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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 Perfect Life
The Perfect Life
by Valerie Keogh
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
by John Steinbeck
Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
Sula
Sula
by Toni Morrison
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A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
Travels with Charley in Search of America
Travels with Charley in Search of America
by John Steinbeck
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The Reader
The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink
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The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
The Scapegoat
The Scapegoat
by Daphne Du Maurier
Catch-22
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
The Boxcar Children Halloween Special
The Boxcar Children Halloween Special
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Crystal Ribbon
The Crystal Ribbon
by Celeste Lim
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Parade's End
Parade's End
by Ford Madox Ford
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White
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Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice
by Thomas Pynchon
Stuart Little
Stuart Little
by E.B. White
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
The Night Gwen Stacy Died
The Night Gwen Stacy Died
by Sarah Bruni
These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights
by Chloe Gong
Less
Less
by Andrew Sean Greer
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War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance
by Herman Wouk
The Girlfriend
The Girlfriend
by Michelle Frances
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
A Monster Calls
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
House of Leaves
House of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski
The House of the Spirits
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Three Women
The Three Women
by Valerie Keogh
Disturbed
Disturbed
by Kevin O'Brien
Villette
Villette
by Charlotte Brontë
Wild Life
Wild Life
by Liam Brown
Daughter of Fortune
Daughter of Fortune
by Isabel Allende
Suite Française
Suite Française
by Irène Némirovsky
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
by Fredrik Backman
I Place You Into the Fire
I Place You Into the Fire
by Rebecca Thomas
The Moon is Always Female
The Moon is Always Female
by Marge Piercy
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name
by André Aciman
Losing Nicola
Losing Nicola
by Susan Moody
The Devil in the White City
The Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson
Summer Friends
Summer Friends
by Holly Chamberlin
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
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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.