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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 Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
Prized Possessions
Prized Possessions
by L.R. Wright
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The People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
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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The Scapegoat
The Scapegoat
by Daphne Du Maurier
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pretty Ugly Lies
by Pamela Crane
The Innocent Wife
The Innocent Wife
by Amy Lloyd
In the Lake of the Woods
In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O'Brien
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Going Wrong
Going Wrong
by Ruth Rendell
Shadow of the Lions
Shadow of the Lions
by Christopher Swann
The Lies He Told
The Lies He Told
by Valerie Keogh
Make No Bones
Make No Bones
by Aaron Elkins
A Fatal Inversion
A Fatal Inversion
by Ruth Rendell
Blind Faith
Blind Faith
by CJ Lyons
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun, Sora Kim-Russell
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The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
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An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
The Lathe of Heaven
The Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Sweet Baby
Sweet Baby
by Sharon Sala
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
Come Closer
Come Closer
by Sara Gran
The Two Faces of January
The Two Faces of January
by Patricia Highsmith
The Tenth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
by Lawrence Sanders
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
I Spy
I Spy
by Claire Kendal
The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
by Ruth Rendell
Song of Kali
Song of Kali
by Dan Simmons
The Doll-Master
The Doll-Master
by Joyce Carol Oates
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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Death in the Castle
Death in the Castle
by Pearl S. Buck
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
The Crocodile Bird
The Crocodile Bird
by Ruth Rendell
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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.