Books with the “Psychological Thriller” trope

Tension is built from the fears, doubts, and unstable minds of the characters.

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57 books9% of the catalog

Atmosphere and mood · Psychological Thriller

Books with this trope

Cover of “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn

2012

Cover of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Stieg Larsson

2005

Cover of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell

1949

Cover of “Misery” by Stephen King

Misery

Stephen King

1987

Cover of “The Shining” by Stephen King

The Shining

Stephen King

1977

Cover of “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides

2019

Cover of “Gateway” by Frederik Pohl

Gateway

Frederik Pohl

1977

Cover of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith

1955

Cover of “The Killer Inside Me” by Jim Thompson

The Killer Inside Me

Jim Thompson

1952

Cover of “Nightmare Alley” by William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley

William Lindsay Gresham

1946

Cover of “Strangers on a Train” by Patricia Highsmith

Strangers on a Train

Patricia Highsmith

1950

Cover of “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

2015

Cover of “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn

2006

Cover of “Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places

Gillian Flynn

2009

Cover of “The Woman in the Window” by A. J. Finn

The Woman in the Window

A. J. Finn

2018

Cover of “Before I Go to Sleep” by S. J. Watson

Before I Go to Sleep

S. J. Watson

2011

Cover of “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane

Shutter Island

Dennis Lehane

2003

Cover of “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Lionel Shriver

2003

Cover of “The Collector” by John Fowles

The Collector

John Fowles

1963

Cover of “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk

1996

Cover of “In the Woods” by Tana French

In the Woods

Tana French

2007

Cover of “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis

1991

Cover of “Sometimes I Lie” by Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie

Alice Feeney

2017

Cover of “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson

1959

Cover of “Hell House” by Richard Matheson

Hell House

Richard Matheson

1971

Cover of “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty

1971

Cover of “Heart-Shaped Box” by Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box

Joe Hill

2007

Cover of “The Turn of the Key” by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key

Ruth Ware

2019

Cover of “The Trial” by Franz Kafka

The Trial

Franz Kafka

1925

Cover of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

1892

Cover of “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski

2000

Cover of “A Head Full of Ghosts” by Paul Tremblay

A Head Full of Ghosts

Paul Tremblay

2015

Cover of “The Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs

Thomas Harris

1988

Cover of “The Wasp Factory” by Iain Banks

The Wasp Factory

Iain Banks

1984

Cover of “The Likeness” by Tana French

The Likeness

Tana French

2008

Cover of “A Simple Plan” by Scott Smith

A Simple Plan

Scott Smith

1993

Cover of “Verity” by Colleen Hoover

Verity

Colleen Hoover

2018

Cover of “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid

Freida McFadden

2022

Cover of “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies

Liane Moriarty

2014

Cover of “Behind Closed Doors” by B. A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors

B. A. Paris

2016

Cover of “Then She Was Gone” by Lisa Jewell

Then She Was Gone

Lisa Jewell

2017

Cover of “The Last Mrs. Parrish” by Liv Constantine

The Last Mrs. Parrish

Liv Constantine

2017

Cover of “Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney

Rock Paper Scissors

Alice Feeney

2021

Cover of “The Push” by Ashley Audrain

The Push

Ashley Audrain

2021

Cover of “A Flicker in the Dark” by Stacy Willingham

A Flicker in the Dark

Stacy Willingham

2022

Cover of “The Last House on Needless Street” by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street

Catriona Ward

2021

Cover of “My Lovely Wife” by Samantha Downing

My Lovely Wife

Samantha Downing

2019

Cover of “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

1866

Cover of “Final Girls” by Riley Sager

Final Girls

Riley Sager

2017

Cover of “The Final Girl Support Group” by Grady Hendrix

The Final Girl Support Group

Grady Hendrix

2021

Cover of “The Kind Worth Killing” by Peter Swanson

The Kind Worth Killing

Peter Swanson

2015

Cover of “I'm Thinking of Ending Things” by Iain Reid

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Iain Reid

2016

Cover of “Local Woman Missing” by Mary Kubica

Local Woman Missing

Mary Kubica

2021

Cover of “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door

Shari Lapena

2016

Cover of “The Wife Upstairs” by Rachel Hawkins

The Wife Upstairs

Rachel Hawkins

2021

Cover of “Black-Eyed Susans” by Julia Heaberlin

Black-Eyed Susans

Julia Heaberlin

2015

Cover of “Brighton Rock” by Graham Greene

Brighton Rock

Graham Greene

1938

Often found together with

Combinations that already exist in the catalog. Click to search for both.

Unreliable Narrator35 Twist Ending33 Creeping Dread20 Morally Grey Character11

Dark Fantasy

A bleak fantasy world without clear good or evil, where magic always comes at a high price.

Cozy Mystery

A gentle whodunit full of tea, small towns, and amateur sleuthing rather than graphic violence.

Creeping Dread

Horror that slowly builds a quiet sense that something is terribly wrong, instead of using jump scares or gore.

Magical Realism

Magic and the strange are woven naturally into everyday, ordinary life.