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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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The Suspect
The Suspect
by L.R. Wright
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All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
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The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pretty Ugly Lies
by Pamela Crane
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
Every Little Breath
Every Little Breath
by Keri Beevis
Be Afraid
Be Afraid
by Mary Burton
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
I Have the Right to Destroy Myself
I Have the Right to Destroy Myself
by Young-ha Kim
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Vulnerable
Vulnerable
by Mary Burton
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The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
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
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The Tree of Hands
The Tree of Hands
by Ruth Rendell
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Finding Jake
Finding Jake
by Bryan Reardon
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
Usher's Passing
Usher's Passing
by Robert McCammon
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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
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
by Paula Daly
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
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
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
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
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
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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.