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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 thrillers, science 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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The Silence Doctrine
The Silence Doctrine
by M.K. Mercer
Dream Girl
Dream Girl
by Laura Lippman
Pago Pago Tango
Pago Pago Tango
by John Enright
The Genesis Code
The Genesis Code
by Christopher Forrest
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Tremor of Intent
Tremor of Intent
by Anthony Burgess
A Taste of Deceit
A Taste of Deceit
by Valerie Keogh
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Inherit the Bones
Inherit the Bones
by Emily Littlejohn
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One Step Too Far
One Step Too Far
by Tina Seskis
Murderland
Murderland
by Thomas B. Cavanagh
The Thousand Faces of Night
The Thousand Faces of Night
by Jack Higgins
Death of an Old Sinner
Death of an Old Sinner
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
Freedom of the Mask
Freedom of the Mask
by Robert McCammon
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Time and Time Again
Time and Time Again
by Ben Elton
Friends and Traitors
Friends and Traitors
by John Lawton
Black Water
Black Water
by Louise Doughty
The Hangman's Song
The Hangman's Song
by James Oswald
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
Deadly Embrace
Deadly Embrace
by Jackie Collins
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pretty Ugly Lies
by Pamela Crane
Consumed
Consumed
by David Cronenberg
4 Riverside Close
4 Riverside Close
by Diana Wilkinson
Disturbed
Disturbed
by Kevin O'Brien
Don't Point That Thing at Me
Don't Point That Thing at Me
by Kyril Bonfiglioli
The Hunt
The Hunt
by Jack Cashill, Mike McMullen
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Moving Mars
Moving Mars
by Greg Bear
Trauma
Trauma
by CJ Lyons
Here Lies Alice
Here Lies Alice
by J.A. Baker
Pig Island
Pig Island
by Mo Hayder
Skeleton Dance
Skeleton Dance
by Aaron Elkins
1979
1979
by Val McDermid
Under Fire
Under Fire
by Henri Barbusse, William Fitzwater Wray
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate
by Taylor Caldwell
Snake Skin
Snake Skin
by CJ Lyons
Eleven
Eleven
by Patricia Highsmith, Graham Greene
Bones of the Earth
Bones of the Earth
by Michael Swanwick
A Covenant with Death
A Covenant with Death
by Stephen Becker
Blue Fire
Blue Fire
by Phyllis A. Whitney
Missing Since Monday
Missing Since Monday
by Ann M. Martin
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
The Fallen
The Fallen
by Jassy Mackenzie
The Cage
The Cage
by Audrey Schulman
Last Rites
Last Rites
by John Harvey
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
The Sin Eater
The Sin Eater
by Sarah Rayne
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
by J. Michael Orenduff
The White Van
The White Van
by Patrick Hoffman
Showing 1-50 of 310 results

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.