The best psychological thrillers to absolutely read

If you’re fascinated by psychological thriller stories that keep you on your toes from the first pages, with noir atmospheres or contemporary settings you should not miss the selection of the best psychological thriller books. Characterized by a deep psychological exploration of the characters, they offer intense mental plots that keep the reader on the razor’s edge.

The best psychological thriller books take you on an unforgettable journey into the darkest depths of the human mind. The genre, full of suspense and mystery, invites you to explore intricate mental plots where nothing is as it seems; the plots develop in such a way that you don’t take your eyes off the pages.

Do you want to find out what the 10 best psychological thriller novels that you should absolutely read? We have created a top ten with the titles of some of the most interesting psychological thriller books recommended for fans of the genre.

A psychological thriller novel released in 2023 and immediately became a best seller: the story tells of Millie, a woman looking for work but without references who manages to get hired in a villa in the role of housekeeper. The owner of the house assigns her a room with a particular feature: the door only closes from the outside. Enzo, the gardener, tries to warn her about her but she underestimates Millie and she perhaps thinks she is finally safe. But what if the Winchester family’s secrets were worse than hers? She will keep you on the edge of your seat, right from the first page.

The Sun called it a thriller that will keep you in suspense until the end and this is precisely the feeling you will have when you start reading the story of Jack and Grace Angel, a couple who from the outside seems just perfect. He is a career lawyer, she is an always impeccable and elegant woman. Her figure will intrigue you: she doesn’t have an email, she doesn’t have a phone number, it’s as if she were unapproachable. With a fast pace, the author soon leads to a question: are they really a spotless couple or are there dark secrets to be discovered?

The book opens with a rush to the hospital: the protagonist, a woman, has been run over. She appears unconscious and without documents. She is not alone, with her there is a little girl who announces that she is her daughter and that her mother is called Lena. The little girl has no other information: she doesn’t know the name of her father or grandparents and she reveals that she lives in a cabin in the woods, because no one can find them. The hospital staff warns Commissioner Gerd Brühling who with an intuition reconstructs the story of Lena Beck, a girl who disappeared 14 years earlier. But it can’t all be that easy, the Fast-paced thriller It has a masterful approach and has achieved record-breaking sales numbers, you will love it.

You’ve probably heard of the Sara series: this is the first novel in the saga. Sara is a controversial character who gives us a life lesson: she doesn’t want to exist and for this reason she seems to develop the gift of invisibility. She followed her great love without ever regretting it and today she plays the role of a retired policewoman. However, her life does not always go according to her plans and after losing her love, her son dies. The only emotional bond is that of Viola, the daughter-in-law who is about to make her a grandmother and at this very moment, although retired, she finds herself having to investigate a murder. You’ll like it so much that you’ll want to buy the entire saga!

This thriller was released in 2010 and has already entered the mainstream part of the iconic ones of the genre. It tells the story of Erik Maria Bark, Sweden’s most famous hypnotist. After a successful career and near collapse, he promised that he would no longer practice hypnosis. He retired and lived a quiet life until a phone call forced him to interrupt his promise: a family massacre in which only one boy survived brings him back to his great talent. The young man’s revelations, however, do not only help the investigation and create a pathos of tension in which it is revealed that his son is in danger. The continuous search for the culprit, which begins from the first pages, leads to the end of the novel between leaps back in time to tell the life of Erik Maria Bark.

The novel tells the story of Tom Fitzwilliam, a new head teacher in Bristol. The man, with a strong charisma and charm, has the reputation of an expert problem solver. The story tells of a neighborhood in which the charming Tom wins the attention of the newlywed neighbor Joey who seemed to want to get her head straight, or maybe not. Fifteen-year-old Jenny also lives in the neighborhood with her mother, a woman with psychological problems who is strongly convinced that her neighbors are stalkers. The New York Times highlighted how the novel highlights the quick and safe style by Jewell who gave life to an unexpected and deceptive plot in which every suspicion is denied, keeping the reader involved until the end. Among these pages, what would seem like an ordinary neighborhood actually turns out to be something completely different. It will leave you amazed.

In the ranking of the best thriller novels another Italian title, that of Francesca Mautino. The story opens with humor by telling the story of Valentina Bronti, a career woman who puts her profession aside to look after her daughters born from triplets. Their names are inspired by the Brontë sisters: Emilia, Carlotta and Anna. While the girls’ father finds space for himself in a closet, she struggles with bad moods and daily difficulties until a strange event turns her daily life upside down. The three girls in kindergarten banded together and attempted to escape from the facility, dragging a classmate with them. In addition to the principal, in the room he finds Chiara Barberis, the mother of the child involved who turns out to be the sister of Elisa, a girl who disappeared ten years earlier. A current story which tells of an unprecedented Turin, between feelings of inadequacy and vitality that emerge with every written line.

If you love them thriller atmospheres that peek into the paranormal it’s the one for you: the novel, with its highly disturbing atmosphere, will leave you speechless with a final twist. It all starts from the innocence of a 5 year old child creating a drawing. It seems like an illustration like many others, especially because he loves to draw. But the presence of her imaginary friend Anya begins to create some doubts. However, the little boy’s drawings change over time and become increasingly macabre and dark. Who is Anya really? Exists? What torments the little one? The anxiety grows, page after page until the final revelation that will amaze you.

Do you know those American movie neighborhoods that we are used to seeing on TV? Hogarth Street represents precisely that imagery: tree-lined avenue, white houses, friendly neighborhood. The West family lives here, the classic ideal of a perfect couple, with adorable children. Despite having twins and a seemingly perfect life, no one has ever entered their home. What are they hiding? The novel is ready to upset all your certainties.

Some journalists have compared the author’s writing to that of thriller genius James Patterson. The novel opens immediately with a tense scene: two young teenagers chained to a radiator in a neighborhood that seems anything but recommendable. If the boy has already lost his life, she is still alive. The scene is discovered by Kim Stone, the detective who carefully analyzes the scene trying to reconstruct what happened. Memories of when she and her brother were in the same building come to mind. Shortly afterwards, and not far away, two bodies belonging to a middle-aged couple were found. At that point there is no doubt for the detective: someone seems to want to make her relive the traumas of her life. An investigation full of twists to find the serial killer.