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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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A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
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by Benjamin Wood
Silent Nights
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by Martin Edwards
A Taint in the Blood
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by Dana Stabenow
Agents of Innocence
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by David Ignatius
Butcher's Moon
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by Richard Stark, Lawrence Block
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All These Beautiful Strangers
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by Elizabeth Klehfoth
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Sad Wind from the Sea
Sad Wind from the Sea
by Jack Higgins
Stinger
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by Robert McCammon
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Joe Pickett
Joe Pickett
by C. J. Box
The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Three Women
The Three Women
by Valerie Keogh
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
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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The Deeds of the Disturber
The Deeds of the Disturber
by Elizabeth Peters
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
Weekend Warriors
Weekend Warriors
by Fern Michaels
Cross Her Heart
Cross Her Heart
by Sarah Pinborough
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
Bloodlines
Bloodlines
by Sharon Sala
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
by Allan Folsom
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A Case of Need
A Case of Need
by Michael Crichton
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
The Quantum Thief
The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
Mystery Walk
Mystery Walk
by Robert McCammon
The Overnight
The Overnight
by R. L. Stine
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The Silent Girls
The Silent Girls
by Eric Rickstad
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Moving Mars
Moving Mars
by Greg Bear
Snap
Snap
by Belinda Bauer
Nerve
Nerve
by Dick Francis
The Old Man
The Old Man
by Thomas Perry
The Shepherd
The Shepherd
by Frederick Forsyth
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
by Mary Burton
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Dark Side of the Street
Dark Side of the Street
by Jack Higgins
The Wheelman
The Wheelman
by Duane Swierczynski
Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds
by Val McDermid
The Eagle Has Landed
The Eagle Has Landed
by Jack Higgins
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The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
The God Gene
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by F. Paul Wilson
The Liam Devlin Novels
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by Jack Higgins
Marathon Man
Marathon Man
by William Goldman
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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.