10 best thriller romance books, ranked

Screw dinner and a movie. You know what’s an even better date night idea? Stumbling upon a dead body in the woods with your beau and teaming up to solve the subsequent murder mystery. Nothing says “I love you” like driving the final nail into the unsolved cold case coffin. These 10 thriller romance books have the right idea.

10. Firekeeper’s Daughter

Daunis Fontaine, the heroine of Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter, is having a rough time. Her biracial heritage makes her somewhat of an odd one out in her mostly white hometown and her nearby Ojibwe reservation. At least there’s Jamie, the handsome new member of her brother’s hockey team to make the world seem a little less unfriendly. Alas, Daunis’ dreams of an easygoing romance are marred once Jaime gets wrapped up in an FBI murder investigation involving a lethal new drug. Using her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine, Daunis will have to dive into the criminal underworld to clear some names and damn others.

9. A Cold Dark Place

FBI agent Mallory Rooney doesn’t have time for romance. The heroine of Toni Anderson’s A Cold Dark Place has her well-trained hands full hunting for her sister’s killer. As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Mallory crosses paths with the handsome Alex, an assassin who deals out extra-judicial justice to offenders who managed to escape the long arm of the law. As it turns out, Mallory and Alex are hunting for the same people, and the pair will need to swap information (and maybe a little spit) to bring a group of dangerous killers down.

8. The Housemaid

Ex-con Millie thought being a housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family would be easy. The heroine of Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid soon finds that she’s got some unexpected responsibilities at her new job. Namely, she has to figure out the source of the criminal stink under the seemingly pristine veneer of her new employers. Things get even more complicated when Millie gets the hots for Mr. Winchester, who as it turns out is less-than-happily married to his wife. As if that wasn’t enough, imagine Millie’s stress when she discovers her door only locks from the outside.

7. Where the Blame Lies

Josie Stratton spent 10 years of her life held captive by a madman in a warehouse. After escaping, all the poor woman wants is a break. Mia Sheridan, author of indie novel Where the Blame Lies, doesn’t give it to her. Eight years later, the body of a young woman is found chained up in a warehouse, and police detective Zach Copeland is reminded of Josie’s case. He seeks out Josie to get some details on her captor, and what starts as a professional collaboration turns into a very, very personal one.

6. Aggro

Is it a love triangle that Cole, Jace, and Kellie find themselves caught in, or a dark triad? Carrie Gray and Coralee June’s Aggro has the answer. Reeling from the death of her best friend, Kellie finds her relationship with the deceased’s brother and boyfriend becoming a lot more complicated. Some dark secrets stir in the wake of the tragic death, and the trio may be torn apart as those secrets are dragged kicking and screaming into the light.

5. Envy

Maris Matherly-Reed, book editor heroine of Sandra Brown’s Envy, thinks she might have found the hottest new potential best-seller—at least, that’s what the new manuscript on her desk written by the mysterious P.M.E. would have her believe. Her hunt for the man behind the manuscript leads her to a burned-out former cotton plantation, home of the handsome Parker Evans. Parker tells her a tale of three friends who went on a boat trip, with only one coming back alive. As Parker spins his yarn, Maris begins to believe that his potential best-selling story is more fact than fiction. That makes things complicated. She also thinks he’s really hot. More complicated. She’s also married. The MOST complicated.

4. Wretched

What would happen if the drug trade moved into the fabled land of Oz? Emily McIntire’s Wretched has the answer. A spin on The Wizard of Oz, Wretched revolves around botanist Evelina Westerly, whose green thumb has helped her father build a drug empire. To blow off steam, she hooks up with a hottie at a nightclub in a one-night stand. Imagine her surprise when the same dude shows up to work for her dad’s business under a different name. His real name? Nicholas Woodsworth. His job? DEA Agent. His goal? Stop the drug trade by any means necessary … unless Evelina can convince him otherwise.

3. Naked in Death

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (otherwise known as the legendary Nora Roberts) is the little mystery novel that launched the mammoth best-selling series. The story is set in 2058 and centers around New York City Detective Eve Dallas. After a Senator’s daughter is killed, Eve finds herself swept up in a mind-bending case of political intrigue, a case where the wealthy-as-he-is-handsome Roarke is the lead suspect. Considering that 50+ of these novels have been written, each featuring a new crime that Eve and her now-husband Roarke solve together, it’s safe to say he didn’t do it. But who did?

2. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here

If the horror movie Barbarian taught us anything, it’s be careful of Airbnbs. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here‘s heroine Grace obviously didn’t watch it. Seeking a peaceful getaway, she rents an Airbnb on a Wyoming ranch, and finds anything but. The owner, Calvin, might be really handsome, but he’s certainly hiding something. And what’s up with all these stories of a woman who went missing in the area not months before? Something ain’t right on this ranch. And Calvin’s little check-ins seemed sweet at first, but now it seems like he’s a tad bit obsessed. Red flags come in many different shades, and this ranch owner is raising them all.

1. Mindf*ck

A love affair between a twisted serial killer and the FBI agent hunting her? S.T. Abby’s thriller romance series certainly does its title justice. Mindf*ck is about a lovable homicidal maniac named Lana who’s hellbent on murdering everyone who did her wrong. Logan is an FBI guy who doesn’t realize that the woman he’s falling in love with just so happens to be the vigilante killer he’s hunting. Oh, what a hilarious misunderstanding! I’m sure they’ll work it out … over five books and heaps of corpses. Be warned, the Mindf*ck series is a visceral read, with the intricacies of love and murder laid out in gruesome, gory detail.