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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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A Covenant with Death
A Covenant with Death
by Stephen Becker
Missing Since Monday
Missing Since Monday
by Ann M. Martin
Caper
Caper
by Lawrence Sanders
The Disappearance
The Disappearance
by J. F. Freedman
Lady to Kill
Lady to Kill
by Lester Dent
The Lost Codex
The Lost Codex
by Alan Jacobson
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15 Authors Like Dan Brown
The Gun Seller
The Gun Seller
by Hugh Laurie
The Night She Died
The Night She Died
by Dorothy Simpson
Death Wish
Death Wish
by Brian Garfield
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion
by Lynda La Plante
Exo
Exo
by Fonda Lee
Dark Side of the Street
Dark Side of the Street
by Jack Higgins
And When She Was Good
And When She Was Good
by Laura Lippman
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17 Books Like Big Little Lies
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
We'll Never Be Apart
We'll Never Be Apart
by Emiko Jean
House Arrest
House Arrest
by Mike Lawson
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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9 Books for Fans of Sharp Objects
The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
by Ruth Rendell
The Antiquarian
The Antiquarian
by Julian Sanchez
Airport
Airport
by Arthur Hailey
No Lesser Plea
No Lesser Plea
by Robert K. Tanenbaum
April Fools
April Fools
by Richie Tankersley Cusick
Don't Tell
Don't Tell
by Karen Rose
An Unkindness of Ravens
An Unkindness of Ravens
by Ruth Rendell
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10 Authors Like Louise Penny
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
Last Summer
Last Summer
by Evan Hunter
The Genesis Code
The Genesis Code
by Christopher Forrest
Inherit the Bones
Inherit the Bones
by Emily Littlejohn
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8 Books Like The God of the Woods
Vendetta
Vendetta
by Jackie Collins
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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15 Books for Fans of Jodi Picoult
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
Nerves of Steel
Nerves of Steel
by CJ Lyons
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
Bones of the Earth
Bones of the Earth
by Michael Swanwick
Body Parts
Body Parts
by Jessica Kapp
The Fallen
The Fallen
by Jassy Mackenzie
Lovesick
Lovesick
by James Driggers
The Sin Eater
The Sin Eater
by Sarah Rayne
John Woman
John Woman
by Walter Mosley
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
Country of the Blind
Country of the Blind
by Christopher Brookmyre
A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
The Shut Eye
The Shut Eye
by Belinda Bauer
Mayhem
Mayhem
by J. Robert Janes
The Tamarind Seed
The Tamarind Seed
by Evelyn Anthony
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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.