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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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Dream Girl
Dream Girl
by Laura Lippman
Baal
Baal
by Robert McCammon
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Psycho
Psycho
by Robert Bloch
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The People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
The Breaking Point
The Breaking Point
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 Fractured Winter
A Fractured Winter
by Alison Baillie
I Know Where She Is
I Know Where She Is
by S. B. Caves
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Disturbed
Disturbed
by Kevin O'Brien
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
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
Every Little Breath
Every Little Breath
by Keri Beevis
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Be Afraid
Be Afraid
by Mary Burton
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Blind Faith
Blind Faith
by CJ Lyons
The Paper Wasp
The Paper Wasp
by Lauren Acampora
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
The Hole
The Hole
by Sora Kim-Russell, Hye-young Pyun
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The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
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8 Books Like The Silent Patient
#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
The 6:41 to Paris
The 6:41 to Paris
by Jean-Philippe Blondel
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Starr Bright Will Be with You Soon
Starr Bright Will Be with You Soon
by Joyce Carol Oates
Keep Your Friends Close
Keep Your Friends Close
by Paula Daly
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Evil Eye
Evil Eye
by Joyce Carol Oates
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
Song of Kali
Song of Kali
by Dan Simmons
As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
by Ruth Rendell
Death in the Castle
Death in the Castle
by Pearl S. Buck
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
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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.