Best Thriller Book Lists

Our editors rank the top thriller and mystery books by year, decade or subgenre. These lists include legal thrillers, crime thrillers, cozy mysteries, FBI thrillers and more.

J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith

The Best Five Mystery Book Series by Women Writers

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So you’d like to read an amazing female-authored mystery suspense book series. Where to start?  Look no further! We’ve done the hard work for you. In a genre brimming with talent, ranking the top five mystery book series written by women is no easy task. To make our job easier, we’ve automatically excluded writers that haven’t been active in recent years (move over, Agatha Christie). We also set aside crossover …

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Best Books: 5 G-Men Turned Novelists

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Many people who worked in national security and espionage—professions that prize discretion—have turned to successful careers as novelists. These former spies, security advisers, counter-terrorism operators and intelligence directors lend a realistic, veteran approach to their prose, but their books still don’t give up all their secrets. Here are some of the best. John Stockwell A former CIA agent, Stockwell resigned and made a splash with …

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Best Books: The Top 5 Thrillers of 2010

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So many books to read and so little time. We’ve read more great books this year than in any other in recent memory. Increasingly, talented authors seem to be drifting into the thriller genre with new approaches to familiar literary conventions. Here’s our take on the best of the best so far.

Best Books: Top 5 Apocalypse Thrillers

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With apocalypse thrillers all the rage at the box office over the past few years (2012, anyone?), it’s easy to forget how many great books are devoted to a modern-day Revelations. Check out our top picks and weigh in with your own.

Best Books: Top 5 Psychological Thrillers of the 2000s

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What makes a great psychological thriller? First and foremost, a confounding mystery that is disturbing and at times nearly hallucinogenic. A compelling protagonist whose life is in constant danger. A juicy assortment of clues, both red herrings and genuine puzzle pieces, that don’t quite fit into place until the very end. And a master craftsman at the help who can simultaneously draw the reader in, …

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Best Thrillers: The Summer Reading List, Part 1

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Already thinking about beach books for summer vacation? Consider these new and upcoming thrillers. Line of Succession, by William Tyree After a series of political assassinations throw Washington leadership into disarray, a group of Pentagon insiders begin retaliating against Islamic radicals abroad while several forces seemingly vie for control of the White House behind the scenes. All is far from what it seems, however, as …

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2009’s Most Satisfying Political Thrillers

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With the holiday season upon us, the year’s major political thrillers are now in wide release. The genre’s most prolific authors put out another bumper crop of assassins, rogue intelligence agents, dirty politicians and bleeding edge technology. Relative newcomers stormed the scene, finding more readers than ever thanks to Amazon’s Kindle.  Here’s how our list shapes up: Pursuit of Honor, by Vince Flynn CIA Agent …

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The 10 Best Crime Thrillers Set in Los Angeles

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When it comes to staging crime thrillers, the stories almost always take place in New York, New Jersey, Chicago or Las Vegas.  Think about it. A significant portion of heist and gangster films involve the mafia as central or ancillary characters, making those places are practically automatic. Even when there isn’t a gangster component, you’ve got the writer/director that wants to make his mark in …

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