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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 These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
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The People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The Widow's Web
The Widow's Web
by Susan Moore
The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne Du Maurier
A Sense of Guilt
A Sense of Guilt
by Andrea Newman
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
Almost
Almost
by Elizabeth Benedict
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
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
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
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
The Lies He Told
The Lies He Told
by Valerie Keogh
The Shut Eye
The Shut Eye
by Belinda Bauer
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
Be Afraid
Be Afraid
by Mary Burton
Angels Weep
Angels Weep
by CJ Lyons
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell
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Dying to Tell
Dying to Tell
by Keri Beevis
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#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
Cardiff, by the Sea
Cardiff, by the Sea
by Joyce Carol Oates
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
A Brief Lunacy
A Brief Lunacy
by Cynthia Thayer
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
Song of Kali
Song of Kali
by Dan Simmons
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
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
The Takeover
The Takeover
by Muriel Spark
Mischief
Mischief
by Charlotte Armstrong
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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.