Monthly Ranked Review: May 2026 By Gina Marie | @ginamariefit
May was a thriller reader’s dream month. Four books. Four completely different ways to keep me up at night. Some got me with the twists. Some gave me literal nightmares. And one hit so close to home it earned the top spot without question.
Here is every book I read in May ranked from fourth to first, with my honest take on each one.
#4 — The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
I went into this one convinced I had it all figured out. I had my theory locked in, I was confident, and I was ready to be proven right. Freida McFadden had other plans. The twist around who the murderer actually is completely blindsided me and reminded me why she is the undisputed queen of the thriller genre. Just when you think you are one step ahead of her she pulls the rug out completely and leaves you questioning everything you thought you knew. A solid read that proves once again that Freida does not miss.
#3 — The Inmate by Freida McFadden
Two Freida McFadden books in one month and she delivered both times. The Inmate sat at number three for me but the concept alone is one of the most psychologically intense premises I have encountered in a thriller. The idea that you could come face to face with the person who tried to end your life, not in a dramatic movie confrontation but just as part of your everyday work routine, is genuinely chilling. Add in a double twist that reframes everything you thought you understood and this one earns its spot on any thriller lover’s reading list. Uncomfortable in the best possible way.
#2 — Dead in the Water by John Marrs
This book gave me nightmares. Not in a vague unsettled kind of way, I was waking up in the middle of the night thinking about the drowning episodes and genuinely asking myself whether flashbacks and memories really do flood through your mind in those final moments. That is the kind of book that stays with you. John Marrs built something so psychologically layered and so viscerally real that it crossed the line from fiction into something that felt uncomfortably possible. I hope this one becomes a movie or a TV series it would be so good. My first John Marrs read and absolutely not my last. This one lingers.
#1 — Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Local Woman Missing takes the top spot for May. What sets this book apart from everything else I read this month is how real it feels. This is not some far-fetched scenario with an elaborate villain. This is a story that mirrors headlines we have all seen. Neighborhoods we recognize. Women who disappear and communities left with nothing but questions. The fact that it could be any one of us, a neighbor, a friend, someone we passed at the grocery store, is what makes this book hit on a completely different level. Mary Kubica is now firmly on my must-read list and this one will stay with me for a long time.
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Which one of these would you read first? Drop it in the comments and if you have already read any of them tell me if your ranking matches mine!
