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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 thrillers, science 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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How the Dead Speak
How the Dead Speak
by Val McDermid
Snap
Snap
by Belinda Bauer
Old Bones
Old Bones
by Aaron Elkins
Domino
Domino
by Phyllis A. Whitney
The Case of the Lonely Heiress
The Case of the Lonely Heiress
by Erle Stanley Gardner
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
Bones of the Earth
Bones of the Earth
by Michael Swanwick
Mimosa Grove
Mimosa Grove
by Sharon Sala
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey
by J. Michael Orenduff
Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds
by Val McDermid
No Safe Secret
No Safe Secret
by Fern Michaels
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Moist
Moist
by Mark Haskell Smith
Cross Her Heart
Cross Her Heart
by Sarah Pinborough
Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
by Allan Folsom
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Airport
Airport
by Arthur Hailey
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
The God Gene
The God Gene
by F. Paul Wilson
The Tenth Circle
The Tenth Circle
by Jon Land
Death in the Castle
Death in the Castle
by Pearl S. Buck
Down in New Orleans
Down in New Orleans
by Heather Graham
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
The Gun Seller
The Gun Seller
by Hugh Laurie
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
Marathon Man
Marathon Man
by William Goldman
Dream Girl
Dream Girl
by Laura Lippman
The Quantum Thief
The Quantum Thief
by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Breaking Point
The Breaking Point
by Daphne du Maurier
The Old Man
The Old Man
by Thomas Perry
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
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The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Make Room! Make Room!
Make Room! Make Room!
by Harry Harrison
A Case of Need
A Case of Need
by Michael Crichton
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Joe Pickett
Joe Pickett
by C. J. Box
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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The Antiquarian
The Antiquarian
by Julian Sanchez
The Overnight
The Overnight
by R. L. Stine
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In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
Shifty's Boys
Shifty's Boys
by Chris Offutt
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
by Robert Goldsborough
Odds On
Odds On
by John Lange, Michael Crichton
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
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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.