Reading Thrillers is one of my favorite things to do. The suspense or drama keeps you hooked as the world around you is forgotten. An amazing thriller will have you reading for hours without you even realizing it. That made us want to make a list of the five best thrillers of all time!
There are dozens of amazing thrillers out there and choosing only five sounds almost impossible. We are going to have to leave out some books and that may be due to our biases more than anything else. No list is perfect or the only list. More than anything else, this list invites debate and to help people find the best thrillers to read.
The Five Best Thrillers of All Time
- The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
- The Shining by Stephen King
- The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
A Lot of Suspence
These five books are worth reading if you love thrillers. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth is a classic and while the plot is spoiled in the beginning, finding out just how the story gets there makes it even better. It isn’t a common device but it works beautifully here.
The remaining four books on the list are also highly regarded and worth checking out. If you have seen Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo but haven’t read the book, then you are missing out. Lehane is a master at writing thriller and this book showcases it brilliantly.
Conclusion
That is all for our five best thrillers of all time list. What books should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
Thank you for this, forgot I have been meaning to read Strangers on a Train. I will check out The Day of the Jackal!
Glad to help!
Intensity by Dean Koontz.
Have you read THE HILLS BE SHAKEN? They call Michael Stewart, “The John Grisham of Engineering Thrillers”
Mystic river in place of Shutter Island, same author.9
I may have a bias and chose Shutter Island over Mystic River. Both are great novels and it comes down to preference. I think I leaned towards Shutter Island because the ending of Mystic Island was disappointing for me.