Christian fiction has flourished over the years, with subgenres like historical fiction, Regency romance, and contemporary women’s fiction. To expand their readership, Christian publishers are now embracing thrillers. These character-driven adventures offer high-intensity plots with moral challenges and inspirational moments.

“It's a great format for growth because people's lives are on the line,” explains Kregel Publications Publisher Catherine DeVries. “Thrillers invite the spiritual moment of asking for God to lead us through danger after we’ve done everything we can.”

Karen Watson, fiction publisher at Tyndale House Publishers notes that “Christian fiction has primarily targeted female readers. But I keep asking the question: Do you think it's good business to ignore 50 percent of the population? And are male readers open to inspirational content in their thrillers?”

Tyndale has enjoyed success with contemporary thrillers, particularly by author Joel C. Rosenberg. An evangelical Christian with an Orthodox Jewish heritage, Rosenberg is a New York Times bestselling author of 22 books with over five million copies in print. “There’s a whole fraternity of male writers who have endorsed Joel, but they aren’t Christian fiction authors,” says Watson. “Joel is unique in this genre.”

The jury is still out on the long-term prospects for thrillers with spiritual themes. Will fans of murder and mayhem want more Deus with their deus ex machina? “I imagine our audience is looking for something a little different sometimes,” says Victoria Duerstock, founder of End Game Press. “Thrillers and suspense are my favorite genres. Don’t hand me a romance!”

End Game Press

Prior to founding End Game Press, Victoria Duerstock wrote books, created online courses and coaching programs, and spoke on topics like prayer and harmonious interior design. Her new publishing career aligns with her mission to “create beauty and cultivate community while leveraging all resources to live a life of impact and leave a legacy.”

End Game Press has already published 65 titles since 2021. “As a believer, I know time is short for me to make an impact. That meant creating as many titles as we physically, emotionally, and mentally could,” says Duerstock. “The pandemic wasn’t an ideal time to launch a publishing company. But you just work with what you have, and you do what you have to do.”

CIA agent Brock survives an attack on U.S. soil in A Fifth of the Story by Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, February 2024, ISBN 9781637971284. Fighting for his life, Brock discovers the intelligence breach responsible for an extremist organization’s recent crimes. This suspenseful, action-packed tale of espionage and resilience is Hutchinson-Hayes’ first novel. “Katherine came to us as one of almost 1,000 submissions in the last three years,” notes Duerstock. “Her husband works for one of those alphabet-named federal agencies, so he provided great insight about how things really work.”

The Desert Between Us by James C. Magruder, May 2024, ISBN 9781637971291, is the story of a famous novelist mourning his wife and raising his son alone. Will Chase Kincaid find new love with his son’s third grade teacher? Or will he resign himself to a life of sadness and solitude? “We had books dealing with grief and loss for all ages and stages. We just didn't have any fiction,” explains Duerstock. “Sometimes you can address a difficult topic more meaningfully in a fictional way.”

Bibliophiles Lorilee Craker and Jenny Williams combine literary references and foodie fun in Eat Like a Heroine, August 2024, ISBN 9781637971369. Readers will learn how to eat, picnic, and entertain like the authors’ favorite fictional and real-life heroines, including Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Maya Angelou, and Zora Neale Hurston. This fun, humorous story time/journal/cookbook mashup includes an authentic recipe at the end of each chapter—some of which may not appeal to but will amuse modern cooks: “ Little Women had pickled limes. Cyanide biscuits were a Jane Austen thing. You always think about picnics in those Regency-era books,” notes Duerstock.

Kregel Publications

Louis Kregel founded Kregel Publications in 1909 to sell imported Dutch-language Christian books in Michigan. Still based in Grand Rapids, Kregel's backlist includes Christian education and ministry, fiction, Biblical studies, and reprints of classic works.

“Our mission has always been the same: to provide Biblically based books to encourage readers to grow spiritually,” Publisher Catherine DeVries explains. “But we really ramped up our fiction program about four years ago. We're going deeper to offer variety, even within the same genre.”

Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett, August 2024, ISBN 978082544852, is a split-time novel set in Redwood National Park during the 1920s and 1970s. June, a polio survivor and park ranger, is proud of her great aunt Marion’s efforts decades earlier to conserve the redwoods. When June teams up with a documentary filmmaker, she uncovers secrets that make her question her family history. “June overcomes her physical limitations and devotes her life to preserving God’s creation,” DeVries says. “The author used to be a park ranger, so you feel like you’re on a trail in the redwood forest.”

Three beloved Christian historical fiction authors create generations of wartime romances in Something Borrowed by Rachel Scott McDaniel, Allison Pittman, and Susie Finkbeiner, August 2024, ISBN 9780825448423. This historical novella trilogy includes stories set in the eras of World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. The connecting thread running through the trilogy is a wedding dress originally made by a seamstress in the U.S. Camouflage Corps, which appears in each novella. “When things seem hopeless, love prevails,” DeVries says. “Even though we're not sure what our futures are going to be, we keep going and help each other.”

A rakish alcoholic and an ex-prostitute team up to solve a mystery in A Thieving at Carlton House by Erica Vetsch, September 2024, ISBN 9780825448621. The “Of Cloaks & Daggers”series begins with this Regency suspense novel, featuring characters from the popular Haverly universe. New York Times best-selling author Vetch brings together an unlikely pair of detectives to find stolen jewelry and catch a killer. Will this riveting mystery inspire romance? “People will have met Bertrand and Pippa in the “Thorndike & Swann Regency Mystery” series,” DeVries says. “We love how Erica’s storylines interconnect this broader family of characters.”

Fiancé Final e by Angela Ruth Strong, October 2024, ISBN 9780825447952, is the third romantic comedy in the award-winning “Love Off Script” series. Charlie left town the day before his wedding to make a documentary film. Now Charlie wants his producer to hire his erstwhile bride’s marketing firm to promote that same documentary film. Will she give the runaway groom a second chance? “God sees and redeems even the most broken stories—and, obviously, this one is a very broken story,” says DeVries. “He’s dumb and in love, emphasizing the dumb part. It’s hilarious!”

A serial killer hacks into a vital computer system in 70 North by Kimberley Woodhouse, October 2024, ISBN 9780825447747. Surgeon Tracie Hunter is framed for covering up a murder in this third book in the “Alaskan Cyber Hunters” series. The Cyber Solutions team joins forces with local law enforcement to bring the killer to justice. “Kimberly Woodhouse is a well-known name in religious publishing,” DeVries notes. “Her storylines are really well done, and she lived in Alaska, so she knows what it's like.”

Tyndale House Publishers

Ken and Margaret Taylor founded Tyndale House Publishers in 1962. Nine years later, they published The Living Bible, which became America’s best-selling book in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Tyndale is best-known today for the “Left Behind” series, the most successful Christian fiction series ever, with close to 80 million copies sold.

The company publishes inspirational Christian fiction in addition to historical fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, and thrillers. “We publish 25 titles each year as part of Tyndale’s mission to minister to the spiritual needs of the people,” Fiction Publisher Karen Watson says.

A surprise encounter leads to marriage for an ornithologist and a veterinary surgeon on the autism spectrum in Leaning on Air by Cheryl Grey Bostrom, May 2024, ISBN 9781496481528.

The award-winning author of Sugar Birds brings the Pacific Northwest to life in this contemporary novel about love, loss, and redemption. Readers see how Celia adapts to life with a neurodivergent spouse. “The neurodivergent character is handled very realistically and compassionately,” Watson notes. “It's an emotional issue naturally connected to the spiritual side of life.”

Fans of the hit show Yellowstone will like the third action-packed Matthew Redd novel Out for Blood by Ryan Steck, June 2024, ISBN 9781496485977. Steck, an influential thriller blogger known as “The Real Book Spy,” made his authorial debut with Tyndale House in 2022 with Fields of Fire, the first Redd novel. In the new book, former Marine Raider Redd sends his family into hiding when he discovers he’s been targeted for assassination. Redd escapes to the mountains and fights for survival in Montana’s Big Sky country. “You watch Redd slowly develop his core identity from a spiritual perspective,” Watson says.

The Forge, a movie novelization by Chris Fabry, based on the film by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, August 2024, ISBN 9781496489203, features a single mom running a business while raising her teenage son, Isaiah. When Isaiah seems lost and hopeless, his mom prays for God’s help. Isaiah soon finds a role model who teaches him new ways to think. “The Kendricks often write stories about discipleship and mentorship of young men,” Watson says. “The book will come out 30 days before the nationwide movie release.”

Sweet Home Alabama meets HGTV’s Fixer Upper in Lowcountry Lost by T.I. Lowe, September 2024, ISBN 9781496465641. Avalee Elvis has a property restoration job in the tiny, abandoned town of Somewhere, South Carolina. The investors hire Rowan Murray, a structural engineer and Avalee’s ex-husband. Can Rowan and Avalee rekindle their romance six years after a traumatic event? “Tonya Lowe creates realistic but quirky characters, like a next generation Fanny Flagg,” Watson says. “She tackles serious subjects, but she's just as funny as can be.”

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee, October 2024, ISBN 9781496484161 is a dual-timeline novel set during World War II and the Vietnam War. In 1942, Ana lives on a Tennessee farm after her husband dies at Pearl Harbor. She finds a new job and romance on a nearby U.S. military base that operates a German internment camp. In 1969, Mattie loses her best friend when her twin brother dies in Vietnam. Through pain and loss, Ana and Mattie come face-to-face with their own assumptions and discover the truth about their family legacies. “When we dig into it, we all find out our history is not exactly what we thought it was,” Watson says.

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