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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 Marriage
The Perfect Marriage
by Jeneva Rose
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
A Touch of Panic
A Touch of Panic
by L.R. Wright
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The People Next Door
The People Next Door
by Keri Beevis
Usher's Passing
Usher's Passing
by Robert McCammon
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The House on the Strand
The House on the Strand
by Daphne du Maurier
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Splinter the Silence
Splinter the Silence
by Val McDermid
Every Little Breath
Every Little Breath
by Keri Beevis
Be Afraid
Be Afraid
by Mary Burton
The Hole
The Hole
by Sora Kim-Russell, Hye-young Pyun
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The Night Before
The Night Before
by Lisa Jackson
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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
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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Baal
Baal
by Robert McCammon
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
A Simple Lie
A Simple Lie
by Mary Bush
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
by Paula Daly
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
Blind Faith
Blind Faith
by CJ Lyons
Mine
Mine
by Robert McCammon
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
All These Beautiful Strangers
All These Beautiful Strangers
by Elizabeth Klehfoth
The Tenth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
by Lawrence Sanders
The Retribution
The Retribution
by Val McDermid
The Favorite Daughter
The Favorite Daughter
by Kaira Rouda
Sweet Little Lies
Sweet Little Lies
by Caz Frear
The Brimstone Wedding
The Brimstone Wedding
by Ruth Rendell
The Death of Sweet Mister
The Death of Sweet Mister
by Daniel Woodrell, Dennis Lehane
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
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
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
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
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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.