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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 Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
Rustication
Rustication
by Charles Palliser
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
Tremor of Intent
Tremor of Intent
by Anthony Burgess
The Neighborhood
The Neighborhood
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Edith Grossman
Murderland
Murderland
by Thomas B. Cavanagh
Green Girl
Green Girl
by Kate Zambreno
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Murder Knocks Twice
Murder Knocks Twice
by Susanna Calkins
Missing Since Monday
Missing Since Monday
by Ann M. Martin
Capo
Capo
by Peter Watson
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8 Books for Fans of The Sopranos
The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
Followers
Followers
by Megan Angelo
The Little Men
The Little Men
by Megan Abbott
Nina Todd Has Gone
Nina Todd Has Gone
by Lesley Glaister
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
by Renee Knight
The Twisted Window
The Twisted Window
by Lois Duncan
The Circular Staircase
The Circular Staircase
by Otto Penzler, Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Fuhrer's Orphans
The Fuhrer's Orphans
by David Laws
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24 Epic World War II Books
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
2 A.M. in Little America
2 A.M. in Little America
by Ken Kalfus
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
Palace of Spies
Palace of Spies
by Sarah Zettel
Under Fire
Under Fire
by Henri Barbusse, William Fitzwater Wray
Carolina Skeletons
Carolina Skeletons
by David Stout
Heresy
Heresy
by Melissa Lenhardt
The Campus Murders
The Campus Murders
by Ellery Queen
She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
The Innocent
The Innocent
by Evelyn Piper
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
After She's Gone
After She's Gone
by Sheryl Browne
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by Martyn Waites
Snow
Snow
by Caroline B. Cooney
Before the Devil Fell
Before the Devil Fell
by Neil Olson
The Sleep of Reason
The Sleep of Reason
by C.P. Snow
Crane Pond
Crane Pond
by Richard Francis
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
Stay with Me
Stay with Me
by Sandra Rodriguez Barron
The Hunt
The Hunt
by Mike McMullen, Jack Cashill
The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto
by Horace Walpole
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Myth and Magic
Myth and Magic
by Mae Clair
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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.