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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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Corduroy
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
A Portrait of a Marriage
A Portrait of a Marriage
by Nigel Nicolson
China Rich Girlfriend
China Rich Girlfriend
by Kevin Kwan
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin
In Patagonia
In Patagonia
by Bruce Chatwin
Red Sparrow
Red Sparrow
by Jason Matthews
Chokehold
Chokehold
by Paul Butler
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
by The Brothers Grimm
Crush
Crush
by Richard Siken
Slow Horses
Slow Horses
by Mick Herron
The Man With the Golden Arm
The Man With the Golden Arm
by Nelson Algren
Our Sacred Honor
Our Sacred Honor
by Jack Mars
This Is Where It Ends
This Is Where It Ends
by Marieke Nijkamp
The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda
by Ishmael Reed
The Orchid Thief
The Orchid Thief
by Susan Orlean
And Tango Makes Three
And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson
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On Such a Full Sea
On Such a Full Sea
by Chang-Rae Lee
Push
Push
by Sapphire
Thirteen Moons
Thirteen Moons
by Charles Frazier
Tricks
Tricks
by Ellen Hopkins
Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
by V.S. Ramachandran
She Came to Stay
She Came to Stay
by Simone de Beauvoir
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen
by Liliuokalani
A Concise History of Japan
A Concise History of Japan
by Brett L. Walker
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada
by Lauren Weisberger
Alien
Alien
by Alan Dean Foster
Liar
Liar
by Justine Larbalestier
The Buddha in the Attic
The Buddha in the Attic
by Julie Otsuka
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A Fine Romance
A Fine Romance
by Candice Bergen
The Girls
The Girls
by Emma Cline
Paris
Paris
by Edward Rutherford
Oxygen
Oxygen
by Carol Cassella
In Order to Live
In Order to Live
by Yeonmi Park
Midnight at the Blackbird Café
Midnight at the Blackbird Café
by Heather Webber
Can't Even
Can't Even
by Anne Helen Peterson
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers
by Fred Rogers
A History of the Island
A History of the Island
by Eugene Vodolazkin
Long Black Veil
Long Black Veil
by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Bibliolepsy
Bibliolepsy
by Gina Apostol
Counterfeit
Counterfeit
by Kirstin Chen
Pirates
Pirates
by Peter Lehr
Hamlet
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
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Lessons
Lessons
by Ian McEwan
Luster
Luster
by Raven Leilani
How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management
How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management
by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
The Blue Flower
The Blue Flower
by Penelope Fitzgerald
Circles in the Snow
Circles in the Snow
by Patrick F. McManus
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Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry
Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry
by Sara Read
The Adventurous Boy's Handbook
The Adventurous Boy's Handbook
by Stephen Brennan, Finn Brennan
Women in Sports: Megan Rapinoe
Women in Sports: Megan Rapinoe
by Mary Hertz Scarbrough
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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.