Craving a surge of adrenaline? Is that true crime podcast not doing the trick anymore? We like thrillers for the same reason we like rollercoasters. We like to feel a brush of danger, just a smidge. It makes us feel alive. Danger is the complementary color to peace. And how peaceful it is to cozy up to a book written about horrible people doing horrible things.
Chores getting in the way of your reading time? No problem.
Don’t have the attention span to sit and read? No problem.
Long road trip ahead and you need entertainment? I’ve got you covered. 😉
All of the books below are also available as audiobooks with amazing voice actors. So pop in those earbuds and explore the dark and twisty with these nail-biting thriller audiobooks.
1) The Institute by Stephen King
Children with special powers are abducted from their homes and are forced to endure experiments in a sinister institution. If they comply, they get tokens to use in vending machines. If they disobey, they get punished. Severely. The kids quickly realize that they must band together and use their powers against their captors if they stand any chance of escaping. If you’re one for life-or-death stakes, plot twists, mystery, and have a strong stomach, this read is for you. It’s start off slow, it’s very descriptive, but be patient, there’s a payoff.
Favorite quote: “Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
2) Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
A woman pursues a romantic relationship with a married man while simultaneously befriending his wife, a situation that predictably ends in disaster. As the husband becomes increasingly wary of his wife’s unstable and manipulative behavior, he seeks to end the marriage. However, his wife has more tricks up her sleeve than one can imagine.
This story’s plot twists will leave your head spinning by the end. If you enjoy a touch of paranormal intrigue, jaw-dropping conclusions, and a morally ambiguous protagonist, this is the thriller audiobook for you. Don’t bother trying to predict the ending–it’s a doozy.
Favorite quote: “If you love someone, set them free. What a load of bullocks.”
3) Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A seemingly perfect couple is the toast of the neighborhood–or so it seems. As the story unfolds, we’re shown that their life together is the stuff of nightmares. Behind closed doors lies a psychological prison. If you enjoy heart pounding thrillers, cat-and-mouse games, and nail-biting suspense, give this a listen.
Favorite quote: “I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s such a sadistic bastard, because he has wonderful manners.”
4) Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
Rachel is a sad, lonely, alcoholic woman who idealizes a married couple she spots while riding on the train. Rachel becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the missing wife, giving her life a newfound purpose. As she struggles to piece together the truth, dangers lurk around the corner, and she inadvertently solves the mystery of where her own life went wrong. In this book you will enjoy to sifting for the truth despite the unreliable narrator. Prepare for surprising plot-twists and violence.
Favorite quote: “The holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, l like tree roots around concrete; you mold yourself through the gaps.”
5) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A journalist is called to write about the grisly disappearance of two little girls from her hometown. To uncover the truth, she must contend with her mental instability, her sordid past, and a mother who always made her feel unloved. This book was, in a word, brilliant. I’ll read anything written by this author because her characters are honest, gritty, and so lifelike you feel you’ve met them. I’d call this the most realistic portrayal of how deep the wounds of psychological abuse can go and how it can twist a person inside so much that they are no longer recognizable.
Favorite quote: “A child weaned on poison considers harm a comfort.”
6) YOU by Caroline Kepnes
Delve into the psyche of an obsessive bookseller, Joe Goldberg, and his unrelenting quest to claim the woman he loves. Damn the consequences–he’ll break laws, locks, and even kill to be with the woman of his dreams. The style of this book is rather unique. It employs a deep point-of-view narration that feels like an unstructured flight of ideas and at other times like a mind-meld with the main character.
Joe is morally gray, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In the beginning, you’re almost rooting for him. Sure, he’s a creepy stalker, but this is a man on a mission, and the mission is love. Who can’t sympathize with that goal? Who doesn’t love a man who’s in love with love itself and loves books? Joe, are you… my soulmate? Just kidding. Sort of.
Favorite Quote: “We all get our hearts broken. We get fucked up and throw up and we cry and listen to sad songs and say we’re never doing that again. But to be alive is to do it again. To love is to risk everything.”
7) Hidden Bodies (You, #2)
In the sequel to “YOU”, Joe Goldberg is in love again. Go figure! But the woman betrays him and runs off, leaving him broken-hearted. On the hunt for revenge, he finds himself in LA, a place this native New Yorker initially loathes, but then starts to love once he finds Love… literally. He meets a woman named Love Quinn. Despite his best efforts to turn over a new leaf, more bodies pile up, and he questions whether he is worthy of Love.
This book subverts you on the highest level–it slowly seduces you into thinking like a serial killer. I found myself going… “Well, if people would stop getting in the way of his love life, he wouldn’t have to kill them. Wait… What did I just say?”
Favorite Quote: “You did all those awful things, but you also fell in love with a person who can forgive you.”
8) Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
A woman plagued by amnesia awakens daily, unable to recognize the man beside her in bed or even her own aged reflection. He claims to be her loving, devoted husband, and his kindness and attentiveness appear genuine. Yet, she can’t shake the suspicion that he may be hiding something about their past.
Immerse yourself in this captivating psychological thriller audiobook – A “Fifty-first Dates” meets Joe Goldberg.
Favorite Quote: “We’re constantly changing facts, rewriting history to make things easier, to make them fit in with our preferred version of events. We do it automatically. We invent memories. Without thinking. If we tell ourselves something happened often enough, we start to believe it, and then we can actually remember it.”
9) Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
A chilling, gut-wrenching narrative set in a post-apocalyptic future where a mysterious fungus has turned most of humanity into ravenous, mindless cannibalistic creatures.
Amidst the chaos, a handful of children evolve, retaining their intellect and consciousness despite the infection. They remain disturbingly similar to ordinary children—until hunger strikes. These exceptional children are imprisoned and subjected to experimentation in the pursuit of a cure. Melanie, one of these unfortunate children, becomes fortunate in capturing the attention and compassion of her teacher/psychologist Ms. Justineau, who perceives something extraordinary within her. Together, they break free from confinement, only to find that dangers of the outside world are equally horrifying.
Fans of the video game-turned-television sensation ‘The Last of Us’ will undoubtedly appreciate this gripping novel.
Favorite quote: “You can’t save people from the world. There’s nowhere else to take them.
10) Verity by Colleen Hoover
Prepare yourself for another cautionary tale of infidelity gone wrong. In this romantic suspense, Rowen, an aspiring writer, is given the opportunity to finish a bestselling series after the author, Verity, becomes immobilized due to a tragic accident. Rowen travels to Verity’s home where she meets Verity’s sexy husband and mentally unstable son. As she sorts through Verity’s papers in her home office to gain a better understanding of her work, Rowen discovers hidden manuscripts with unsettling revelations, causing her life to spin out of control.
Favorite quote: “A writer should never have the audacity to write about themselves unless they’re willing to separate every layer of protection between the author’s soul and their book. The words should come directly from the center of the gut, tearing through flesh and bone as they break free. Ugly and honest and bloody and a little bit terrifying, but completely exposed.”
If you like this type of content or want to share your thoughts, please do so in the box below. Do you have any other mystery/thriller books you think should be added to the list?
P.S. If you are a writer and thinking about writing a thriller, check on my post on Mystery/Thriller Writing Prompts.
Some great choices! Always a Stephen King fan myself.
The Institute was very engaging. It sort of reminded me of the show “Stranger Things”.