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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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As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better
by Benjamin Wood
Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
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
Melmoth
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
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15 Books for Fans of Jodi Picoult
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger
by Wendy Corsi Staub
The Island of Last Truth
The Island of Last Truth
by Flavia Company, Laura McGloughlin
Losing Nicola
Losing Nicola
by Susan Moody
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
The Paper Wasp
The Paper Wasp
by Lauren Acampora
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
by Lesley Glaister
The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
A Justifiable Madness
A Justifiable Madness
by AB Morgan
Keep Your Friends Close
Keep Your Friends Close
by Paula Daly
What I Tell You in the Dark
What I Tell You in the Dark
by John Samuel
The Avenue of the Giants
The Avenue of the Giants
by Marc Dugain, Howard Curtis
Shadow Image
Shadow Image
by Martin J. Smith
A Brief Lunacy
A Brief Lunacy
by Cynthia Thayer
After She's Gone
After She's Gone
by Sheryl Browne
Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence
Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence
by David Samuel Levinson
What the Dead Know
What the Dead Know
by Laura Lippman
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9 Books for Fans of Sharp Objects
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Bad Desire
Bad Desire
by Gary Devon
The Shut Eye
The Shut Eye
by Belinda Bauer
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
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.