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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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Mistaken
Mistaken
by Neil Jordan
The Tremor of Forgery
The Tremor of Forgery
by Patricia Highsmith, Francine Prose
The Chemistry of Death
The Chemistry of Death
by Simon Beckett
Chosen
Chosen
by Chandra Hoffman
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In the Lake of the Woods
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The Island of Last Truth
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Losing Nicola
Losing Nicola
by Susan Moody
The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
Prism
Prism
by George C. Chesbro
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure
by Beryl Bainbridge
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Reap What You Sow
Reap What You Sow
by Shirley Day
Cannibals and Missionaries
Cannibals and Missionaries
by Mary McCarthy
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
The Optician's Wife
The Optician's Wife
by Betsy Reavley
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
All the Names
All the Names
by Jose Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa
The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden
by Joyce Carol Oates
The House of Stairs
The House of Stairs
by Ruth Rendell
Too Close
Too Close
by Natalie Daniels
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
Bad Desire
Bad Desire
by Gary Devon
Nemesis
Nemesis
by Joyce Carol Oates
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.