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 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.

Current Book Deal

Loading...
The Suspect
The Suspect
by L.R. Wright
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Kindle Unlimited Books
All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books Like The God of the Woods
Finding Jake
Finding Jake
by Bryan Reardon
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pretty Ugly Lies
by Pamela Crane
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
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
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
Blind Faith
Blind Faith
by CJ Lyons
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
6 Korean Books You Shouldn't Miss
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
by Mary Burton
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books Like The Silent Patient
#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
What Is New Wave Science Fiction?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
Cardiff, by the Sea
Cardiff, by the Sea
by Joyce Carol Oates
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
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
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
9 Books for Fans of Sharp Objects
Live Flesh
Live Flesh
by Ruth Rendell
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
The Lost Girls of Rome
The Lost Girls of Rome
by Donato Carrisi
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Showing 1-50 of 79 results

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.