Can’t get enough of rich white mommy drama? In this book, an indiscreet message is mistakenly sent to a Dublin neighbourhood WhatsApp group — that happens to be all about their secrets. Cue the paranoia as a woman with a similar street address across town gets murdered. A mistake? If Mara channels every domestic suspense drama Nicole Kidman’s ever made, it’s because this author of suburban potboilers (like All Her Fault, now a series starring Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning) has mastered the sub-genre. (Dec. 16)

When his wife had an affair with a man from their synagogue years before, Tom resolved to leave her after their youngest left home. Now 55, he wrestles with this decision as he drives that child to college and spontaneously decides to prolong the road trip on his own while poring over the past and the uncertain future. This wise marital crossroads novel is being called Miranda July’s All Fours for men, but it’s got more in common with big-hearted Ann Patchett. Sarah Jessica Parker, who was on this year’s Booker Prize jury, calls the long-listed title “deeply human … a beautifully quiet and devastating book.” (Dec. 30)

Following collaborations with Dolly Parton and Bill Clinton, the prolific Patterson, 78, teams up with the British author best known for her Fashion Babylon and Hotel Babylon books – for a new true-crime fiction. It’s a narrative reimagining of the period leading up to the titular actress’s tragic 1963 death. Although the thriller maestro recently said he’s “pretty sure” Marilyn Monroe was murdered (rather than overdosed), the novel is gracious rather than salacious: we get the vulnerable side of the bombshell. (Dec. 1)

Eighties pop culture infuses this humorous espionage caper – set in 1985 Atlanta during the waning days of the Cold War – with nostalgia. On the eve of the historic nuclear summit between the U.S. and USSR, high school freshman Peter suspects his mother’s new boyfriend is a Russian spy. Nobody believes him, yet the KGB are soon on the scene, as are shadowy assassins and the FBI’s counter-intelligence squad – providing enough entertaining paranoia and double-crossing to satisfy fans of Slow Horses and The Americans. (Dec. 2)

For his second Hollywood-set novel (after 2023’s City of Blows), the playwright and veteran character actor – from O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Watchmen and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which he plays villain The Leader – goes behind the scenes of a big-budget franchise movie mired in setbacks. The satirical accuracy (and fleshed-out supporting characters) clearly draw on Blake Nelson’s decades as an insider with astute observational skills. (Dec. 2)

Lexi is in Australia enjoying a life of independence and anonymity when her father and brother die in a tragic accident. Her grief is complicated by the fact that the deaths place her next in line to the British throne – even though she’s eschewed the public life of a working royal. Now she’s summoned back to England by her estranged grandmother, the Queen, and is caught between family duty and freedom – and a budding romance she must leave behind Down Under. With its themes of women grappling with the expectations of fame and navigating the elaborate protocol of the monarchy (Armitage is a seasoned journalist on the royal beat), as well as parallels to royal tabloid coverage, it’s tipped as a cross between Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Crown. (Dec. 2)

Originally published in 1998, this breakthrough novel from the 2018 Nobel Laureate has been brought back into print. Inspired by an old house the author lived in on the Poland/Czech border, House of Day, House of Night is about a woman who moves to rural Silesia with her husband and her experiences with an assortment of villagers – who turn out to be a veritable cabinet of curiosities. (Dec. 2)

A journalist gets a text from her former flatmate – a true-crime TikToker – that says everyone in their old group chat is going to die. The catch? The sender has already been dead for a year. In short, breezy chapters, this darkly humorous modern cozy flits between the distant past of a notorious historical murder case and recent events leading up to the TikToker’s death. The author has a nice ear for dialogue and messy group dynamics. (Dec. 9)

Indie filmmaker Rothery (We Are All Alone) makes her promising literary fiction debut following an aging, crassly self-absorbed movie star’s odd publicity stunt – raffling off a cut of box-office royalties on his next blockbuster. It’s an exercise in style: the elliptical structure shifts between the perspectives of the celeb, his best friend (and sometimes-lover) and an unrelated young screenwriter. The elegant prose, finely detailed portrait of Los Angeles and perceptive musings on fame and excess make it a work akin to Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays. (Dec. 2)

This heartfelt novel blends cultural differences, family dynamics and romance, as main character Preya moves back to Toronto after a divorce. Living with her parents again, she’s determined to move forward. But having grown up in a diasporic Indian family tied to tradition, she must first figure out who she is now and manage her family’s outsized expectations. When her best friend and his brother enter the picture, life is turned upside down. Caste in the Stars is another satisfying read from this New York Times-bestselling Indo-Canadian writer, who was born in Tanzania, raised in Kenya and is now based in Toronto. (Dec. 16)

In this stand-alone noir from the D.C.-based author of the 42nd Street Library Mysteries, blacklisted former animator-turned-newbie-New York-private-eye Mick Mulligan, is hired to prove the innocence of a Black cabbie convicted of murder. Set in the summer of 1950, the novel’s NYC teems with tabloid crime as the American government’s anti-communist investigations and the public’s fears intensify. Add to that three suspicious dames (none of whom Mick can trust), and the classic gumshoe effect is complete. (Dec. 23)