There are many different types of books to read but nothing compares to a great psychological thriller. A good psychological thriller will scare you senseless but you won’t be able to put it down. That is why we decided to list the best psychological thrillers of all time and see which ones are the best of the best. Keep reading to see which ones made our list!
Psychological thrillers are not for everyone but they are amazing if you enjoy unstable characters. Different authors approach the genre differently. Sometimes you will get a scary protagonist, other times the villain will terrify you for days after you are done reading the book. That is what makes this genre so much fun. A great writer can make anything terrifying and yet, we can’t stop reading the book.
The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
- The Wife Between Us by Sarah Pekkanen
- Misery by Stephen King
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
- Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
- The Last Mrs Parrish by Lynne Constantine
- Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
- The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
- Pretty girls: Thriller Karin Slaughter
- Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
- The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
- Little Secrets: A Novel by Jennifer Hillier
- In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
- In the Woods by Tana French
- One by One by Ruth Ware
- Survive the Night by Riley Sager
- My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
- Room by Emma Donoghue
- Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
Lots of Scary Reads
The interesting thing about this genre is that it doesn’t produce as many classics as other genres. That may be due to a bias to books that have high shock value or are much more violent or bloody. There are still some great classics here but it feels like a lot less than other genres.
What I love about this list is how different many of these books are and can be broken down into a bunch of subgenres. There are a bunch of themes and if you have a certain preference, you will find a bunch to read. The difference between the books is how the authors approach the books and how their writing brings it all together.
The Silent Patient
When reading this suspense novel, expect a plot twist that will make you question your whole existence. You’ll have to read The Silent Patient twice to fully grasp what happened. It is a whodunit novel combined with a Greek story about a lesser known character. The suspense, tension, and clues in this novel have made it a must read over the years.
Patricia Highsmith Novels
If you haven’t read any novels by Patricia Highsmith, then you are missing out. She is a one-of-a-kind author with protagonists that are morally questionable. She makes you wonder what would happen if you gave into your worst impulses. Highsmith wasn’t too big on people and it shows in her novels such The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train.
Shutter Island
One of my favorite all time novels on 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. But even if you have seen the movie, you will still enjoy the brilliant writing by Lehane.
Conclusion
That is all for our list of the best psychological thrillers of all time. With some old and modern classics, this list is diverse and will keep you entertainted throughoug the night.
How many of these books have you read? What books should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
I would have liked to see something written by Brian Freeman on your list.
Loved the list thriller books
That’s a pretty good list! I’ve read several of them. One book that I couldn’t put down was Intensity by Dean Koontz.
Yes, yes, and yes! I’ve read it several times when I couldn’t find a good book to read.
Great list, but, HELLO ?! Where’s “The Shining ” by Stephen King? Talk about a classic….!
“The Girl on the Train” on your historical fiction list caught my eye. Your post is great, highlighting captivating reads. Looking forward to exploring them!
I’ve read a lot of them on your list…my favorite reads…
I see that we have similar taste in what we like to read, so I know im going to devour every book on your list! Thank you so much for posting your favs! I have no idea how I got on your website, but so glad I did!
I have read a lot of the list and they were all worthy! Loved the” Silent Patient” especially!!
90% are average
As usual, the brilliant ” the Innocents” had been ignored
Where is Rosemary’s Baby and Helter Skelter. And the all timer classic .. Exorcist! And Psycho??
Read quite a few, and yes, Exorcist belongs on the list. I read it while in high school (when it first came out in 1971), and it creeped me out so much I couldn’t sleep with it in my room so I would throw it down the basement stairs and slam the door on it before I went to bed. Still think The Woman in Cabin 10 was a bore and I’m still of the opinion that it should be ditched overboard.
Shutter Island is incredible. The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy is the best written book I’ve read and I count that as psychological thriller.
Agreed!