White Rabbit, and More Can’t-Miss LGBTQ Thrillers

White Rabbit, by Caleb Roehrig
The last person Rufus wants to see is his ex, Sebastian. So when Sebastian shows up one night saying he “just wants to talk,” Rufus is tempted to say no—he still loves Sebastian, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself. But before they can have any kind of talk, Rufus receives an SOS call from his sister April…and when he and Sebastian track her down, she’s covered in blood, holding a knife, kneeling next to the dead body of her boyfriend. She tells Rufus she didn’t do it, but he knows better than to completely believe her. He has one night to clear her name, one night to figure out the truth—and only his ex to help him.

Last Seen Leaving, by Caleb Roehrig
While you’re waiting (or after you’ve finished) White Rabbit, check out Roehrig’s debut, just as twisty as his follow-up. Flynn Doherty’s girlfriend, January, is missing. Well, ex-girlfriend, but no one knows that, including the police, who keep questioning him. But Flynn’s not hiding because he did something to January—he’s hiding because he’s gay. And as he gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about what happened to his ex, his own truth comes closer to being revealed.

A Darkly Beating Heart, by Lindsay Smith
Reiko is full of hatred and rage. After a failed suicide attempt caused by a bad breakup with her girlfriend, she’s shipped off to Japan to stay with her cousins for the summer. Her parents hope the change will help, but the newness just fuels her anger and desire for revenge more. While forced to play servant to her fame-seeking cousin Akiko, Reiko is transported back to feudal-era Japan. There, she inhabits the body of Miyu, a woman filled with more rage and loathing than Reiko herself. At first inhabiting Miyu is exhilarating—finally, Reiko has a place where she can let her own hatred spread. But Miyu has her own plans for vengeance, and soon Reiko realizes she has to stop her, or let herself be consumed by the darkness in both of them.

A Line in the Dark, by Malinda Lo
Angie is Jess’s best friend, and Jess is in love with her. But Jess is good at burying her feelings, even more so when Angie begins dating Margot, a girl from a nearby private school. Jesse knows that as long as Angie stays her best friend, she’ll be okay. Never mind the wealth and privilege papering over dark secrets at the private school, or the fact that Jesse doesn’t get along with Ryan, Margot’s best friend. But when Ryan goes missing, however, Jess becomes a suspect. And when Ryan’s body is found, Jess, Angie, and Margot have a lot of questions they suddenly can’t answer. As Jess clings to her friendship with Angie, she also has to reckon with the fact that Ryan is dead—and that one of the three of them did it.

Willful Machines, by Tim Floreen
Set in an increasingly near-feeling future, Willful Machines is a tense political thriller. Humanity created—and then promptly outlawed—artificial intelligence. But Charlotte, one of the more sentient AI, escapes and promptly begins attacking and terrorizing the American people. President’s son Lee Fisher worries he may soon be a target, as if he didn’t have enough to worry about trying to hide the fact that he’s gay from his conservative father. And then Nico transfers to his prep school, and Lee is thrown into a whole new set of problems, like how to keep the Secret Service detail from finding out about his crush on the new kid. As Charlotte closes in on Lee’s school—and on Lee and Nico—Lee must figure out a way not only to keep his secrets, but to stay alive.