Whether you’re drawn to literary fiction, dark sports comedy or psychological thrillers, May’s book cover round-up has got something in store for you. Here are six designs that I found particularly outstanding.
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp
Cover design by Chloe Scheffe (Astra House, 5 May)
I’m suddenly aching to know how a ladybird, cigarette and glistening pearl might inhabit the same narrative. Unconventional, earthy-toned and curiosity-inducing.
Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller
Design by Josie Staveley Taylor, with art by Thérèse Mulgrew (Fig Tree, 7 May 2026)
A gothic psychological thriller, indeed. The font and fly illustration work wonderfully together, but the subject’s vacant stare is what will have me reaching for this in a bookshop.
Dad Had a Bad Day by Ashton Politanoff
Design by Rodrigo Corral (Astra House, 19 May)
Dad Had a Bad Day is described as ‘darkly funny’, and it’s fair to say the cover image does this justice. I adore the drooping tennis racket.
Inheritance by Jane Park
Design by Elisha Zapeda (21 May 2026)
With its intricate (Chekhov’s?) knife set against the prairies and its echoes of Wyeth’s Christina’s World, the cover of Inheritance raises all the right questions.
The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams
Design by Thomas Colligan (Fourth Estate, 21 May)
The cover of the intellectually charged campus novel is haunting, not least thanks to the delicate strings ominously connecting various letters. I can practically hear the violins playing in the background.
Pixie by Jill Dawson
Design by Carmen R. Balit (Bloomsbury Publishing, 26 May)
With 30% of Americans now consulting tarot regularly, Pixie’s cover is a smart move as well as an aesthetically alluring one. Bound to sit perfectly next to my Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
