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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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As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
House Arrest
House Arrest
by Mike Lawson
Midnight Never Comes
Midnight Never Comes
by Jack Higgins
The Chimney Sweeper's Boy
The Chimney Sweeper's Boy
by Ruth Rendell
Down in New Orleans
Down in New Orleans
by Heather Graham
A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
Chicago Assault
Chicago Assault
by Randy Wayne White
No Lesser Plea
No Lesser Plea
by Robert K. Tanenbaum
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
Dragon's Teeth
Dragon's Teeth
by Upton Sinclair
Dark Moon
Dark Moon
by Diane Hoh
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Cry Baby
Cry Baby
by Mark Billingham
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A Spot of Folly
A Spot of Folly
by Ruth Rendell
Death of an Old Sinner
Death of an Old Sinner
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
The Fuhrer's Orphans
The Fuhrer's Orphans
by David Laws
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The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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Postmark Murder
Postmark Murder
by Mignon G. Eberhart
The Lifeguard
The Lifeguard
by Richie Tankersley Cusick
2 A.M. in Little America
2 A.M. in Little America
by Ken Kalfus
Screwed
Screwed
by Eoin Colfer
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Don't Point That Thing at Me
Don't Point That Thing at Me
by Kyril Bonfiglioli
The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
A Dancer in the Dust
A Dancer in the Dust
by Thomas H. Cook
The Deadly Sister
The Deadly Sister
by Eliot Schrefer
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
Trauma
Trauma
by CJ Lyons
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
Fever
Fever
by Deon Meyer
Behind the Lines
Behind the Lines
by W. F. Morris
Red Harvest
Red Harvest
by Patrick C. Greene
Snake Skin
Snake Skin
by CJ Lyons
The Dying Hours
The Dying Hours
by Mark Billingham
I Have the Right to Destroy Myself
I Have the Right to Destroy Myself
by Young-ha Kim
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The Far Arena
The Far Arena
by Richard Ben Sapir
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
by Lesley Glaister
The Yearbook
The Yearbook
by Peter Lerangis
The Corsican
The Corsican
by William Heffernan
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Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
by Paul Theroux
Mrs. Million
Mrs. Million
by Pete Hautman
The Cage
The Cage
by Audrey Schulman
Exact Revenge
Exact Revenge
by Tim Green
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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.