By: Elham Abdel Jalil

If you know me, you know that I’m an avid reader. I love immersing myself in fictional worlds, and 2022 was a fantastic year for that. I had an extremely hard time narrowing down 150 books to these 10, but here are my ultimate favorites of 2022 (they’re almost all thrillers, so enjoy).

  1. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I read this for the first time as a school requirement a few years ago, but the experience was much better and more intriguing when I read it by myself. Agatha Christie is one of the most well-known mystery authors of all time, and this book certainly lives up to her reputation. Ten adults are invited to a private island for the weekend. It seems as though they have nothing in common, but as the book goes on it becomes clear that they each have a secret they aren’t willing to reveal. One by one, the ten adults are killed, each murder more gruesome than the last. Soon the victims realize that they’re being killed according to a creepy nursery rhyme, and it becomes crucial – now more than ever – to find who among them is the killer. And Then There Were None is a book that will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning the true meaning of justice and the lengths people are willing to go to achieve it.

2. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Rachel goes on the same train at the same time every single day. She’s gotten so accustomed to its stops and route that she makes up a life story for a couple living in a house that the train stops by every day. But one day, she sees something extremely distressing happen to the couple and can’t believe her eyes. She can’t pull her attention away from what happened, and soon she becomes as involved in the situation as the couple themselves. Everyone thought she was just another girl on a train, but it’s time for her to prove that she’s so much more than that.

3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy by Holly Jackson

What happens when a high school senior tries to solve a murder with the help of the convicted murderer’s brother? Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to investigate a local murder for her final project, and she is determined to find out the truth. Nobody in the town believes that the murderer was innocent, nobody except for Pip. Soon she finds herself in scary situations and dangerous disasters, all with the hopes of proving what really happened. Over the course of these three books, Pip finds out the truth about the murder and then tries to go on with her life. However, how easy is that when you’re the local teen detective?

4. One of Us is Lying duology by Karen M. McManus

A popular contemporary murder, these books put a modern twist on murder mysteries. One day, five students from different social groups land a spot in detention together. Everything is going normal, until one of the students suddenly drops dead. Investigators find out that the victim was planning to release devastating secrets about the other four students in detention the day after he was killed, and now everyone else in the room is a murder suspect. The four students have to work together to figure out who is setting them up, and if their secrets are really worth keeping.

5. #Murdertrending trilogy by Gretchen McNeil

Dee wakes up in a bare white room on a remote island, and she immediately knows that she’s going to die. She is convicted of a horrible crime, but she refuses to take the blame for something she didn’t do. The problem is, the island is where heinous criminals go, essentially to await their deaths. The Postman App is viral all over the world, and focuses on the murders of the criminals on the island. Creepy killers pick their next victim, and the gory murder is broadcasted live to everyone on earth. Dee finds herself questioning the point of the island, and by working with other convicted criminals, she finds out shocking information about the Postman App and the island itself. Will she be able to stop the killers from contuining to kill, or will she simply be another victim?

6. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

This is actually the only book on this list that isn’t a thriller or mystery, and although it was a required school read I really enjoyed it. An autobiography by the famous comedian and actor Trevor Noah, Born a Crime follows Noah’s life as a young mixed-race boy growing up in post-apartheid South Africa. The book really helps shed light on what life was like for different people after apartheid officially ended. Noah faces immensely difficult challenges, discrimination, and abuse, but delivers these messages in a light and humorous manner.

7. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

When Kate swaps apartments with her cousin in Boston, she gets a temporary break from her London life. That is, until she discovers that a woman next door has been murdered. Soon her cousin is a suspect and Kate finds out shocking things about him and his past. Is he really a murderer or is it all just a coincidence? And can Kate really trust her own instincts, or will it come back to haunt her?

8. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Similar to Her Every Fear, Jess moves to live with her brother in Paris for a fresh start. But when she arrives at the apartment, her brother isn’t there. He stays missing and Jess begins to get worried and question what is happening. As she digs into the situation and finds out more about her brother’s life, she has more questions. Why are his neighbors so strange? Was he involved in something sinister? And what crime is so bad that he’s stayed missing all this time?

9. A Madness so Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

A page-turning thriller, this book follows Grace, a mute girl whose family secrets have landed her in an asylum. Suddenly she gets her voice back, but rather than be helped, Grace is forced to a dark, dungeon-like cellar. It’s almost like she’s getting punished for finally being able to talk. A criminal psychologist begins to visit her in the cellar, and realizes Grace’s true intelligence and potential. He transfers her to another, better asylum and in return she assists him at crime scenes. However, the two soon find themselves in the middle of a serial killer case, and Grace finds it harder and harder to uncover the truth while also dealing with her own past. A Madness So Discreet investigates the true meaning of sanity and insanity, and how there is some ounce of insanity in everyone.

10. These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

One seemingly normal day in history class, Crystal gets a creepy notification from a mysterious app. She receives a video of her little sister gagged and tied up, and is forced to play a “game” by the kidnapper. At first, the tasks she has to do seem simple and bizarre, but soon Crystal realizes that each thing she does is hurting (and killing) her friends in some way. Crystal wants to stop playing the deadly game, but if she does the kidnapper will kill her sister. Does she save her friends or her sister? And who is doing this to her?