The thriller genre is filled with thousands of amazing books. Whether you like a good murder mystery or a spy novel, you’ll be in good hands. But choosing which thrillers to read is not easy. That is why we have made this list of the 10 must read thriller books of all time!
With so many great thrillers, many will not make this list since it is only the top ten. Hopefully, this list piques your interest and your love of thriller novels leads you to even more books to read. While these are the 10 must read, these authors have tons of books that you will love. You can see the full list below!
The 10 Must Read Thriller Books of All Time
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
- The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Killing Floor by Lee Child
- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
- The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Must Read Books
A bunch of spy novels made the list because they were just that good. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth is a brilliant novel that is a page turner! Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy speaks for itself as it has effortlessly become a mainstream phenomenon.
Is there a better thriller novel than The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris? When you are reading the novel, it doesn’t feel like there is. What makes this novel interesting is that it isn’t even the first novel in the Hannibal series. But it is definitely the best book partly because it centers around Hannibal.
One of my favorite all time novels that made this list is Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. If you like reading novels where you can’t trust the protagonist, then this is for you. The movie is also great and I recommend watching it after reading the novel so the plot twist is spoiled.
Conclusion
That wraps up this list of the 10 must read thriller books of all time. How many books on the list have you read? What novels should we include on our next list? Let us know in the comments below!
All time? Oldest one on your list is mid 1950’s!!
Read all but three, will need to catch up.
Why are all the “10 Best” by White authors….or have you never heard of Walter Mosley????
Thought he was pink bsssbblt
Says who?
Read memoirs of a bitch bent on revenge by Kathy Ferguson. This book is sick, raw and AWESOME 👍
This book IS SICK!!!!! WAIT UNTIL YOU READ….God don’t live in the house of the devil baby girl…. you do. It’s more sicker than the first book
This list is bogus! You didn’t include Nelson DeMille, the king of thrillers, especially the John Corey series beginning with Plum Island!
DeMille is a good writer but a bit long-winded for my taste. I prefer Michael Connelly and Det. Harry Bosch. Thrilling and real.
Kathy Ferguson has another book being published. The title is….God don’t live in the house of the devil baby girl….you do.
Patricia Cornwall might make a dent in this very modern list.
Best of all time???? Definitely a matter of opinion. The girl on the train was one of the worst books i. ever read.
There is an amazing book almost everyone will enjoy. Shibumi by Trevanian. It is one of those books you want to reread every few years.