Top 5 Psychological Thrillers That Grab You by the Throat!
Thrillers are simply the best type of book, aren’t they? We love the suspense, the tightly written plots, the larger-than-life characters, and the stories that keep us hooked from the first word to the very last sentence.
As a conspiracy thriller author, I’ve been inspired by a wide range of authors, styles, and genres. But psychological thrillers have been, and always will be, my go to genre for inspiration, entertainment, and unputdownability.
I love how a great psychological thriller plays on your mind and emotion, whether that be through inner conflict, manipulation and deception, secrets and lies, or doubt and paranoia. When done well, psychological thrillers keep you up at night, stay with you for days, and change the way you see the world.
Here are my top five psychological thrillers, they’re all different, but they all have one thing in common…
They’re amazing!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, so every time you click on the Amazon link it helps me out!
The Last Thing To Burn –
by Will Dean
Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, same as me, so I was excited to read this awesome psychological thriller.
The Last Thing to Burn tells the story of Thanh Dao who has been held captive by her husband on a remote farm in the UK for seven years. Her husband, Lenn, monitors her every move and enforces strict punishments when she disobeys him.
Thanh doesn’t dare try to escape, but things change when she becomes pregnant as she’s suddenly battling to protect her unborn child. Full of twists and turns, this visceral, harrowing tale will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
American Psycho –
by Bret Easton Ellis
Not a psychological thriller in the traditional sense, but for its psychological intensity and rawness, this makes my list. I bought American Psycho in the mid-90s, purely drawn to the cool looking cover. I can still remember first picking it off the shelf in Melton Bookshop. Little did I know it was one of the most infamous and talked-about novels of the 90s.
Set in 1980s Manhattan, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic investment banker. By day he visits high-class restaurants, drinking Bellinis, compares business cards, and listens to Phil Collins and Huey Lewis and the News. By night, Patrick descends into gruesome acts of murder and sadistic violence. This psychological thriller is graphic, very graphic, and may be too much for some people’s tastes. I loved it, and Bret’s other works such as The Informers, and The Rules of Attraction.
For its uncompromising, hard-hitting style, savage representation of nineties excess, and high-class writing, American Psycho will forever be one of my favourite psychological thrillers.
The Last –
by Hanna Jameson
A Vinted purchase that I bought because the amazing Emily St John Mandel (Station Eleven) called it ‘A chilling and extraordinary book,’ I read The Last over a weekend while we were relaxing at home with the boys.
The Last follows a group staying in a remote Swiss hotel when a sudden nuclear war decimates modern civilisation. The tension is seething throughout the novel as the twenty survivors in the hotel try to adapt to the situation. When members of the group discover a young girl’s body in one of the hotel’s water tanks, a murder mystery unfolds, adding to the tension.
A claustrophobic tale with heightened pressures and dwindling supplies adding to the psychological suspense, The Last is beautifully, heartbreakingly written. It makes you question how you’d behave under similar circumstances, as the battle for morality, survival, and identity plays on your mind and leaves a lasting impression. Immense.
The Cabin in the Woods –
by Sarah Alderson
Bloody hell, where do we start with this? I didn’t have many hopes for the Cabin in the Woods when I read it. To be honest, I think I just picked it up from a charity shop when we were away for the weekend. But honestly, what a find this was.
Set in a remote cabin deep in the woods in the middle of nowhere, Rose is injured, paranoid and trying to survive. What I loved about The Cabin in the Woods was how it flipped between the present day and explaining Rose’s past, which caused her issues and struggles with mental health.
Twists, turns, murder, Rose’s horrific past, there’s so much going on this story that it grips you from start to finish. Absolutely loved it.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – by Stephen King
Stephen King is my all-time favourite author, from the moment I first read The Shining, I knew I’d found the thriller/horror writer for me. From Pet Sematary to the Dark Tower series, It, and The Stand, Stephen King has written some absolute classics.
But as far as psychological thrillers go, they don’t come any better than The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. The plot is simple, a young girl, Trisha, is out walking in the woods with her family, when she veers off the path for a break. Before she knows it, she’s lost and has no idea which way to turn. The harder she tries to find the path again, the further into the woods she’s plunged.
At first, it’s just the bugs that bother her, then the hunger, then hallucinations, as she imagines she’s with her favourite baseball player, Tom Gordon. When it gets dark, Trisha gives up hope of being found and realises that she’s not alone in the woods. I love how the tension ramps up and up as the story goes on, ending in a thrilling climax. This is Stephen King’s best psychological thriller.
Get My Psychological Thriller
Psychological thrillers thrive on suspense, tension, and unexpected twists and turns.
If you love these books, you’ll love my debut novel, The Butchers of Bulridge. you can buy it now on Amazon, or download the first ten chapters completely free now by signing up to my mailing list.
By joining my mailing list you won’t just get the free chapters, you’ll also get writing tips, updates on new work, and free chapters of my upcoming stories. Sign up today and join my awesome thriller loving community!
