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

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 People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
The Girlfriend
The Girlfriend
by Michelle Frances
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
Every Little Breath
Every Little Breath
by Keri Beevis
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
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
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
6 Korean Books You Shouldn't Miss
Dying to Tell
Dying to Tell
by Keri Beevis
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books Like The Silent Patient
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
What Is New Wave Science Fiction?
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
Cardiff, by the Sea
Cardiff, by the Sea
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 Tree of Hands
The Tree of Hands
by Ruth Rendell
Song of Kali
Song of Kali
by Dan Simmons
All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books Like The God of the Woods
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
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 Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Evil Eye
Evil Eye
by Joyce Carol Oates
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
Mischief
Mischief
by Charlotte Armstrong
Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
15 Books for Fans of Jodi Picoult
Wild Life
Wild Life
by Liam Brown
Losing Nicola
Losing Nicola
by Susan Moody
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
Showing 1-50 of 71 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.