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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 Circular Staircase
The Circular Staircase
by Mary Roberts Rinehart, Otto Penzler
Snow
Snow
by Caroline B. Cooney
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Murderland
Murderland
by Thomas B. Cavanagh
A Gentle Murderer
A Gentle Murderer
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
Green Girl
Green Girl
by Kate Zambreno
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
Fever
Fever
by Deon Meyer
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Red Joan
Red Joan
by Jennie Rooney
John Woman
John Woman
by Walter Mosley
Followers
Followers
by Megan Angelo
Fickle
Fickle
by Peter Manus
Evil Eye
Evil Eye
by Joyce Carol Oates
Design for Dying
Design for Dying
by Renee Patrick
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8 Novels Set in Old Hollywood
Indian Killer
Indian Killer
by Sherman Alexie
A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Twisted Shadows
Twisted Shadows
by Patricia Potter
The Takeover
The Takeover
by Muriel Spark
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
by Renee Knight
House of Stone
House of Stone
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Dial M for Merde
Dial M for Merde
by Stephen Clarke
The Silent Ones
The Silent Ones
by William Brodrick
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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Crane Pond
Crane Pond
by Richard Francis
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
Behind the Lines
Behind the Lines
by W. F. Morris
Foul Deeds
Foul Deeds
by Linda Moore
The Terrorist
The Terrorist
by Caroline B. Cooney
Heresy
Heresy
by Melissa Lenhardt
Red Tea
Red Tea
by Meg Mezeske
The Measure of a Man
The Measure of a Man
by Marco Malvaldi, Howard Curtis, Katherine Gregor
The White City
The White City
by Karolina Ramqvist, Saskia Vogel
All the Bells on Earth
All the Bells on Earth
by James P. Blaylock
Harry Gold
Harry Gold
by Millicent Dillon
Refuge
Refuge
by Gillian White
Slipping into Darkness
Slipping into Darkness
by Peter Blauner
Wrapped Up in Crosswords
Wrapped Up in Crosswords
by Nero Blanc
Blood Sports
Blood Sports
by Eden Robinson
Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
Forsaking All Others
Forsaking All Others
by Jimmy Breslin
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Murder in the English Department
Murder in the English Department
by Valerie Miner
Tangle of Lies
Tangle of Lies
by Patricia Potter
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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.