23 Best Psychological Thriller Books 2019 That Will Mess With Your Head

Here's an experiment: Pick the name of a New York Times bestseller, HBO limited series, or Ben Affleck starring blockbuster from a hat. Chances are that it will be a psychological thriller book. If there is one genre that has its moment in 2018, it is this. And aside from grabbing the attention of the cultural zeitgeist, this genre is affectionately called "horror lite" (or "grip lit" or "horror, except it's too good for the genre") for a reason.

Whether it's a back country murder mystery, a Gothic period play, or a prestigious drama that just happens to be about an arsonist, these are the best psychological thriller books to dive into the villain's brain ... and get it done that you question your own brain the way.

If you feel overwhelmed by the number of great psychological thrillers you can read, you can also take our 1 minute quiz below to get a personal recommendation for a thriller quickly and refine it😉

1. I Know Where She Is by SB Caves

A lot of the people here are probably just looking for the next Gone Girl. Search no further. Ten years after her daughter's disappearance, Francine receives a mysterious note with only five words: I know where she is. With her life turned upside down, she sets out to find the truth behind the kidnapping. It's getting dark and you might get sick so you can stay at home and finish this heartbreaking debut novel by British author SB Caves.

See Also: 15 Best Spy Novels in 2021

2. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Or maybe you're just looking for the next title from Gone Girl's author, Gillian Flynn. Whether or not that is the case, Sharp Objects is a must-read for any fan of the tightly structured thriller. It was recently adapted into an HBO Limited Series, but if you haven't yet seen Amy Adams' award-winning performance as a traumatized investigative reporter hunting a murderer in her hometown, do yourself a favor: wait until you finish reading the book first.

3. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Speaking of HBO adaptations , the story Liane Moriarty's story of a group of Monterey housewives getting together caused a furore when Reese Witherspoon turned it into an exciting feminist miniseries. Five women in a picturesque coastal town realize their Instagram-perfect lives aren't all they seem to be, while uncovering the undercurrent of domestic violence and assault in their community. Considering Moriarty's knack for believable characters and compelling prose, this thrilling take on First Wives Club is a must-read.

4. Alias ​​Grace by Margaret Atwood

If Netflix is ​​more your speed, this book has also spawned a TV adaptation. But with an author like Margaret Atwood at the helm, refusing to read the book first is unforgivable. Alias ​​Grace tells the true story of the mild-mannered servant Grace Marks and the double murder she is accused of. It is told through the eyes of a doctor struggling to understand criminal behavior - and to reconcile Grace's nature with the nature of her crime. In other words, it's like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in a painstaking historical setting that will delight fans of historical fiction.

5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Like Alias ​​Grace, this is another exciting historical piece by an all-time great female author that has been resurfaced thanks to Netflix. But the similarities end there. Aspiring ghostbuster Dr. Montague rents an infamous haunted house for the summer, along with three other guests who have experienced the supernatural. It's predictable that things will get scary.

, published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's masterpiece harks back to the gothic horror of the nineteenth century, but eventually settles into the realms of psychological thrillers as Jackson creates ghosts that mirror the trauma of her troubled protagonists.  

6. The Snowman by Jo Nesbø

Norway's first serial killer has a very specific modus operandi: he only hunts married mothers and always leaves a snowman at the scene of the crime. Thomas Harris fans will love to join Nesbø's detective Harry Hole as he unravels this bizarre mystery to stop the killer in his tracks.

The Snowman was recently adapted to a critical and commercial flop starring Michael Fassbender, but don't let that put you off. There is a good reason why Nesbø has sold more than 33 million copies worldwide.

7. Misery by Stephen King

Thanks to this hit novel (and its film adaptation), "I'm Your Biggest Fan" is now officially the scariest thing to say to any author. Blame Annie Wilkes, the nurse who returns her favorite author Paul Sheldon to health after a car accident in rural Colorado. She's obsessed with his character Misery Chastain - so how will she react when she realizes he killed Chastain in his latest novel?

Stephen King is undoubtedly best known for his horror novels, and let's be clear - this seminal work on the dark side of fandom is pretty gruesome. But at its core, Misery is a story of obsession, madness and isolation: the perfect mix for a good dose of tension.

8. Into The Water EnthusiastsHawkins of by Paula

psychic thrillers may already be familiar with The Girl On The Train, but Paula Hawkins' second effort (and long-awaited follow-up to her first New York Times bestseller) weaves a mind-blowing tale told. by 11 (yes, 11) different characters. Jules Abbott returns to her hometown after the mysterious death of her sister to take care of her new orphaned niece.

Fans of Hawkins' cinematic prose and Hitchcock-esque influences will find this novel as poignant as her hit debut.

9. The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn

If your novel has only been out for a year and there is already an option for a movie, you know you are doing something right.

The Woman in the Window plays Anna Fox, an agoraphobic who lives alone in Manhattan. She has two best friends: her wine and her window. When she gets to know her neighbors (i.e. starts spying on), she witnesses a violent undercurrent to their happy façade… but who will believe a homey wino? Both a riveting twist on the psychic thriller craze and a meditation on mental illness and agoraphobia, there's no doubt the time is right for this contemporary take on Rear Window.

10. We by Lionel Shriver

A genre that deals exclusively with themes like murder and mental illness can get pretty tough, but it doesn't get much heavier than Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin. When her son is arrested for murdering nine classmates, Eva Khatcha dourian looks back on his childhood in search of warning signs she may have missed. This story of a fictional school shooting, published in 2003, has taken on a new lease of life as these tragedies become more common. However, there is nothing in common about this vivid portrait of the psyche of a sociopath and a shattered mother trying to come to terms with it.

11. Room by Emma Donoghue

In fact, many great psychological thriller books, like Lionel Shriver's book, find traction in getting their plots straight from the papers. This is certainly the case with Room, a stunning take on the Fritzl kidnapping case. Trapped in her captor's basement for seven years, life has been hell for the character we know as 'Ma'. But to her son, Jack (from whose perspective the story is being told), the room is all he's ever known. This thriller also functions as a heartbreaking coming-of-age saga about learning to look at the world in a different way (and is now an Academy Award-winning film too).

12. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Amber Patterson's humble upbringing makes her invisible in the upscale community of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut. She looks at her neighbor, Daphne Parrish, with her perfect marriage and luxurious life - and decides she's into it. Have you ever wanted to read The Talented Mr. Ripley, just newer, timelier and scarier? Then this chic, feminist homage to the 1955 classic is the thriller for you.

13. Sin by Josephine Hart

Psych thrillers certainly have a moment today, but they were inescapable in the '90s. While the late Josephine Hart may be best known for filming her 1992 debut novel Damage, her Sin is the quintessential 90s thriller: When her family dies in a car accident, Elizabeth is adopted by her aunt and uncle, but by her cousin. Ruth has other plans.

Lust, jealousy, and just about every other sin are at the forefront of this novel that's perfect for fans of ... well, every movie Sharon Stone has ever starred in.

14. Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Convicted (and subsequently pardoned) for the murder of her husband Polly leaves her family for a job as a waitress in the small town of Delaware. There she meets the charming salesman Adam, who also decides to work with her in the restaurant. But why did decide he to hang his hat in the middle of nowhere?

Modern take on the East Coast private detective this 2018 page genre,turner is part psychological thriller, part classic noir, and the perfect read for the flight back to your parents' place this Thanksgiving.

15. The Elizas by Sara Shepard

This novel by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) doesn't have a long-running TV show on Freeform, but it might.

Eliza Fontaine almost drowns for the fifth time. The first four were suicide attempts, so who could blame her parents for not believing her when she said she had been pressured. Not to mention that Eliza is a novelist working on her debut novel, which gives this alluring tale of amnesia and attempted murder a vicious meta-layer. For any aspiring psycho thrillers writer, this is the place to start.

16. Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill

Jean Mason leads a fairly normal life to the point where she is warned of a doppelganger roaming the city park. And to make matters worse, the two strangers who notify her turn out to be dead. This 2017 release sticks to the 'grip lit' script first before turning audience expectations upside down and turning it into a beast all of its own.

Saying more would spoil it, but this is a must-read for fans of identity-swapping, murder writers, and (okay, fine) the supernatural.

17. Small Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Stop me if you've heard this one before: family buys house. Home lights on fire. Family Blame Daughter? When the Richardson house burns down, the people of Shaker Heights suspect an inside job and all eyes are on Izzy, the family's black sheep. But the neighbors are so close that they might as well be family ...

This is the aforementioned arson-mystery-meets-family drama, and it would be hard to find a library these days without a copy of Little Fire everywhere on the hold shelf. But its popularity is anything but undeserved, and if you're a thriller buff who hasn't yet plunged into Celeste Ng's fiery novel, it's high time you did.

18. The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

This is not your mother's secret garden. In the courtyard of a remote mansion, a man known as "The Gardener" keeps flowers, trees and a group of abducted women he calls his "butterflies." This one comes with plenty of social proof: At the time of writing, The Butterfly Garden is the # 1 best-selling psychological thriller on Amazon. This is not without reason: it is simply original. In a market oversaturated with cookie cutter thrillers, there's just nothing else about a man treating his captive women like specimens in a bug collection.

19. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

Turning a true story into a compelling thriller is easier said than done… especially when that story was set in Protestant New England in the late 1800s.

Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother were murdered in Massachusetts in 1892, in what eventually came to be called The Fall River Ax Murders. Lizzie was the prime suspect, but was eventually acquitted. Since then, the murders have been the subject of countless books, but none sound as terrifying as Sarah Schmidt's powerful historical fiction.

20. Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

Perhaps the most surreal (in the truest sense of the word) psychological thriller on the market, Fever Dream Distances itself from the pack in almost every way. It is a sleek, playful novel with magical-realistic undertones, clearly translated from the Argentinian original.

Still, it's essentially a thriller, and an excellent one: a woman wakes up in a hospital bed, and a mysterious boy (not hers) kneeling next to her unravels how she got there. This mind-blowing novel is perfect for fans of both Gillian Flynn and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

21. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch

Science fiction and thrillers don't always go hand in hand, but when synthesized correctly the results are astonishing. Such is the case with The Gone World, in which Shannon Moss, a time-traveling NCIS agent, discovers a conspiracy spanning several decades. Think Michael Crichton meets Stieg Larsson in this fusion of classic noir, dystopian fiction and pure psychological sensation.

22. Idaho: A Novel by Emily Ruskovich running

Idaho is another ten year thriller, although it is much more reality based. Because of her rescuing complex, Ann is attracted to a shattered and broken man named Ward, whom she soon marries. But Ward's trauma from his first marriage runs deeper than usual - his first wife Jenny killed their 6-year-old daughter.

It's more literary than your average thriller, but check this one out if you want an impudent look at a family falling apart under the weight of dementia, distance and, of course, murder. After all, it's a thriller.

23. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known for popularizing the murder mystery, but there is an argument that she also invented the psychological thriller - no less with her best-selling novel.

Ten people, all guilty of crimes for which they were never punished, find themselves in mysterious circumstances on an island… and then begin to die one by one. While the structure resembles a classic whodunnit, the flesh of And Then There Were None is pure psychology: a collection of criminals grappling with the guilt of their crimes, the rationale behind them, and the knowledge that their past is about to catch up with them. . .

24. In the Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

In a dark, dark forest

There was a dark, dark house

And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room

And in the dark, dark room ...

Well, you will have to keep reading to find out the rest.

25. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

From the outside, Alicia Berenson's life looks perfect. She lives in a large house in London with her famous painter husband. But when Alicia kills her husband late at night when he gets home from work, all illusions of perfection are horribly shattered.

Years after the crime, Alicia has not spoken a word. She now lives in a secure forensic unit in North London, hidden from the world that yearns for the truth behind this domestic tragedy. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is particularly eager, who finally gets the chance to talk to Alicia after years of trying to unravel her mysterious case. Why did she do it? Why isn't she talking? As Theo delves deeper and deeper into the Berenson file, his own motivations begin to warp and his search for the truth threatens to consume them.

26. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The morning of Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing and Nick becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. The ensuing investigation reveals cracks in the seemingly shiny foundation of the Dunne's marriage: Nick seems obsessed with the shape of Amy's head, and Amy's diaries reveal a level of perfectionism that can push any partner to their limits.

The Gillian Flynnnovel best-selling deals with all the lies under the underbelly of a marriage and asks the question: How well do we really know those we love?

27. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

As with most domestic thrillers, My Lovely Wife features what seems to be a normal couple who have gone down the convention path: they got married and moved to the suburbs, where they raised their children. Everything was good. Until they got bored.

After fifteen years of marriage, the nameless narrator and his titular wife are looking for ways to bring some excitement into their relationship. While some couples may take a trip or decide to learn a new skill together, Downing's protagonists have opted for something decidedly sinister. As they embark on a murderous new hobby, a question arises: Can they get away with it?

28. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Everyone deals with grief differently. After Julia goes missing, her mother starts creating a new life for herself. The father becomes obsessed with looking for clues to Julia's disappearance, but is always left empty-handed. Her two sisters, Claire and Lydia, also become estranged from their families.

Now, twenty years later, another young girl has gone missing, and her case contains haunting echoes of Julia's. The connections between this new disappearance and their sisters' reunite Claire and Lydia, and they soon embark on a chilling path as they uncover secrets that change everything they thought they knew about their sister and the past.

29. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

When Maggie Holt was a child, her parents packed her and fled in the middle of the night from their home, Baneberry Hall. Their reason for fleeing was eventually recorded in a book by Maggie's father called House of Horrors - a recount of the spooky encounters with evil spirits at Baneberry Hall.

While the book is non-fiction, Maggie doesn't believe a word of it, and frankly, she's tired of being asked about it. She's also not phased in the slightest when Maggie returns to Baneberry Hall 25 years after their escape to restore it. Of course, Baneberry Hall's secrets don't wait too long before they begin to reveal themselves to Maggie, and she begins to realize that perhaps House of Horrors was really more fact than fiction.

30. Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

If you were morbidly under the spell of the Netflix series You, you'll probably enjoy Hidden Bodies: it's the sequel to Kepnes' debut book from which the TV show has been adapted.

Joe Goldberg is now in his 30s and has been hiding his murdered victims in New York City for the past ten years. But he is determined to leave his sinister past behind and make a fresh start in Los Angeles. And it seems like a good start in the City of Angels: Joe gets a job in a bookstore and spends his spare time eating guacamole and flirting with his journalist neighbor.

Finally, it looks like Joe might be getting what he's always wanted: to be in love and to be loved in turn. The thing about love, Joe learns, is a way of shining a light on the parts of yourself that you'd rather keep hidden - in Joe's case, hidden at all costs.