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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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Last Summer
Last Summer
by Evan Hunter
The Genesis Code
The Genesis Code
by Christopher Forrest
Tremor of Intent
Tremor of Intent
by Anthony Burgess
The Fuhrer's Orphans
The Fuhrer's Orphans
by David Laws
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Alibi
Alibi
by Joseph Kanon
The Hangman's Song
The Hangman's Song
by James Oswald
Death in the Andes
Death in the Andes
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
Deadly Embrace
Deadly Embrace
by Jackie Collins
A Simple Lie
A Simple Lie
by Mary Bush
Consumed
Consumed
by David Cronenberg
Disturbed
Disturbed
by Kevin O'Brien
Fever
Fever
by Deon Meyer
Carolina Skeletons
Carolina Skeletons
by David Stout
A Covenant with Death
A Covenant with Death
by Stephen Becker
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
by Paul Theroux
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
by Horace McCoy
John Woman
John Woman
by Walter Mosley
The Other Side of Silence
The Other Side of Silence
by Bill Pronzini
Followers
Followers
by Megan Angelo
The Ebony Swan
The Ebony Swan
by Phyllis A. Whitney
Loser Takes All
Loser Takes All
by Graham Greene
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Hurting Distance
Hurting Distance
by Sophie Hannah
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17 Books Like Big Little Lies
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
The 7th Victim
The 7th Victim
by Alan Jacobson
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23 Must-Read Books for Men
The Twisted Window
The Twisted Window
by Lois Duncan
The Tamarind Seed
The Tamarind Seed
by Evelyn Anthony
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
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The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
Carnacki, the Ghost Finder
Carnacki, the Ghost Finder
by William Hope Hodgson
Chambermaid
Chambermaid
by Saira Rao
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
by Jerry Stahl
The Neighborhood
The Neighborhood
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
Hidden in Time
Hidden in Time
by Michael Phillips
The Victim
The Victim
by Gillian Jackson
The Statement
The Statement
by Brian Moore
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
Elizabeth Is Missing
Elizabeth Is Missing
by Emma Healey
Postmark Murder
Postmark Murder
by Mignon G. Eberhart
The Lifeguard
The Lifeguard
by Richie Tankersley Cusick
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
The LeBaron Secret
The LeBaron Secret
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Doomsday Squad
The Doomsday Squad
by Clark Howard
The Innocent Wife
The Innocent Wife
by Amy Lloyd
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
The Dark Labyrinth
The Dark Labyrinth
by Lawrence Durrell
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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.