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The Best Psychological Thriller Books and Novels

If there’s one thing thriller lovers know, it’s that danger is lurking around every corner—or at least at the end of every chapter. If you adore twisty thrillers that let you take a peek behind closed doors, we have endless recommendations for you.

Perhaps you enjoy domestic thrillers that prove white picket fences can hide horrendous crimes, or modern thrillers that will make you rethink social media. You can even work your way through the masters of the genre, from Joyce Carol Oates to Jack Higgins.

From psychological thrillers to books with jaw-dropping plot twists, there's nothing like a novel designed to send chills down your spine. Discover books from classic authors like Patricia Highsmith to modern writers like Lucy Foley and Liane Moriarty. And whatever you do, remember that not everything is as it seems.

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Before We Were Strangers
Before We Were Strangers
by Brenda Novak
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All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
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Finding Jake
Finding Jake
by Bryan Reardon
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The Scapegoat
The Scapegoat
by Daphne Du Maurier
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
A Simple Lie
A Simple Lie
by Mary Bush
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Three Women
The Three Women
by Valerie Keogh
Before He Finds Her
Before He Finds Her
by Michael Kardos
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
Every Little Breath
Every Little Breath
by Keri Beevis
The Shut Eye
The Shut Eye
by Belinda Bauer
Be Afraid
Be Afraid
by Mary Burton
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell
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The Missing Husband
The Missing Husband
by Natasha Boydell
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The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
Cardiff, by the Sea
Cardiff, by the Sea
by Joyce Carol Oates
The 7th Victim
The 7th Victim
by Alan Jacobson
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
A Perfect Wife and Mother
A Perfect Wife and Mother
by Peter Israel
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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The Tree of Hands
The Tree of Hands
by Ruth Rendell
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
Losing Nicola
Losing Nicola
by Susan Moody
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Angels Weep
Angels Weep
by CJ Lyons
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Some say that Agatha Christie invented the psychological thriller with And Then There Were None while others credit James Fenimore Cooper’s The Spy from 1821 with being the earliest example of the genre. Some contemporary writers that have furthered the genre are Dennis Lehane with Shutter Island, Colleen Hoover’s Verity, and a spread of books by Frieda McFadden. 

A thriller in itself is typically an action-packed story emphasizing tension, anxiety, and fear. A psychological thriller is simply a thriller that is more focused on the inner life and thoughts of the protagonist.