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The Best Thriller Books for Chill-Chasing Readers

Thriller books are characterized by the suspense, excitement, and anxiety they elicit in their readers. Good thrillers books are action packed and full of twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The stakes are always high and the characters are usually determined to complete a mission or goal before time runs out, whether due to an actual countdown ending or just increasing danger. 

There are many subgenres under the thriller umbrella, including domestic thrillersscience fiction thrillers, and legal thrillers. Sometimes thrillers also contain mysterious elements to form the subgenre of mystery thriller books. Across the genre, the best thriller books feature a palpable sense of urgency, as characters race against the clock.

From tales of political spies trying to shut down conspiracies, to books about husbands attempting to outwit murderous wives, the thriller genre covers a range of topics so you can pick one up, no matter your interests. 

These are our best thriller book recommendations to get your heart racing.

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Silent Nights
Silent Nights
by Martin Edwards
A Grave Denied
A Grave Denied
by Dana Stabenow
The Death of Sweet Mister
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by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
A Family of Strangers
A Family of Strangers
by Emilie Richards
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by Elizabeth Klehfoth
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Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
by Andrew Miller
Sad Wind from the Sea
Sad Wind from the Sea
by Jack Higgins
Joe Pickett
Joe Pickett
by C. J. Box
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent
by Joseph Conrad
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
Payback
Payback
by Fern Michaels
The Secret of Chimneys
The Secret of Chimneys
by Agatha Christie
A Cold Dark Place
A Cold Dark Place
by Gregg Olsen
Tailspin
Tailspin
by Elizabeth Goddard
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Weekend Warriors
Weekend Warriors
by Fern Michaels
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Six Days of the Condor
Six Days of the Condor
by James Grady
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
The Skeleton Road
The Skeleton Road
by Val McDermid
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
A Case of Need
A Case of Need
by Michael Crichton
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Man in Lower Ten
The Man in Lower Ten
by Mary Roberts Rinehart, Otto Penzler
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate
by Richard Condon
The Good German
The Good German
by Joseph Kanon
The Overnight
The Overnight
by R. L. Stine
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Vendetta
Vendetta
by Jackie Collins
Make No Bones
Make No Bones
by Aaron Elkins
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
The Old Man
The Old Man
by Thomas Perry
The Shepherd
The Shepherd
by Frederick Forsyth
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
by Mary Burton
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The Killing Hills
The Killing Hills
by Chris Offutt
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
by Paul Theroux
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
Bloodlines
Bloodlines
by Sharon Sala
The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
The Moneychangers
The Moneychangers
by Arthur Hailey
Don't Tell
Don't Tell
by Karen Rose
Odds On
Odds On
by Michael Crichton, John Lange
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
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A thriller book is a book that keeps readers on the edge of their seats with action, excitement, and urgency, with a high stakes premise and a protagonist on a mission.

A book is usually classified as a thriller when it has an action packed plot that follows a hero in a race against time and evokes feelings of anxiety and excitement as it builds towards a climax.

While books can fall under both horror and thriller categories, the two genres differ in that horror books are meant to be scary and, well, horrifying, whereas thriller books are not necessarily fearsome but more exciting and suspenseful.