Her Perfect Escape
Eden Falls
The Pledge
The Last Place You Look
The Resort
The Unwedding
A novel of sexual politics and more set in LONDON
An ultimate #DestinationThriller list – Summer 2026
30th July 2026
An ultimate #DestinationThriller list – Summer 2026.
Destination Thrillers, a sub genre of suspense fiction, expertly weave together a compelling mystery or high-stakes plot with an exotic or evocative setting. The location isn’t merely a backdrop; it’s a character in itself, integral to the story’s tension and atmosphere.
Whether it’s a sun-drenched European city concealing dark secrets, a remote, snowbound cabin where danger lurks, or a bustling metropolis where anonymity offers both freedom and peril, the setting often mirrors or amplifies the protagonist’s struggles. The isolation of a remote island can heighten a sense of entrapment, while the claustrophobia of a tightly packed cruise ship can intensify the paranoia of a chase. The reader is transported to a new locale, experiencing its sights, sounds, and culture while simultaneously navigating a thrilling narrative.
Here is a list of great destination thrillers for you to read over Summer 2026:
Dead Heat by Sabine Durrant – KARDAMYLI (KARDAMOS), MANI PENINSULA
Former journalist Matt Grimshaw’s life is at a low ebb. He’s been ‘let go’ by the paper where he’s worked for years, and his relationship with his long-term girlfriend has come unstuck.
So when an invitation arrives from his two closest friends, Celia and Adam Murphy, to join them at their house in Greece, he jumps at it.
It may be harsh and unwelcoming on the Mani Peninsula but Matt determines to stay there for the whole summer and to write his much put-off screen-play.
But then the Murphys plus children arrive, and a wealthy newcomer to the area starts throwing loud and lavish parties in his big house across the bay.
As the nights become hotter and the parties wilder, everyone’s motivations darken. Envy rises, resentments grow – until a terrible accident stops the summer in its tracks.
Her Perfect Escape by Rachel Wolf – GREECE
Even paradise has shadows.
July 2025. Tash and Mark host a birthday weekend for their son, Dom, at their luxury villa on a Greek island, inviting a select list of people to celebrate. As the drinks flow, the unthinkable happens when Tash’s sister drowns, vanishing without a trace.
No one suspects foul play – except for Tash.
July 2026. One year on, Tash hosts a party for the same guests who were there when Emma died. She’s learned that they’re all hiding something – even Dom’s behaviour has changed since that night. She knows that answers lie on the island and no one is leaving until she gets the truth.
But if the villa holds the secrets to what happened, it also hides a killer…
Eden Falls by Ajay Chowdhury – DELHI / USA
After the murder of his best friend, newlyweds Adam and Aisha cut their honeymoon short. But just as they are about to board a flight home from Delhi, Adam disappears at the airport – seemingly kidnapped – leaving Aisha stranded without her passport, her phone, or answers.
When the FBI and India’s intelligence agency begin interrogating her, it becomes chillingly clear they know far more about Adam than she ever did. Her only clue is his final, haunting message: I’m sorry.
Thousands of miles away, Sara Wolf, a scientist stuck on a dead-end project at Princeton, receives a message she never expected from her former lover. It contains two words: Help her.
Bound together by suspicion, rivalry, and a man they both love, Aisha and Sara are forced into an uneasy alliance. Decoding Adam’s clues, they follow a trail that leads them across the United States – into a shadow world of weaponised AI, tech billionaires, and a secret no one is meant to find.
The Pledge by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett – CARIBBEAN
Lawyer Thea has just won the biggest case of her professional life when she receives a mysterious invitation – and finds herself on a jet, being whisked off to a private Caribbean island.
Except this is no holiday.
Thea’s fellow guests represent the world’s richest individuals and, on arrival, each is challenged to make The Pledge – to give half their fortunes to fight climate change.
But underneath the billionaire lifestyle is a game of survival of the fittest. And, by the morning, their manipulative and misguided host is dead.
Thea must navigate secrets, lies and scandals as the group’s suspicions turn on her. Now, she’s not just relying on her courtroom wiles to win a case; she’s fighting for her life.
Because, when another guest dies, it’s clear she’s not just stranded on the island – she’s trapped with a killer..
The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith – OXSHOTT, SOUTH AFRICA
Leo thought he knew his wife. Until she disappeared.
Leo Kennedy has it all: money, looks, the perfect marriage and luxury homes in the UK and South Africa. But when his wife Addison goes missing, his immaculate life detonates.
48 hours later, Leo arrives at their safari lodge to retrace her steps. Only there’s no sign of Addison. Instead, Leo is met with a scene of blood and chaos, and on the wall a missing poster, with his face, his name and his details.
His wife may be missing, but someone wants Leo gone too . .
The Night Lagoon by Jo Morey – BELIZE
Wittering Lodge, Stann Creek, Belize
In the dead of night, lying in her father’s jungle lodge, Laelia watches her partner Aid sleeping – her mind racing with everything that’s brought her to this moment.
The heady Caribbean holiday when they first met.
The rum-fueled passion that, day by day, creeps into something darker.
The secrets she discovered in a hidden nook of the lodge, revealing a devastating past.
Above all, she thinks about the impossible decision she must make before dawn.
Does she stay silent and protect their newfound paradise? Or does she confront the lies which run as deep and dark as the lagoon – surfacing a dangerous truth from which there’s no return…
The Serial Killer’s Party by Amy Cunningham – NORWAY
Welcome to the party of the year.
You’ve been invited to an exclusive, luxury event in Norway, hosted by a billionaire. Your moment has finally arrived. But you’re not going for the canapes and champagne. You’re going for revenge.
Where anything is possible.
You’ve spent months preparing for this moment. Because you know that beneath the host’s polished public persona, he’s a vicious killer who has murdered several innocent people, including your sister.
Even murder…Then a guest dies in mysterious circumstances, and you begin to wonder… is this a trap? Why does it feel like you’re being watched? And will you ever escape?
The Island Escape by Jess Ryder – GREECE
Forty years ago, the island was paradise. Now, it’s haunted by shadows of the past.
When Juno arrives at the breathtaking Greek island of Inios, she has one purpose: to find the father she’s never met.
But he isn’t there, and nothing is as she expected. As whispers follow her every step, Juno is convinced something terrible happened all those years ago when her parents fell in love.
Desperate for answers, Juno knows she can’t leave the island until her family secret that has been hidden for decades is finally uncovered.
Little does she know how far someone will go to keep it buried…
Set on fictional Inios Island, Greece
You Lied First by Annabel Kantaria – OMAN, CHELTENHAM
The truth is, everyone lies. All that matters is who lies the best…
Sara is about to spend a week in a villa with people she barely knows.
She’s been invited to join her daughter, Liv, her boyfriend and his parents on their holiday. She can’t say no. After what happened, she’ll jump at any chance to spend time with Liv.
She tries to be the perfect guest, and they seem like the perfect hosts. But something about the Forrest family isn’t right.
By the end of the trip, someone will be dead. Lies will bind the rest of them together. But who can lie the best?
Last Friend Alive by Caro Carver – MALDIVES
THE BEST OF FRIENDS CAN MAKE THE WORST OF ENEMIES.
Best friends Darcy, Camilla and Kate have just landed in the Maldives for a luxury holiday. They can’t wait for ten days of scorching sun, crystal-clear waters and white-sand beaches.
But against this idyllic backdrop, long-buried secrets come to light one by one, and the darker side of female friendship floats to the surface.
After all, when you’ve known each other forever, you’re bound to hold a grudge or two…
Which of them will make it back alive – if any?
The Surf House by Lucy Clarke – MOROCCO
High on the cliffs of Morocco, far from the city lights and the souks, stands The Surf House: a sanctuary for travellers chasing sunshine and waves.
But the idyll hides a dark mystery.
And when Bea washes in, seeking refuge after a dangerous encounter in Marrakesh, she soon gets caught in the current.
A woman her age – who stayed in the same area, walked the same beaches, met the same guests – disappeared one year earlier, vanishing without trace.
Somewhere inside The Surf House lies the truth – but there’ll be a price for uncovering it…
The Palazzo by Kayte Nunn – ITALIAN ALPS
Successful beauty entrepreneur Vivi Savidge is about to celebrate her fortieth birthday at the Palazzo Stellina, a historic former convent in the foothills of the Italian Alps.
Vivi’s little sister is flying in from Brisbane with her sixteen-year-old twins in tow. Her ex-colleague and his new husband are coming from Boston, and old university friend Caroline is driving from Turin. Every one of them is hiding a shameful secret.
Amid a suffocating heatwave, the holiday ignites an explosive cocktail of obsession, jealousy, and greed. Before the week is over, secrets will be exposed and the gathering will turn deadly, leaving one victim, a handful of suspects, and a murderer in their midst.
High Season by Katie Bishop – CÔTE D’AZUR
In the heat of summer, the past can become hazy. . .
For twenty years, Nina Drayton has told herself that she must have seen her sister, Tamara, being murdered by the family babysitter – Josie Jackson. That she doesn’t remember it because she was five, and amnesia is a normal trauma response.
But now, with the anniversary of Tamara’s death approaching and true crime investigators revisiting the case, Nina finds it harder to suppress her doubts. Returning to her family’s sparkling villa on the Cote d’Azur for the first time since the murder, she wants to uncover more about the summer that changed so many lives. Because if she was wrong, then she sent an innocent woman to jail – and the real killer is still walking free.
The Villa Next Door by Beverley Harvey – MENORCA
A dream holiday. A fractured marriage. A dangerous secret.
When Ryan and Emma Burrows win a luxury holiday to Menorca, it feels like the fresh start their marriage desperately needs. Seventeen nights in a sun-soaked villa with their six-year-old daughter, Callie. What could go wrong?
Their neighbours seem friendly enough. Jack and Sheena, with their two young boys, are quick to organise playdates. Max and John, charming and sociable ex-pats, seem eager to make friends. But beneath the surface, tensions simmer. Emma can’t shake the feeling that something is off.
Then Callie disappears. A ransom demand follows, and suddenly, everyone is a suspect. Secrets from the past rise to the surface, exposing betrayals and lies that threaten to unravel everything. Soon, Emma and Ryan must face the truth about their marriage, their neighbours, and the devastating mistake that could cost them everything…
Someone in the Water by Sarah Clarke – CORSICA
My only child Lola is turning eighteen soon, but I won’t be with her. For two weeks every year, I hide myself away while I endure the nightmares that haunt me around her birthday.
Because she can never know the truth – that I am plagued by terrible visions from the summer I spent in Corsica when I was eighteen. It ended in tragedy, and I have never forgiven myself for the part I played.
But my world is about to fall apart all over again.
Lola calls to tell me she’s not with her friends in Cyprus, but alone in Corsica. I have no choice. I have to go back to the island and bring her home.
But as I revisit the memories, see the same faces again, I start to wonder if there was more to the events of that summer than I realised. Are there others keeping secrets just like me? Ones that are even more deadly…
The Resort by Sara Ochs – THAILAND
Escape to paradise.
Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand’s world-famous party island. It’s supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control…
Leave your secrets behind.
By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.
But don’t get lost for ever…
Someone has discovered Cass’s secret, and on an island as remote as this, accidents happen. Plenty of backpackers choose to stay here for ever – but some are never heard from again….
The Getaway by Ross Armstrong – AEGEAN SEA
One private island. Seven guests. One killer…
The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read…
Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.
Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.
Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…
The Villa by Ruth Kelly – THE BALEARICS
A Villa in Paradise
It’s destined to be the ultimate reality show: Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a stunning private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have unprecedented control over those competing for the cash prize.
The Journalist
Coerced by her callous editor to enter the show undercover, Laura is a journalist told to get the inside scoop on her fellow contestants. But once the games begin, she soon finds herself out of her depth and at the mercy of a ruthless producer – a woman willing to do anything to increase viewer numbers.
Reality TV to Die For
There is more to every contestant than meets the eye, including Laura. They all have secrets they’d like to keep buried, and the pressure in paradise quickly reaches boiling point. How far will the contestants go to secure audience votes? How far will Laura herself go? And would somebody really kill to win?
The Honeymoon by Kate Gray – BALI
Two happy couples.
One dead body.
A whole load of secrets.
Married life wasn’t meant to start like this.
On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff-side restaurant.
No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident.
The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there’s another side to this story . . . and your life depends on uncovering it.
Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really ’til death do us part?
The Beach Party by Nikki Smith – MALLORCA
Six friends.
The holiday of their dreams.
Only they know what they did that summer…
1989: The tunes are loud and the clothes are louder when a group of friends arrives in Mallorca for a post-graduation holiday of decadence and debauchery at a luxury villa.
A beach party marks the pinnacle of their fun, until it isn’t fun any longer. Because amidst the wild partying, sand flying from dancing feet and revellers leaping from yachts, an accident happens. Suddenly, the night of a lifetime becomes a living nightmare.
Now: The truth about that summer has been collectively buried. But someone knows what happened that night.
And they want the friends to pay for what they did.
The Contest by Karen Hamilton – KILIMANJARO, TANZANIA
THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. A PRIZE WORTH KILLING FOR.
We call it the Great Escape. The annual trip where my boss asks us expert travel guides to escort a group of privileged, uber-wealthy clientele on some far-flung expedition, a cut-throat contest for riches and glory.
The stakes have never been higher, nor the challenge harder: I must summit Mount Kilimanjaro before my rival guide to win the ultimate prize.
But this once-in-a-lifetime trip was never about winning to me. I’m here for answers, even if no one is ready to give them up. By the time we reach the top I will have the truth, if it kills me.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW FAR WILL THEY GO TO KEEP ME QUIET?
The Club by Ellery Lloyd – ESSEX
A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
For fans of The White Lotus and Big Little Lies, Ellery Lloyd’s The Club is an exhilarating, addictive read, telling a story of ambition, excess, and what happens when people who have everything – or nothing – to lose are pushed to their imit.
There’s no place like Home . . .
The Home Group is a collection of ultra-exclusive private members’ clubs and a global phenomenon, and the opening of its most ambitious project yet – Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury – is billed as the celebrity event of the decade.
But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly – because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they’ll do anything to keep it.
If your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out . . .
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum – FIRE ISLAND, off LONG ISLAND
The families on the island have been vacationing here for years; the Weinsteins, the Metzners, the Grobels – and unlucky in love Rachel Woolf.
Outsiders aren’t welcome. That is except for Robert, the handsome new tennis coach, who some people are going out of their way to make very welcome . . .
But the problem when everyone knows everyone is that secrets can’t stay secret forever.
And when a body is found face-down beneath the boardwalk, they realise that maybe one of them is worse than they thought . . .
Stylish, subversive and darkly comedic, this is a story of what’s lurking under the surface of picture-perfect lives in a place where everyone has something to hide . .
.
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse – SOUTH DEVON
This is a warning for all our guests at the wellness retreat.
A woman’s body has been found at the bottom of the cliff beneath the yoga pavilion.
We believe her death was a tragic accident, though DS Elin Warner has arrived on the island to investigate.
A storm has been forecast, but do not panic. Stick together and please ignore any rumours you might have heard about the island and its history.
As soon as the weather clears, we will arrange boats to take you back to the mainland.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy your stay.
How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott – THAILAND
The perfect getaway – to get away with murder…
Georgie, Lissa and Bronwyn have been best friends since they met on their college swimming team. Now Lissa is dead – drowned off the coast of the remote island where her second husband owns a luxury resort. But could a star open-water swimmer really have drowned? Or is something more sinister going on?
Brought together for Lissa’s memorial, Georgie, Bron, Lissa’s grieving husband and their friends find themselves questioning the circumstances around Lissa’s death – and each other. As the weather turns ominous, trapping the guests on the island, it slowly dawns on them that Lissa’s death was only the beginning. Nobody knows who they can trust. Or if they’ll make it off the island alive…
The Retreat by Karen King – ANDALUCIA
The sunlight sparkles on the bright turquoise of the pool, next to the freshly painted house with its trailing pink flowers and terracotta roof. I feel a jolt of pride. My partner José and I have dreamed of this moment, opening our perfect home nestled in the mountains of southern Spain to its first guests for a few days of total relaxation.
We’ve worked so hard for this, pouring all our energy and our savings into renovating the old farmhouse. I’ve started over, begun a new life. This place is my escape from everything that happened before.
But a stab of fear pierces my happiness as our guests arrive and I recognise Saskia. She was my best friend many years ago… before she betrayed me. She says she’s truly sorry, and wants us to start again. Maybe she’s telling the truth – but can I really forgive her?
Then things start to go wrong when I discover our beautiful water fountain stained a deep red. It feels like a warning. And my worst fears are confirmed when I find a note in my bedroom. My heart pounds as the black capitals scream at me, revealing my terrible secret.
Saskia swears she has nothing to do with it. Which means that someone else here knows the truth about me. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their revenge…
Bad Tourists by Caro Carver – MALDIVES
Is it ever a good idea to go on holiday with friends?
Darcy, Camilla and Kate have each come on this trip of a lifetime for a reason – to celebrate a divorce, to find love, to try to put a traumatic past behind them.
Their dream getaway? The Sapphire Island Resort in the Maldives. With crystal-clear waters and sun-drenched white sand beaches, relaxation is guaranteed.
But all is not as it seems in paradise, and this is no ordinary friendship.
They’ve got nine days to go . . . and old wounds are already reopening.
Will they all make the return journey?
The Island by Catherine Cooper – MALDIVES
The perfect escape, or the perfect trap?
When a select group of influencers and journalists receive an exclusive invitation to a luxury resort in the Maldives, it seems like the ultimate press trip.
But when the island is cut off during a storm and people start dying, it looks like someone has murder in mind.
Are the guests really who they seem to be, or does each one of them have a secret to hide?
Something they would kill for?
What We Did in the Storm by Tina Baker – TRESCO
On the beautiful and windswept island of Tresco, two worlds live side by side. The wealthy visitors come by helicopter to stay at their lavish time-share properties. The estate staff travel by boat, and work all hours to keep them happy, to keep the money flowing in. But while the blue skies and savage waves make the island seem a wild paradise, under the surface the inhabitants are concealing more than they dare reveal. The truths about their marriages, their love affairs, and what they do in the darkness while their neighbours are sleeping.
As black clouds come rolling in and a storm hits the island, truths and rumours begin to tumble out, wreaking terrible damage. In the midst of the tempest, two women are attacked and one goes missing. The secrets of this fragile community can no longer be hidden if it hopes to survive. The islanders must finally reveal what they did in the storm, no matter the cost.
The Guests by Nikki Smith – MALDIVES
The resort of their dreams. A destination to die for…
WELCOME TO PARADISE!
Or so the staff say when they greet the Hamiltons at the idyllic Asana Fushi resort in the Maldives.
And it starts off that way: champagne picnics on powder-white sand, snorkelling in the serene blue sea and moonlit walks under the stars.
But lies lurk beneath the luxury because each of the guests has a secret, and they’re not the only ones.
How can a once-in-a-lifetime trip turn into the holiday from hell?
The Rip by Holly Craig – ROTTNEST ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water.
Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise…When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart.
Even paradise harbours murky secrets…
Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie.
Even clear waters descend to pitch black…
But it’s not the first time Rosie’s been attacked by her mother. And it’s not the first time she’s turned to Eloise for support. As the sun beats down and dark secrets rise to the surface, can they find the missing child before it’s too late—or will this sudden disappearance endanger them all?
…and someone among them knows the whole shocking truth.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides – CYCLADES
There were seven of us in all, trapped on the island.One of us was a murderer . . .’
On a small private Greek island, former movie star Lana Farrar – an old friend – invites a select group of us to stay.
It’ll be hot, sunny, perfect. A chance to relax and reconnect – and maybe for a few hidden truths to come out.
Because nothing on this island is quite what it seems.
Not Lana. Not her guests.
Certainly not the murderer – furiously plotting their crime . . .
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
Her Last Summer by Emily Freud – THAILAND
No body. No crime?
Twenty years ago, Mari vanished while backpacking through Thailand with her boyfriend, Luke. He was accused of murder, but has always insisted he’s innocent. Besides, her body was never found.
Now, he’s finally ready to talk. And filmmaker Cassidy Chambers wants to be the one to uncover what really happened, back then, in the dark of the jungle.
But as she delves deeper into the past, Cassidy begins to fear what lies ahead, and the secrets buried along the way.
The Escape by Ruth Kelly – FRANCE
THE PERFECT OFFER
When struggling influencer couple Adele and Jack post a crowdfunding video online, they’re amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them a crumbling French chateau. It’s the lifeline they need to leave all their troubles behind.
THE PERFECT DREAM
For Adele, it’s a dream come true. She will post videos of the renovation as thousands of online subscribers follow their journey. But the chateau is not all it seems and the local community is far from welcoming.
THE PERFECT NIGHTMARE
Then Adele’s videos suddenly stop. Her sister Erin visits to make sure she’s OK, but the couple have vanished. Between the obsession of Adele’s fans and the claustrophobic secrecy of the nearby town, Erin must unravel the shocking truth behind the couple’s disappearance . . .
The Trip by Phoebe Morgan — BANGKOK, KO SAMET
How well do you know your friends?
Four friends on the holiday of a lifetime. Until a vicious murder shatters their paradise.
Four friends who’d do anything for each other, until now.
Only one of them committed a crime.
But all four know how to keep a secret.
And they’re all guilty of something…
The Beach House by Beverley Jones – PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The perfect place to hide. Or so she thought . . .
When Grace Jensen returns to her home in the ocean-front town of Lookout Beach one day, she finds a body in a pool of blood and a menacing gift left for her: a knife, a coil of rope and handcuffs.
The community of Lookout Beach are shocked by such a brutal intrusion in their safe, close-knit community – particularly to a family as successful and well-liked as the Jensens – and a police investigation begins to find the trespasser.
But Grace knows who’s after her. She might have changed her name and moved across the world, deciding to hide on the Oregon coast, but she’s been waiting seventeen years for what happened in the small Welsh town where she grew up to catch-up with her.
Grace might seem like the model neighbour and mother, but nobody in Lookout Beach – not even her devoted husband Elias – knows the real her. Or how much blood is on her hands.
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz – WISCONSIN, CHILE
REESE WITHERSPOON’S BOOK CLUB PICK August 2021
On holiday in Chile with her best friend Kristen, Emily is having the time of her life.
Until one night, she finds their hotel suite covered in blood.
Kristen claims a backpacker attacked her. She shouted, but no-one heard. She struggled, but he was too strong.
She had no option but to kill him.
With no evidence of the assault, Emily must help her hide the body. . .
Back home, Emily tries to forget what happened, but a surprise visit from Kristen forces her to confront the events of that night.
As the walls close in, Emily asks herself: can her closest friend be trusted?
The Private Island by Ali Lowe – FIJI
New Year’s Eve, Loloma Island, Fiji. At one of the most exclusive island resorts in the Pacific ocean, the champagne is poured, the fireworks are ready, and the countdown to new year is just beginning. It’s set to be a night that no one will forget.
Especially when a body washes up on the shore…
But it’s impossible to find answers when everyone here has a motive.
The billionaire’s daughter, glamorous, untouchable, hungry for her inheritance.
The start-up founder, out of money, and out of time.
The young dive instructor, in way over his head and struggling to stay afloat.
The husband, blinded by desire, in all the wrong ways.
And the lover, hidden in the shadows, where no one can see them….
One person’s holiday of a lifetime is about to be the last they’ll ever have.
The Cliffhanger by Emily Freud – SOUTHERN FRANCE
STRAY TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE . . .
New York-based writers Felix and Emma have it all. As the husband and wife team behind the bestselling Morgan Savage thrillers, their meteoric rise to global literary fame seemed unstoppable.
Until Felix messed up.
AND SOMEONE’S GOING TO GET HURT.
Now, the couple has been exiled to the south of France. Their sentence: a long, hot summer to cure their writers’ block – and save their marriage.
But as tensions rise beneath the sweltering sun, Felix and Emma become trapped in a deathly plot of their own making . . .
The Lying Guest by Mahi Cheshire – SRI LANKA
Hardworking and overworked, Anika is a talented surgeon at a London hospital. It’s been some time since she’s had a decent night’s sleep, let alone a holiday. Not ideal for someone with parasomnia – a rare, often stress-induced, condition that causes sleepwalking blackouts.
When a patient dies on her operating table, important people start asking questions and the media and her colleagues turn against her overnight.
It seems her only respite is to escape on an all-expenses-paid housesitting gig in Sri Lanka and keep a low profile until the drama passes, and the verdict on her case – and career as a surgeon – is decided. But what should be a restorative beach break becomes a trip back into a murky, haunted past, which has been waiting for her all along.
Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf – ABU DHABI
BE CAREFUL
Ellie has wanted to be an actor since she was a child so, when a role in a blockbuster film presents itself, she grabs it.
WHAT YOU
On the plane to location in Abu Dhabi, Ellie overhears something she shouldn’t – two people discussing their plans to murder someone.
WISH FOR
Unsure if what she heard was even real, and not wanting to ruin her big break, Ellie remains quiet. Then ten members of the crew become nine…
Ellie needs to be careful – it’s more than just her career on the line.
Because she isn’t who she says she is.
And liars are always the prime suspect.
The Hideaway by Nikki Allen – COSTA RICA
THE TRIP OF A LIFTIME?
When five strangers are chosen for an all-expenses-paid stay an exclusive retreat, they leap at the chance to rest and get away from it all amidst the lush Costa Rican rainforest.
OR THE HOLIDAY FROM HELL?
Their famous host is nowhere to be seen when they arrive. Confused, but eager to immerse themselves in this once-in-a-lifetime experience, they head into the wilderness in search of a rejuvenating waterfall – but when calamity strikes, panic sets in and they are plunged into a battle for survival.
Lost under the dense canopies with darkness closing in, they soon realise they cannot trust the beauty of their surroundings – or each other . .
The Unwedding by Ally Condie – BIG SUR
Ellery Wainwright was excited to spend her anniversary with her husband at the luxurious resort at Broken Point in California.
But now she’s traveling solo.
To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. As Ellery tries making the most out of her trip, she starts to realise that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.
Then Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something dark is brewing.
Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.
The Pleasure Trap by Emelie Olsson – MEXICO (coming January 2027)
Can you resist the ultimate game of seduction? Or will you get caught in the pleasure trap…?
Three happy couples.
Alice and Tom have been married for sixteen years – but are struggling to conceive.
Melissa and Callum are newlyweds – and hoping their lux honeymoon will create social media gold.
Rebecca and Ryan are rich, glamorous – and not exactly what they seem.
Two weeks in paradise.
These six people meet at an exclusive 5* resort in Mexico, yet what should be uninhibited paradise is going to be anything but.
One devious game…
Because a carefully planned trap has been laid and one couple are ready for some holiday sport. The goal is simple: Attract and seduce their chosen target. But in this salacious scheme, will the breaking of these relationships be what sets them free?
Can you resist the ultimate game of seduction? Or will you get caught in the pleasure trap…?
Destination Thrillers per se are not a new concept for us (we have been banging on about themt now for many years), but nevertheless we are delighted to see that the idea of the hashtag #destinationthriller – is becoming much more mainstream and the pleasures of walking into new environments and wonderful settings in thrilling books are being appreciated. Any titles you would add to this list? Drop them in the Comments below.
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