Every publisher dreams of putting out a book like Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” or Paula Hawkins’s “The Girl on the Train”—and not just because they have “girl” in the title.

These are breakout novels of a special kind. Distinct from the best-selling but familiar fare of writers such as Michael Connelly and Sue Grafton, the surprise phenomena tend to come from authors who are largely unknown, peddling high-concept stories narrated in compelling voices.

Worth up to seven figures to publishers, these novels capture international imagination, are ripe for film and television adaptation and appeal to the genre’s biggest fan base: female readers.

This year’s offerings aren’t just about girls, either. Femme fatales are joined by grieving mothers and widows, dogged reporters and detectives, and one very confused professor. Here are five contenders in the race to become the world’s biggest thriller of 2016.

‘The Widow’ by Fiona Barton (Feb. 16)

When a man accused of a hideous crime is killed, his widow is finally free to tell her side of the story. The January U.K. release of Fiona Barton’s debut novel, told primarily from the perspectives of the widow, a detective and a reporter chasing the story of her career, drew early comparisons to “Gone Girl” and “The Girl on the Train.” Playground Entertainment, one of the production companies behind the “Wolf Hall” miniseries, optioned the television rights before the book’s release, and publication rights have been sold in 29 countries.