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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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There Was an Old Woman
There Was an Old Woman
by Howard Engel
Forsaking All Others
Forsaking All Others
by Jimmy Breslin
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Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
The Takeover
The Takeover
by Muriel Spark
Before the Devil Fell
Before the Devil Fell
by Neil Olson
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
by Jerry Stahl
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
by Andrew Miller
Leviathan
Leviathan
by Robert McCammon
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Joe Pickett
Joe Pickett
by C. J. Box
Black Out
Black Out
by John Lawton
The Breaking Point
The Breaking Point
by Daphne Du Maurier
Death in the Andes
Death in the Andes
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
1979
1979
by Val McDermid
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds
by Val McDermid
Weekend Warriors
Weekend Warriors
by Fern Michaels
The Eagle Has Landed
The Eagle Has Landed
by Jack Higgins
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The Lords of Discipline
The Lords of Discipline
by Pat Conroy
The Cater Street Hangman
The Cater Street Hangman
by Anne Perry
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
by Allan Folsom
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What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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A Case of Need
A Case of Need
by Michael Crichton
Callander Square
Callander Square
by Anne Perry
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Quantum Thief
The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Bank of Fear
The Bank of Fear
by David Ignatius
South California Purples
South California Purples
by Baron Birtcher
The Overnight
The Overnight
by R. L. Stine
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The Dark Labyrinth
The Dark Labyrinth
by Lawrence Durrell
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
The Old Man
The Old Man
by Thomas Perry
The Shepherd
The Shepherd
by Frederick Forsyth
Fellowship of Fear
Fellowship of Fear
by Aaron Elkins
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World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Make Room! Make Room!
Make Room! Make Room!
by Harry Harrison
Bloodlines
Bloodlines
by Sharon Sala
Odds On
Odds On
by Michael Crichton, John Lange
The Sleepwalker
The Sleepwalker
by Robert Muchamore
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
Brighton Rock
Brighton Rock
by Graham Greene
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Paragon Walk
Paragon Walk
by Anne Perry
Indian Killer
Indian Killer
by Sherman Alexie
Hopscotch
Hopscotch
by Brian Garfield
Skin
Skin
by Mo Hayder
Tremor of Intent
Tremor of Intent
by Anthony Burgess
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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.