We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE
Subscribe
AboutAbout
DealsDeals
ArticlesArticles
GenresGenres

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.

Current Book Deal

Loading...
The Trap
The Trap
by Melanie Raabe, Imogen Taylor
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
#MeToo
#MeToo
by Patricia Dixon
The Sequel
The Sequel
by R. L. Stine
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
Evil Eye
Evil Eye
by Joyce Carol Oates
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
Phases of Gravity
Phases of Gravity
by Dan Simmons
The Silence
The Silence
by Mary McGarry Morris
Michael's Wife
Michael's Wife
by Marlys Millhiser
The Takeover
The Takeover
by Muriel Spark
Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
15 Books for Fans of Jodi Picoult
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
Reap What You Sow
Reap What You Sow
by Shirley Day
Checkpoint
Checkpoint
by Jean-Christophe Rufin
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
The Lesley Glaister Collection Volume One
by Lesley Glaister
Exact Revenge
Exact Revenge
by Tim Green
A Justifiable Madness
A Justifiable Madness
by AB Morgan
Refuge
Refuge
by Gillian White
Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence
Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence
by David Samuel Levinson
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
Bad Desire
Bad Desire
by Gary Devon
Mischief
Mischief
by Charlotte Armstrong
Showing 51-79 of 79 results

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.