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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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The Urban Sketcher
The Urban Sketcher
by Marc Taro Holmes
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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8 Novels Set in Old Hollywood
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon
by Toni Morrison
Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words
Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words
by Andrew Morton
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror
by Jay Anson
Chickenhawk
Chickenhawk
by Robert Mason
The Liars' Club
The Liars' Club
by Mary Karr
His Majesty's Dragon
His Majesty's Dragon
by Naomi Novik
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
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The Giver
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Catch-22
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Less
Less
by Andrew Sean Greer
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The Reader
The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink
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12 Epic World War II Novels
A Monster Calls
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
Suite Française
Suite Française
by Irène Némirovsky
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
by Fredrik Backman
I Place You Into the Fire
I Place You Into the Fire
by Rebecca Thomas
The Moon is Always Female
The Moon is Always Female
by Marge Piercy
You
You
by Caroline Kepnes
Nightwoods
Nightwoods
by Charles Frazier
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
by Jonas Jonasson
Boys I Know
Boys I Know
by Anna Garcia
A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Children of Men
The Children of Men
by PD James
Born A Crime
Born A Crime
by Trevor Noah
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7 Real Life Adventure Stories
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Ray Bradbury
The Daughter of Time
The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey
The Sword of Summer
The Sword of Summer
by Rick Riordan
Betty Ford: First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer
Betty Ford: First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer
by Lisa McCubbin
Martha Washington: An American Life
Martha Washington: An American Life
by Patricia Brady
Is This Anything?
Is This Anything?
by Jerry Seinfeld
A Queer History of the United States
A Queer History of the United States
by Michael Bronski
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
by Marisha Pessl
The Halloween Tree
The Halloween Tree
by Ray Bradbury
Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood
by Haruki Murakami
The Pumpkin Eater
The Pumpkin Eater
by Penelope Mortimer
A Very Punchable Face
A Very Punchable Face
by Colin Jost
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
by Ray Bradbury
American Sniper
American Sniper
by Chris Kyle
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Redefining Realness
Redefining Realness
by Janet Mock
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
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Ready Player One
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Emma: A Modern Retelling
Emma: A Modern Retelling
by Alexander McCall Smith
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt
by Andrea Bobotis
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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.