We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE
Subscribe
AboutAbout
DealsDeals
ArticlesArticles
GenresGenres

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.

Current Book Deal

Loading...
The Quantum Thief
The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Shepherd's Hut
The Shepherd's Hut
by Tim Winton
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Dark Books Like Blood Meridian
Black Out
Black Out
by John Lawton
The Overnight
The Overnight
by R. L. Stine
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
12 Books to Give You Goosebumps
Death in the Andes
Death in the Andes
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
by Paula Daly
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Best Books for Women
How the Dead Speak
How the Dead Speak
by Val McDermid
The Headmaster's Wife
The Headmaster's Wife
by Carey Birmingham, Stephen Birmingham
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
The Sixth Commandment
The Sixth Commandment
by Lawrence Sanders
Mimosa Grove
Mimosa Grove
by Sharon Sala
Make Room! Make Room!
Make Room! Make Room!
by Harry Harrison
Thirteen Hours
Thirteen Hours
by K.L. Seegers, Deon Meyer
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
by J. Michael Orenduff
Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds
by Val McDermid
Murder in E Minor
Murder in E Minor
by Robert Goldsborough
The Lords of Discipline
The Lords of Discipline
by Pat Conroy
Brighton Rock
Brighton Rock
by Graham Greene
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
13 Must-Read Graham Greene Books
Bloodlines
Bloodlines
by Sharon Sala
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
by Allan Folsom
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books to Read on a Snow Day
Who Pays the Piper?
Who Pays the Piper?
by Patricia Wentworth
The Deeds of the Disturber
The Deeds of the Disturber
by Elizabeth Peters
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
Chicago Assault
Chicago Assault
by Randy Wayne White
Six Days of the Condor
Six Days of the Condor
by James Grady
War Against the Mafia
War Against the Mafia
by Don Pendleton
Falling Angel
Falling Angel
by William Hjortsberg
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
Mystery Walk
Mystery Walk
by Robert McCammon
A Cry from the Dust
A Cry from the Dust
by Carrie Stuart Parks
To Cut a Long Story Short
To Cut a Long Story Short
by Jeffrey Archer
The Blinds
The Blinds
by Adam Sternbergh
The Good People
The Good People
by Hannah Kent
Murder by an Aristocrat
Murder by an Aristocrat
by Mignon G. Eberhart
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
The Sleepwalker
The Sleepwalker
by Robert Muchamore
The Girlfriend
The Girlfriend
by Michelle Frances
I Know Where She Is
I Know Where She Is
by S. B. Caves
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
Layer Cake
Layer Cake
by J. J. Connolly
Nerve
Nerve
by Dick Francis
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate
by Taylor Caldwell
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 New York City Mystery Books
Shadow of Suspicion
Shadow of Suspicion
by Christy Barritt
The Case of the Lonely Heiress
The Case of the Lonely Heiress
by Erle Stanley Gardner
The Hole
The Hole
by Sora Kim-Russell, Hye-young Pyun
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
6 Korean Books You Shouldn't Miss
Showing 51-100 of 302 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.