secret Service by Tom Bradby
Release date: Spring 2026
Tom Bradby’s novel and its upcoming ITV adaptation share the same central premise: what would happen if Russia infiltrated the highest ranks of British government? The TV series follows Kate Henderson (Quantum of Solace’s Gemma Arterton), a senior MI6 officer covertly investigating a prominent UK politician who may be a Russian asset. Then a murder thrusts her team into the spotlight. Author Tom Bradby co-wrote the script, alongside Jemma Kennedy (The Buccaneers, Captain Webb), and the stellar cast includes The Big Short’s Rafe Spall, Happy Valley’s Mark Stanley and Bodies’ Amaka Okafor.
The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
2. Detective Hole (Netflix): Based on The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbo
Release date: 26th March 2026
Jo Nesbo’s troubled but brilliant Detective Harry Hole is being adapted for TV for the first time. In the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Nesbo’s novel The Devil’s Star, a serial killer is stalking the streets of Oslo, and Detective Hole (Exit’s Tobias Santelmann) is on their tail. But behind the scenes, he’s battling his own personal demons and a corrupt colleague, Tom Waaler (The Suicide Squad’s Joel Kinnaman), who has a unique interpretation of the law. We have high hopes for this nine-episode TV series, especially as author Jo Nesbo is a showrunner and writer.
Tobias Santelmann as Detective Harry Hole in the upcoming Netflix adaptation. Image credit: Netflix
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
3. Reacher, series 4 (Amazon Prime Video): Based on Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
Release date: Mid-to-late 2026
Alan Ritchson returns as the tough former Army Major Jack Reacher in the show’s fourth run, in 2026. The fourth series is based on Lee Child’s 13th Reacher book, Gone Tomorrow, which sees our hero encounter a suspected suicide bomber on the New York subway. While an official release date hasn’t yet been announced, filming wrapped in November 2025, so we’re hoping the show will air in mid-to-late 2026. This series, like the previous three, has been adapted for television by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora (Prison Break), but author Lee Child serves as an executive producer.
Run Away by Harlan Coben
4. Run Away (Netflix): Based on Run Away by Harlan Coben
Release date: 1st January 2026
The New Year started with a bang when Harlan Coben’s addictive and twisty family drama Run Away arrived on Netflix. James Nesbitt, who also starred in Coben’s Missing You, plays Simon, a man whose picture-perfect life falls apart when his daughter Paige (The Serpent‘s Ellie de Lange) runs away. Determined to find her, Simon’s search takes him through a criminal underworld that puts him – and his family – in further danger. The show has a star-studded cast, including Gavin & Stacey’s Ruth Jones, The Serpent Queen’s Minnie Driver and The Couple Next Door’s Alfred Enoch. We recommend watching it when you have a spare weekend – but only after reading the page-turning novel it’s based on.
James Nesbitt as Simon in Netflix’s Run Away. Image credit: Netflix
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
5. The Last Thing He Told Me, series 2 (Apple TV+): Based on The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
Release date: 20th February 2026
Laura Dave’s 2021 book The Last Thing He Told Me sold 2 million copies worldwide, caught the attention of Reese Witherspoon’s production company, and was adapted into a 2023 TV series with an A-list cast. In series one, Hannah (13 Going on 30’s Jennifer Garner) is devastated when her husband Owen (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) vanishes, leaving her and Owen’s daughter Bailey (Mayor of Easttown’s Angourie Rice) to figure out why he disappeared. The second series is based on Laura Dave’s 2026 sequel, The First Time I Saw Him. Five years after his disappearance, Owen returns with a message, leaving Hannah and Bailey to outrun his enemies – and try to reunite their family.
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
6. Scarpetta (Amazon Prime Video): Based on Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series
Release date: 11th March 2026
Over three decades since the first book was published, Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling Scarpetta series is finally getting the adaptation it deserves – and it’s one of our must-watch shows of 2026. Hollywood icon Nicole Kidman takes on the title role of forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta as the series moves between her early career and the present day, where she returns to her hometown to investigate a murder. Joining Kidman is a star-studded cast, including Halloween’s Jamie Lee-Curtis, The Watcher’s Bobby Cannavale, The Mentalist’s Simon Baker and West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose. The show will run for at least two seasons, giving us plenty of time to plough through some of Cornwell’s books before they’re adapted to the small screen.
Nicole Kidman takes on the title role of forensics expert Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Image credit: Amazon Prime Video
Baby Doll by Hollie Overton
7. Girl Taken (Paramount+): Based on Baby Doll by Hollie Overton
Release date: 8th January 2026
A teenage girl is abducted by her schoolteacher and held captive in his basement, in this chilling thriller. But instead of being sensationalist or voyeuristic, both Hollie Overton’s 2016 novel Baby Doll and its 2026 screen adaptation Girl Taken focus on the quieter, everyday moments of life following captivity. As a result, both use slow-burn suspense to tell the heartbreaking and human story which, as The Guardian writes, makes it a “more deeply engaging and psychologically complex thriller than we customarily expect from such a setup”. The series is brilliant – with stand-out performances from Alfie Allen, Tallulah Evans and Delphi Evans – but we recommend reading the book for extra context.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
8. Big Little Lies, series 3 (Sky Atlantic): Based on Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Release date: TBD
Television network HBO officially confirmed the return of Big Little Lies eight years after the second season wrapped. Further details of the show, including the plot, cast and release date, are tightly under wraps. However, during a 2024 Vanity Fair interview, stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon revealed they’re “in good shape” for the follow-up season, so we’re hopeful that it will be released in 2026. Meanwhile, actress Shailene Woodley told Harper’s Bazaar US that “what excites me about the possibility of a third season” is the fact the kids “are not children anymore. They’re teenagers now!” Does this mean the third season will deal with the unique challenges of raising teenagers? We’ll have to wait and see…
Will you be tuning in to any of the above? Let us know in the comments below…
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His And Hers by the fantastic Alice Feeney, and The Seven Dials Mystery vaguely based on the Agatha Christie novel. Both Netflix