The 25 Must Read Thriller Books of All Time

The thriller genre is a fan favorite for manty reasons. For me, it is easy to get lost in these novels and lose track of time. With so many amazing thrillers, choosing your next read isn’t always easy. That is why made this list of the 25 must read thriller books of all time!

We know that 25 books doesn’t start to cover this genre but it is a start. This is an ever-growing genre that is going to change depending on how you feel. Many of your favorites may not make this list but this list should encourage you to seek out even more thrillers. You can see the full list below!

The 25 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
• In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
• The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
• The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• In the Woods by Tana French
• Misery by Stephen King
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara
• The Shining by Stephen King
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
• Strangers by Dean Koontz
• Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson 
• Killing Floor by Lee Child 
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 
• Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke 

Must Read Thrillers

Stephen King may be one of the best authors to pick up a pen in the mystery and thriller genre. He knows how to pique reader’s interest and never stops with the pace picking up after every chapter. The Shining is a classic but to be honest, you can’t go wrong with any of his novels.

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 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 is all for this list of the 25 must read thriller books of all time. How many books on the list have you read? What thrillers should we add to our next list? Let us know in the comments below!

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