Staff Picks
20 Best Psychological Thriller Books I Have Read
- Mona Verma
- Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Collection
I am a fan of psychological thrillers. I love the adrenalin filled suspense, the insight into the complexities of the human mind and the ending you never saw coming. There are a lot of books in this popular genre and some are better than the others. Sometimes a book is promising but the ending can be a let down or a disappointment. These twenty books are my personal favorites and they are the best of the best in psychological suspense. Do read, you will be riveted.
Snap
Published in 2018
Snap is a gripping novel about a teenage boy's hunt for his mother's killer. Jack's in charge, said his mother as she disappeared up the road to get help. I won't be long. Now eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters wait on the hard shoulder in their stifling, broken-down car, bickering and whining and playing I-Spy until she comes back. But their mother doesn't come back. She never comes back. And after that long, hot summer's day, nothing will ever be the same again. Three years later, Jack's fifteen now and still in charge ... alone in the house. Meanwhile across town, a young woman called Catherine While wakes to find a knife beside her bed, and a note reading I could of killed you. The police are tracking a mysterious burglar they call Goldilocks, for his habit of sleeping in the beds of the houses he robs, but Catherine doesn't see the point of involving the police. And Jack, very suddenly, may be on the verge of finding out who killed his mother. A twisty, masterfully written novel that will have readers on the edge of their seats.
And then There Were None
Published in 2011
A killer stalks a group of ten total strangers on an isolated island off the Devon coast, in a suspenseful story of murder and retribution set to a sinister nursery rhyme.
The Last Mrs. Parrish
A Novel
Published in 2017
"Some women get everything. Some women get everything they deserve. Amber Patterson is fed up. She's tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more--a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted. To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne--a socialite and philanthropist--and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale. Amber's envy could eat her alive...if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne's compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family's life--the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne's closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces. With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent."--provided by publisher.
The Woman in the Window
Published in 2018
"It isn't paranoia if it's really happening ... Anna Fox lives alone -- a recluse in her New York City home, drinking too much wine, watching old movies ... and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move next door: a father, a mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble -- and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this gripping Hitchcockian thriller, no one and nothing are what they seem."-- Provided by publisher.
The Wives
Published in 2019
Shes never met the other wives. None of them know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, she can see her husband only one day a week. But she loves him so much she doesn't care. Or at least that's what she told herself. But one day, while she's doing laundry, she finds a scrap of paper in his pocket, an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and she knows it's another of the wives. She thought she was fine with her arrangement, but she can't help herself: she tracked her down, and, under false pretenses, she strikes up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who she is. Then, Hannah starts showing up to her coffee dates with telltale bruises, and she realize she's being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also her husband. But shes never known him to be violent, ever. Who exactly is her husband, and how far would she go to find the truth? Would she risk her own life? And who is his mysterious third wife?
Gone Girl
A Novel
Published in 2012
On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?
The Girl on the Train
Published in 2015
After witnessing something shocking, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
The Wife Upstairs
Published in 2021
"A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda. Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates--a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie--not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past--or his--catches up to her? With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature's most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?"-- Provided by publisher.
Invisible Girl
Published in 2020
"Owen Pick's life is falling apart. He's thirty-three, a virgin, and has just been suspended from his teaching job after accusations of sexual misconduct. He then discovers the dark world of incel--involuntary celibate--online forums and meets the mysterious and sinister Bryn. Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, who have a bad feeling about their neighbor. Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours, a child psychologist. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she tries to maintain her connection with him. Then, on Valentine's night, Saffyre Maddox disappears--and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick"--Page 4 of cover.
The Other Mrs.
Published in 2020
"Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie. But it's not just Morgan's death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light." -- Amazon.
The Last House Guest
Published in 2019
"From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, a suspenseful new novel about an idyllic town in Maine dealing with the suspicious death of one of their own--and her best "summer" friend, who is trying to uncover the truth...before fingers point her way"-- Provided by publisher.
Blood Orange
Published in 2019
A young lawyer's idyllic family life and blossoming career are upended by a murder case involving a questionable confession and the lawyer's toxic affair with a manipulative senior partner.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Published in 2016
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware follows In a Dark, Dark Wood with another taut and intense read -- one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.