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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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Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
A Girl Named Anna
A Girl Named Anna
by Lizzy Barber
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 Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Angels Weep
Angels Weep
by CJ Lyons
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
Refuge
Refuge
by Gillian White
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
Evil Eye
Evil Eye
by Joyce Carol Oates
Daddy Love
Daddy Love
by Joyce Carol Oates
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
As Long as We Both Shall Live
As Long as We Both Shall Live
by JoAnn Chaney
Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
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Shadow Image
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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.