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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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Wild
Wild
by Cheryl Strayed
The President's Daughter
The President's Daughter
by Ellen Emerson White
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
by Mackenzie Lee
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
by Ann Petry
Kafka on the Shore Novel
Kafka on the Shore Novel
by Haruki Murakami
More Than This
More Than This
by Patrick Ness
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple
Make Room for What You Love
Make Room for What You Love
by Melissa Michaels
Magic Lessons
Magic Lessons
by Alice Hoffman
How to Be an Antiracist
How to Be an Antiracist
by Ibram X. Kendi
American Lynching
American Lynching
by Ashraf H.A. Rushdy
The Immortal Life of Henriette Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henriette Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers
by James Bradley
Reasons to Stay Alive
Reasons to Stay Alive
by Matt Haig
Together We Rise
Together We Rise
by The Women's March Organizers
A Big Little Life
A Big Little Life
by Dean Koontz
Invisible Cities
Invisible Cities
by Italo Calvino
Strangers on a Bridge
Strangers on a Bridge
by James B. Donovan
Maurice
Maurice
by E.M. Forster
The Hummingbird Dagger
The Hummingbird Dagger
by Cindy Anstey
Murder on the Serpentine
Murder on the Serpentine
by Anne Perry
Swing Time
Swing Time
by Zadie Smith
The Women of Brewster Place
The Women of Brewster Place
by Gloria Naylor
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7 Moving Gloria Naylor Books
Otherwise Engaged
Otherwise Engaged
by Lindsey J. Palmer
Idaho
Idaho
by Emily Ruskovich
The Winter Soldier
The Winter Soldier
by Daniel Mason
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
by Michelle McNamara
A Duty to the Dead
A Duty to the Dead
by Charles Todd
Baseball: An Illustrated History
Baseball: An Illustrated History
by Geoffery C. Ward and Ken Burns
In a Different Key
In a Different Key
by John Donvan
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6 Eye-Opening Books About Autism
The Scorpio Races
The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater
Forgotten Secrets
Forgotten Secrets
by Robin Perini
Life of Pi
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
Fire and Fury
Fire and Fury
by Michael Wolff
Fer-de-Lance
Fer-de-Lance
by Rex Stout
The Witness Series: Books 1-4
The Witness Series: Books 1-4
by Rebecca Forster
The Great Transformation
The Great Transformation
by Karen Armstrong
Blonde
Blonde
by Joyce Carol Oates
Secrets of a River Swimmer
Secrets of a River Swimmer
by S.S. Turner
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
Eleanor & Park
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
To Say Nothing of the Dog
To Say Nothing of the Dog
by Connie Willis
The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm
by Winston Churchill
10 Blind Dates
10 Blind Dates
by Ashley Elston
Slightly Dangerous
Slightly Dangerous
by Mary Balogh
Swell: A Sailing Surfer’s Voyage of Awakening
Swell: A Sailing Surfer’s Voyage of Awakening
by Liz Clark
A Long Way Gone
A Long Way Gone
by Ishmael Beah
America Is Not the Heart
America Is Not the Heart
by Elaine Castillo
Year Zero
Year Zero
by Rob Reid
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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.