Get all the best psychological thriller books of all time. These bestselling novels include fan favorites like Gone Girl, Verity, The Last Mrs. Parrish, and more. They will shock, surprise, and disturb you as you compulsively turn the pages. Let’s dive into the most eerie books with plot twists!
Best Psychological Thriller Books of All-Time: The List of Bestsellers for Adults
TOP 2 PICKS
TIPS ON WHERE TO START: For years, The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine and Verity by Colleen Hoover have been favorites of mine and my readers. They are also bestselling sensations worldwide. So, they’re the best book recommendations if you’re a newbie!
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
- In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
- The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- The Plot by Jean Kanff Horelitz
- The Push by Ashley Audrain
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
- The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
About Psychological Thrillers
about
Psychological thriller books are a genre that contains mystery, suspense, and unexpected plot twists. They most often include crimes, especially murder. The narrators may be unreliable, immoral, or suffer from mental illness or substance abuse.
While a thriller focuses on suspense and action through fast-paced plots, a psychological thriller dives deeper into characters’ minds, exploring their mental states, inner conflicts, and emotional instability.
Some of the most popular authors of psychological thriller books include Gillian Flynn, Liv Constantine, Ruth Ware, Riley Sager, Alice Feeney, Alex Michaelides, and Paula Hawkins.
My Reviews of Psychological Thriller Books With a Twist
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Plot: In The Girl on the Train, Rachel rides the commuter train past perfect suburban homes. She watches strangers, including the same happy couple, having breakfast on their deck. One day, though, she seeks something shocking. She tells the police and becomes intimately involved in what happens next.
Review: This popular thriller is one of the best books you can’t put down, given the unreliable narrator who forces you to question everything you read. The ending is especially suspenseful and makes your heart pound harder with each sentence.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Plot: Gone Girl centers around married couple Nick and Amy Dunne. On their 5th wedding anniversary, good girl Amy goes missing, and Nick becomes a suspect in the domestic tragedy. The story takes dark and truly unexpected turns from there.
Review: This is one sinister book that shocked me to my core! The dark plot twists keep you compulsively turning the pages. I stayed up late to finish this massively popular thriller.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Plot: In Home Before Dark, Maggie returns to her childhood house, made famous by her father’s bestselling memoir describing it as a haunted house of horrors.
Maggie’s family fled the house after living there for only three weeks. She was only five at the time and remembers nothing. Now, she plans to renovate and sell the home.
But, after a grizzly discovery, Maggie seeks to determine the true history of the horrors described in her father’s book.
Review: This is one of the best Fall thriller books. It creatively blends Maggie’s adult story and her father’s book. The ending also delivers surprises.
Pick this one if you like the idea of a ghostly plot. As many readers have said, you will never think of The Sound of Music the same way again…
Related Posts: Riley Sager Books Ranked | Riley Sager Books in Order
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Plot: In a Dark, Dark Wood is about the bachelorette party from H-E-double hockey sticks. A lonely writer named Leonora is surprisingly invited to an old friend’s pre-wedding bash at a home deep in the English countryside.
This Bachelorette party storyline is told in the past. In the present, Leonora is both a hospital patient and a suspect for murder. She desperately tries to remember what happened and how she got there. Thus begins a deadly spiral of events.
Review: Leonora’s “present” situation keeps you completely glued to the pages to figure out her past. Also, since bachelorette parties can make for strange bedfellows, it’s the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. It gives the reader an unlikely group of characters forced to deal with each other. This novel has all the markings of a satisfying, suspenseful read.
Related Posts: Ruth Ware Books in Order | Ruth Ware Books Ranked
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Plot: In The Last Mrs. Parrish series, the main character, Amber, is a woman with a plan for a bigger life — to take over the life of wealthy Daphne Parrish and become the new Mrs. Parrish. Amber and Daphne become friends and the pieces of Amber’s plans start to fall in place. But, there are unexpected results.
Review: I recommend this wildly popular book if you want a very female-based thriller. It’s a longtime favorite of readers of The Literary Lifestyle. I thought it delivered on all of its promises really well too.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Plot: The Lovely Bones follows the rape and murder of a young girl. However, it’s not a “whodunnit.” Rather, it focuses on the aftermath in the years that follow, particularly for a grieving family without answers. There are also supernatural elements that explore the girl’s afterlife.
Review: This is one of my favorite books of all time. Yes, the content is difficult, but the story is meaningful as it follows the thrilling hunt for the killer. If you like the best thriller books and family dramas, The Lovely Bones is the perfect choice for you. It still gives me chills just thinking about it.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Plot: The Plot is about a once-respected author and current teacher who uses the fictional plot idea of a deceased student to earn his way back into literary fame and fortune.
It seems to be working until he starts receiving threatening anonymous messages. His resulting anxiety causes him to investigate the truth behind the story.
Review: This book moves in directions different and more shocking than most thrillers. It’s one of the most unique thrillers I’ve read to date. I loved how the suspense was related to a literary crime yet felt as gripping as violent crime.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Plot: The Push contains dark themes involving motherhood. Blythe is a mother who believes her first child, Violet, may be evil at her core. But she bonds with her son, Sam. As she struggles to figure out the truth about Violet and navigate these unfavorable feelings, the reader questions what’s real and who is good and evil.
Review: This is the kind of thriller that really makes you think about life, particularly motherhood. I spent a lot of time digging into other readers’ thoughts on this one. It tackles generational trauma uniquely in the context of its thrills.
Related Post: Ashley Audrain Books in Order
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Plot: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…” So begins the classic suspense novel Rebecca from the Rory Gilmore book list.
The main character is not Rebecca, whom the reader never meets. She’s a lower-class woman without a family, working as a servant. She meets and quickly marries a wealthy older widow who owns the swoon-worthy estate, Manderley. Upon arrival, the “ghost” of his first wife, Rebecca, lingers in the memories of the staff, who loved her and still talk about her all the time.
But, like all thrillers, there’s so much more to the story and the truth behind Rebecca‘s tragic death.
Review: It’s a slow burn, both creepy and atmospheric. The writing is immersive, and while there is resolution, the last 100 pages keep you wanting even more. The reader is left stunned, wondering what a sequel would uncover.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Plot: The Secret History is about an outcast from California, desperate to fit in at his preppy college in Vermont in the 1980s. He becomes friends with an eccentric group of his fellow Greek classmates.
Ultimately, their dark obsession with their Greek studies has deadly consequences. The novel explores the lead-up to these events as well as the aftermath. The crew spirals downward as they process the gravity of their actions.
Review: This is the ultimate thriller, suspense, and mystery book. A favorite of celebrity book lovers Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush Hager, it’s a modern classic with some of the best writing (especially dialogue) I’ve ever read.
The ending has a lot of suspense, and there are a lot of payoffs for the reader. You’ll also feel transported to the time and place.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Plot: In The Silent Patient, a famous painter shoots her popular fashion photographer husband five times, then she never speaks another word. One criminal psychotherapist is determined to get her to talk. In the process, he goes down a twisted path, ultimately revealing why he is so consumed with her silence.
Review: This is an insanely popular crime thriller for a reason: It contains a really amazing twist! It’s a quick and unique thriller that’s practically guaranteed to please. It’s a must-read for fans of epic plot twists.
Related Posts: Summary of The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides Books
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
Plot: Sometimes I Lie begins when Amber is in a coma. While she believes her husband no longer loves her, she admits that “sometimes she lies.” She can’t remember what happened but believes her husband and sister were involved.
The story jumps between pre-accident and post-accident timelines and reveals childhood diary entries, making you question the characters’ motives until the epic conclusion.
Review: This is a stunning, shocking, and open-ended debut book that will leave you wanting more books by Alice Feeney. It kept me up past midnight finishing it, then dissecting the ending. If you love books that keep you engaged beyond the final page, this one’s for you.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Plot: In Verity, struggling writer Lowen accepts a job from Jeremy, the husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, to complete her books after she sustained terrible injuries. As Lowen sorts through Verity’s materials, she finds Verity’s autobiography, filled with chilling events that will take you to dark places. At the same time, Lowen develops feelings for Jeremy.
There’s so much more to this story, but I will leave it for you to find out.
Review: The single most common reaction I hear to Verity is, “OMG!” This depraved novel is the one book I always recommend to those looking for a dark psychological thriller or an escape book. I read it in one sitting, and I know several others who have done the same.
Related Post: Books Like Verity | Verity Book Club Questions | Trigger Warnings for Verity
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Plot: In The Wife Between Us, Nellie is a teacher who senses she is being followed as she plans her wedding to the older Richard. Previously, Richard had dumped his first wife, Vanessa, who was forced to start over from the bottom. Vanessa is determined to stop Richard’s wedding. Naturally, there’s more to their stories.
Review: This book delivers on twists, which come in the way the story is told. It will keep you intrigued and surprised! I can still recall the moment when the twist hit while I read it, as it was so satisfying.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Plot: The Woman in the Window has an unreliable narrator: an agoraphobic, alcoholic woman who believes she witnessed a neighbor in an apartment across from hers being stabbed. But then, the woman appears fine.
The reader learns the truth about the narrator’s past in the aftermath. She risks it all as she tries to figure out what happened, and the result is one very suspenseful ending.
Review: This is one of the few thrillers that held my attention throughout. It’s popular because it delivers on everything thriller readers love, from an unreliable narrator to suspense, unpredictability, and plot twists.
Recap
BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER BOOKS
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remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Downloaded several from this list and can’t wait to read them! Wondering if you have any recommendations from author Freida McFadden? So far, from her, I’ve read One by One and The Wife Upstairs.