We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE
Subscribe
AboutAbout
DealsDeals
ArticlesArticles
GenresGenres

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.

Current Book Deal

Loading...
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Celebrating Author Muriel Spark
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
Marathon Man
Marathon Man
by William Goldman
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The 7th Victim
The 7th Victim
by Alan Jacobson
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
23 Must-Read Books for Men
Copycat
Copycat
by Gillian White
The Eagle Has Landed
The Eagle Has Landed
by Jack Higgins
World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
Blood Jungle Ballet
Blood Jungle Ballet
by John Enright
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
Happy Mutant Baby Pills
by Jerry Stahl
Tremor of Intent
Tremor of Intent
by Anthony Burgess
Spartacus, the Gladiator
Spartacus, the Gladiator
by Ben Kane
The Shepherd's Hut
The Shepherd's Hut
by Tim Winton
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Dark Books Like Blood Meridian
The Silent Ones
The Silent Ones
by William Brodrick
Where the Dark Streets Go
Where the Dark Streets Go
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
Five Passengers From Lisbon
Five Passengers From Lisbon
by Mignon G. Eberhart
The Lifeguard
The Lifeguard
by Richie Tankersley Cusick
Green Girl
Green Girl
by Kate Zambreno
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
2 A.M. in Little America
2 A.M. in Little America
by Ken Kalfus
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Dead Girl Walking
Dead Girl Walking
by Christopher Brookmyre
The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto
by Horace Walpole
The Dark Labyrinth
The Dark Labyrinth
by Lawrence Durrell
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
Trauma
Trauma
by CJ Lyons
Nerve
Nerve
by Dick Francis
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate
by Taylor Caldwell
Suburra
Suburra
by Carlo Bonini, Giancarlo de Cataldo, Antony Shugaar
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books About the Mafia
Carolina Skeletons
Carolina Skeletons
by David Stout
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
Murder Knocks Twice
Murder Knocks Twice
by Susanna Calkins
The Measure of a Man
The Measure of a Man
by Marco Malvaldi, Howard Curtis, Katherine Gregor
The Fallen
The Fallen
by Jassy Mackenzie
Lovesick
Lovesick
by James Driggers
What I Tell You in the Dark
What I Tell You in the Dark
by John Samuel
The Other Side of Silence
The Other Side of Silence
by Bill Pronzini
No Immunity
No Immunity
by Susan Dunlap
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry
by John P. Marquand
There Was an Old Woman
There Was an Old Woman
by Howard Engel
Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
Forsaking All Others
Forsaking All Others
by Jimmy Breslin
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Powerful Jimmy Breslin Books
After She's Gone
After She's Gone
by Sheryl Browne
The Antiquarian
The Antiquarian
by Julian Sanchez
Design for Dying
Design for Dying
by Renee Patrick
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Novels Set in Old Hollywood
Hopscotch
Hopscotch
by Brian Garfield
Inmate 1577
Inmate 1577
by Alan Jacobson
Showing 151-200 of 300 results

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.