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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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Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Suspicion of Innocence
Suspicion of Innocence
by Barbara Parker
The Disappearance
The Disappearance
by J. F. Freedman
No Immunity
No Immunity
by Susan Dunlap
Followers
Followers
by Megan Angelo
The Twisted Window
The Twisted Window
by Lois Duncan
Design for Dying
Design for Dying
by Renee Patrick
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8 Novels Set in Old Hollywood
Come Winter
Come Winter
by Evan Hunter
The Circular Staircase
The Circular Staircase
by Mary Roberts Rinehart, Otto Penzler
The Bridesmaid
The Bridesmaid
by Ruth Rendell
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
by Patricia Wentworth
Pandora's Temple
Pandora's Temple
by Jon Land
Quest
Quest
by Richard Ben Sapir
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
by Renee Knight
The Tamarind Seed
The Tamarind Seed
by Evelyn Anthony
Birdcage Walk
Birdcage Walk
by Helen Dunmore
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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15 Books for Fans of Jodi Picoult
The Island of Last Truth
The Island of Last Truth
by Flavia Company, Laura McGloughlin
Toots in Solitude
Toots in Solitude
by John Yount
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Girl A
Girl A
by Dan Scottow
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8 Books Like The Silent Patient
Carolina Skeletons
Carolina Skeletons
by David Stout
Murder Knocks Twice
Murder Knocks Twice
by Susanna Calkins
A Covenant with Death
A Covenant with Death
by Stephen Becker
All the Bells on Earth
All the Bells on Earth
by James P. Blaylock
Refuge
Refuge
by Gillian White
Moist
Moist
by Mark Haskell Smith
The Wanting
The Wanting
by Campbell Armstrong
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17 Books Like Big Little Lies
A Victim Must Be Found
A Victim Must Be Found
by Howard Engel
The Friend
The Friend
by Joakim Zander
Country of the Blind
Country of the Blind
by Christopher Brookmyre
Dial M for Merde
Dial M for Merde
by Stephen Clarke
Crane Pond
Crane Pond
by Richard Francis
Palace of Spies
Palace of Spies
by Sarah Zettel
Crescent in the Sky
Crescent in the Sky
by Donald Moffitt
Myth and Magic
Myth and Magic
by Mae Clair
Led Astray
Led Astray
by Karlianna Voncil
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8 Books Like The Outsiders
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
La Donna Detroit
La Donna Detroit
by Jon A. Jackson
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8 Books About the Mafia
Another Part of the Wood
Another Part of the Wood
by Beryl Bainbridge
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
The Measure of a Man
The Measure of a Man
by Marco Malvaldi, Howard Curtis, Katherine Gregor
A Different Light
A Different Light
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Harry Gold
Harry Gold
by Millicent Dillon
Deep Creek
Deep Creek
by Dana Hand
Afterlands
Afterlands
by Steven Heighton
Wrapped Up in Crosswords
Wrapped Up in Crosswords
by Nero Blanc
Lady to Kill
Lady to Kill
by Lester Dent
The Unprotected
The Unprotected
by Kelly Sokol
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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.