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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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All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
Their Last Secret
Their Last Secret
by Rick Mofina
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The People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
The Breaking Point
The Breaking Point
by Daphne du Maurier
The Chemistry of Death
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by Simon Beckett
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
The Lies He Told
The Lies He Told
by Valerie Keogh
A Fatal Inversion
A Fatal Inversion
by Ruth Rendell
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
The Hole
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The Perfect Marriage
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The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Song of Kali
Song of Kali
by Dan Simmons
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
by Ruth Rendell
Death in the Castle
Death in the Castle
by Pearl S. Buck
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
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 Butcher's Daughter
The Butcher's Daughter
by Jane E. James
I Know Where She Is
I Know Where She Is
by S. B. Caves
Disturbed
Disturbed
by Kevin O'Brien
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
Make No Bones
Make No Bones
by Aaron Elkins
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The Tenth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
by Lawrence Sanders
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
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
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
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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.