10 Exciting Thrillers You Should Read

Written by contributor Kajree Gautom

They say the best secrets are often the most twisted and some of the best books are the ones that keep you up all night, just for that last twist. Honestly, a well written thriller definitely steals the show, so we’ve rounded up some amazing thrillers that are bound to keep you engaged and sleepless for sure!

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh | Goodreads

After a tragic accident, Jenna Gray moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast in the hopes of starting anew. But the ghost of past never leaves, and neither does the grief of the accident. Clare Mackintosh writes an intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you hooked to the story till the end. The twist is bound to completely leave the reader gaping. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that is well written and has enough secrets to twist your thinking, I Let You Go is the book for you!

“I wonder briefly if I have become immune to physical pain: if the human body is not designed to handle both physical and emotional hurt.” ― Clare Mackintosh, I Let You Go

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Perkins | Goodreads

Thrillers featuring badass, savage women are a treat to read on its own. With You Are Not Alone, the writer duo takes us on a whirlwind journey of a women obsessed with numbers, and sisters who have a whole different secret life of their own.

When the quiet and shy Shay Miller witnesses a horrific suicide, she is weirdly drawn to the victim. Soon she finds herself in the midst of the victim’s friends, a place for herself and her life finally settled. But things go awry when everything takes a completely turn, leaving Shay in a dark place to fend for herself. This magnificent story will definitely draw you in right from the start, with the mystery and suspense on the perfect scale. As always, that climax totally earns a whole star for itself! Part creepy, part thrilling, You Are Not Alone will keep you guessing the truth till the end.

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison | Goodreads

I will admit, I haven’t read anything so horrific as a book like this. A crazy man is obsessed with capturing beauty. He takes girls captive and inks butterfly wings on their backs while keeping him in a place that the man calls The Garden. This is a story of survival and family, of old grudges and abandonment. When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning, which goes on to reveal the cruelties and insane happenings that went on inside the so called Garden.

Gritty, gut wrenching and horrifying, The Butterfly Garden is a terrific and disturbing story of unthinkable obsessions taken to far, of desires that know no humanity and of the little hope that we sometimes cling on to.

Trigger warning: This book is also highly graphic and deals with triggering themes like rape, paedophilia, sexual assault and abuse, child molestation, torture, and murder amongst others, so it can be a highly disturbing read.

“Some people stay broken. Some pick up the pieces and put them back together with all the sharp edges showing.” ― Dot Hutchison, The Butterfly Garden

Sadie by Courtney Summers | Goodreads

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she’s left behind. And an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.

Sadie isn’t an easy book to read. A slow burn thriller that would set your heart thumping loudly as you near the end, it is a story of grief, revenge, and the inadequacies of justice. When Mattie dies and the police investigation is nothing but loose and botched, Sadie takes it upon herself to avenge the only family that she had. Then West McCray overhears her story, and starts his own podcast to find  the truth. Told in alternating POVs, switching between the podcast interviews and Sadie’s narrative, this story is equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying. The end is terrifying and will leave you with a hollow void long after you’ve finished the book.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James | Goodreads

When Viv suddenly goes missing one night, no one really looks deeper into her case. Thirty five years later, Carly goes back to Fell, the place where her aunt had disappeared all those years ago, working the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. When Carly too starts on the same job, bizarre things start to happen in the motel. As she tries to uncover the truth about her missing aunt, she also realises that the motel and the town people have secrets of their own.

Spooky and eerie, Simone St. James definitely delivers with this book. The fantastic narration will draw you into the story right from the beginning, coupled with the impending mystery and suspense of ghostly occurrences and a string of murders. True crime at its core, this is a horror thriller told in impeccable style and a storyline that is bound to break your heart. The theme of violence against women in the 1980s runs deep in this book, which is quite terrifying and horrific. With a pinch of supernatural and secrets, this book is bound to keep you up all night!

Verity by Colleen Hoover | Goodreads

A thriller like no other, Colleen Hoover takes the readers into the deepest, darkest lane of writers and insanity with her romantic thriller. When Jeremy Crawford, husband of the best-selling author Verity Crawford, offers the job of completing the remaining books in a successful series that his injured wife is unable to finish, Lowen accepts. Struggling with her own writing career, on the brink of financial ruin, she sees this as an opportunity to up her game. And besides, what’s she got to lose?

But what Lowen finds in the midst of a chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography that Verity never intended anyone to read. It harbours the chilling incidents and admissions from Verity, including the truth about what led to her daughter’s death. Caught in a whirlwind of romance and fear, Lowen’s life soon takes a drastic change as she is torn between secrets and family and her own feelings.

Bone-chilling and horrifying, Verity will leave you with an open wound at the end. Colleen Hoover has crafted a master thriller, with such twisted words and characters. 

“It’s what you do when you’ve experienced the worst of the worst. You seek out people like you… people worse off than you… and you use them to make yourself feel better about the terrible things that have happened to you.” ― Colleen Hoover, Verity

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson | Goodreads

When a white baby dies under the care of a Black woman and her nine-year-old daughter, the public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But year after year, one question still remains: did she really do it? Mary wouldn’t say. But when years later Mary is stricken with an unborn child and the state threatens to take away her child, Mary is determined to fight for her rights. And that includes telling the truth, but what exactly happened that night?

Set in a group home, Mary’s story is bound to clench at your heart and make you want to reach out and cradle her in your arms. This is the power of Tiffany Jackson’s writing, creating immense empathy in the readers. As the state tries to understand Mary and her mental state, we uncover Mary’s story and the truth. Honestly though, Allegedly is a difficult read. With enough gut wrenching scenes, Jackson breaks our hearts and then pulls the rug out from under our feet.

The ending had me screaming at the book at midnight. Shocking and gritty, Allegedly is a thriller unlike the others. Heartbreaking, romantic, and terrifying, Allegedly needs to be on your ever long TBR list!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides | Goodreads

Alicia’s life ends up in a forensic psych unit after tragic domestic accident. One night, when her husband returns from a fashion shoot, Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never ever speaks a word. Her refusal to speak garners enough attention, and her last piece of painting turns this domestic tragedy into something of a murder mystery. She becomes the silent patient, hidden away from the world. That is until Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist arrives, curious to work on Alicia’s case. He is determined to unravel the mystery of that night, a secret and search for truth that consumes him.

Told from the point of view of Theo, the story unravels its threads slowly and steadily, placing together the pieces of the puzzle really well. Michaelides’s easy narration and inciting suspense in the readers is the strong point of this book. The short chapters definitely makes it a fast read, a definite page turner.

And that ending – my goodness, what a terrific shocking ending! Clever and intriguing, The Silent Patient is a story of grief and mistakes, of life turned upside down in an instant. The whole story is so very cleverly written, the climax one of its strongest suits, and the end will leave you craving for more.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas | Goodreads

In the spring break of senior year, Anna, her boyfriend Tate, best friend Elise, and a few others are off on a vacation trip to Aruba. But then Elise is found brutally murdered and Anna is convicted as the murdered. Stuck in a country that’s not her own, Anna fights against vile accusations as she tries to defend herself, while finding some hard truths about her friendships.

Heartbreaking and shocking, Dangerous Girls is a gritty thriller about friendship and young love. It starts with the death and then the past unravels, revealing cracks of truth as the story progresses. The depth of friendship that we see is incredible. There are layers and layers of secret’s that are revealed, and we can see what a picture and the smallest of things can sometimes land you on the wrong side of justice.

Written in heart-wrenching prose, Abigail Haas really does know how to seek the readers her characters, make the readers feel the characters’ wounds and pain. And right then drops the classic bomb on us, giving us a shocking reveal. A shocking thriller, much like Allegedly, and loosely based on a real life crime, Dangerous Girls will definitely give you sleepless nights for sure.

“Wouldn’t we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?” ― Abigail Haas, Dangerous Girls

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie | Goodreads

Ten strangers in a mysterious private island, their host unknown, and all of them with wicked secrets, all of them marked for murder. Then one by one, everyone sees their end, deaths following in the same way as described in a famous nursery rhyme. But who could devise such a plan? And who would survive to tell the tale?  

A classic thriller from the uber famous Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None is a book you ought to read at least once. Full of mystery and timely crafted deaths, this story is a definite page turner. And the bits of the rhyme that appears in between definitely will send a chill down your spine.

Of course, no one does thrillers and mysteries like Agatha Christie. And as usual, the end of this book is a classic shock to behold!

Have you read any of these books? Or do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!