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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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The Girlfriend
The Girlfriend
by Michelle Frances
Barbara Greer
Barbara Greer
by Stephen Birmingham
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Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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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
The Glass Flame
The Glass Flame
by Phyllis A. Whitney
Moving Mars
Moving Mars
by Greg Bear
How the Dead Speak
How the Dead Speak
by Val McDermid
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
The Player
The Player
by Michael Tolkin
Fever
Fever
by Deon Meyer
Bones of the Earth
Bones of the Earth
by Michael Swanwick
Heresy
Heresy
by Melissa Lenhardt
The Killing Hills
The Killing Hills
by Chris Offutt
Dark Side of the Street
Dark Side of the Street
by Jack Higgins
Make Room! Make Room!
Make Room! Make Room!
by Harry Harrison
Thirteen Hours
Thirteen Hours
by Deon Meyer, K.L. Seegers
Caper
Caper
by Lawrence Sanders
John Woman
John Woman
by Walter Mosley
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
Followers
Followers
by Megan Angelo
Poinciana
Poinciana
by Phyllis A. Whitney
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The Tenth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
by Lawrence Sanders
The Lost Codex
The Lost Codex
by Alan Jacobson
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The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
House Arrest
House Arrest
by Mike Lawson
The Ninja
The Ninja
by Eric Van Lustbader
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
The Gun Seller
The Gun Seller
by Hugh Laurie
The Ministry of Fear
The Ministry of Fear
by Graham Greene
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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The God Gene
The God Gene
by F. Paul Wilson
War of the Raven
War of the Raven
by Andrew Kaplan
The Quiet Child
The Quiet Child
by John Burley
Falling Angel
Falling Angel
by William Hjortsberg
An Unkindness of Ravens
An Unkindness of Ravens
by Ruth Rendell
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Shades of Fortune
Shades of Fortune
by Stephen Birmingham
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
by Robert Goldsborough
The Twisted Window
The Twisted Window
by Lois Duncan
Citadel
Citadel
by Kate Mosse
The Tamarind Seed
The Tamarind Seed
by Evelyn Anthony
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Bad Moon Rising
Bad Moon Rising
by Jonathan Maberry
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
Body Parts
Body Parts
by Jessica Kapp
Lonely Hearts
Lonely Hearts
by John Harvey
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
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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.