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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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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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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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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
Eleanor & Park
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
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
The Wheelman
The Wheelman
by Duane Swierczynski
Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom!
by William Faulker
The Last Boy and Girl in the World
The Last Boy and Girl in the World
by Siobhan Vivian
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Chocolate War
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
Brother, I'm Dying
Brother, I'm Dying
by Edwidge Danticat
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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A Moveable Feast
A Moveable Feast
by Ernest Hemingway
Murder on the Ballarat Train
Murder on the Ballarat Train
by Kerry Greenwood
Persepolis
Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
The Lincoln Lawyer
The Lincoln Lawyer
by Michael Connelly
The Great Zoo of China
The Great Zoo of China
by Matthew Reilly
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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer
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The Magicians
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
Out of Africa
Out of Africa
by Isak Dinesen
Death Prefers Blondes
Death Prefers Blondes
by Caleb Roehrig
Orphan Train
Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Cline
Let Me Sleep Until This Is Just a Dream
Let Me Sleep Until This Is Just a Dream
by Elissiv Stifoss-Hansen and May-Brit Akerholt
Blue Angel
Blue Angel
by Francine Prose
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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.