by Jodie Renner
The Avenger, by Frederick Forsyth
Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
The Tears of Autumn, by Charles McCarry
Agent of Influence, by David Aaron
The Eleventh Commandment, by Jeffrey Archer
Jason Bourne series, by Robert Ludlum
Peter Ashton series, by Clive Egleton
The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth
Sean Dillon series, by Jack Higgins
James Bond series, by Raymond Benson
James Bond series, by Ian Fleming
The Company of Strangers, by Robert Wilson
Wilderness of Mirrors, by Linda Davies
FINANCIAL / BUSINESS THRILLERS
Greed is the backbone of the action. Whether the story focuses on a sinister multinational corporation, a government conspiracy, embezzlement, or some sort of political corruption, money is at the heart of the problem. Often involves corporate power plays and outsmarting the competition. The villains are ruthless, with no holds barred.
Notable authors of financial thrillers:
Michael Crichton, Linda Davies, Jefferey Deaver, Paul Erdman, Joseph Finder, Stephen Frey, Philip Jolowicsz, Brad Meltzer, Richard K. Morgan, Katherine Neville, James Patterson, Christopher Reich, Michael M. Thomas, and Robert Wilson
Some popular business/finance thrillers:
The Chairman, Shadow Account, Silent Partner, The Day Trader, Trust Fund, The Insider, and more, by Stephen Frey
Hanover Place, Hard Money, Someone Else’s Money, and Green Monday, by Michael M. Thomas
The Devil’s Banker and Numbered Account, by Christopher Reich
Rising Sun and Disclosure, by Michael Crichton
The Set-Up and The Last Days of America, by Paul Erdman
Paranoia and Company Man, by Joseph Finder
A Calculated Risk, by Katherine Neville
A Small Death in Lisbon, by Robert Wilson
Nest of Vipers, by Linda Davies
Mistress of Justice, by Jeffrey Deaver
Walls of Silence, by Philip Jolowicsz
The Shadow Box, by John R. Maxim
The Millionaires, by Brad Meltzer
Market Forces, by Richard K. Morgan
Black Market, by James Patterson
HISTORICAL THRILLERS
Often concerned with activity involved around great wars or other tense, pivotal periods in the history of the world. Sometimes take liberties with actual historical events.
Some well-known authors of historical thrillers:
John C. Berry, Steve Berry, Caleb Carr, Michael Crichton, Jeffery Deaver, Robert Harris, Greg Iles, D.L. Johnstone, Raymond Khoury, Carolyn McCray, Glenn Meade, David Morrell, Terrence O’Brien, James Rollins, and M.J. Rose
A sampling of historical thriller authors and titles:
James Rollins: The Doomsday Key, Altar of Eden, The Judas Strain, and many more
Steve Berry: The Romanov Prophecy, The Columbus Affair, The Templar Legacy, The Alexandria Link, The Venetian Betrayal, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Paris Vendetta, etc.
Raymond Khoury: The Last Templar, The Sanctuary, etc.
Matthew Reilly: Seven Deadly Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, and more
Murder as a Fine Art, and Last Reveille, by David Morrell
Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton
The Second Messiah, by Glenn Meade
Fatherland, by Robert Harris
The Angel of Darkness, by Caleb Carr
A Gathering of Spies, by John Altman (WW II spies)
The Secret Supper: A Novel, by Javier Sierra
Garden of Beasts, by Jeffery Deaver
The Alexander Cipher, by Will Adams
Instruments of Darkness, by Imogen Robertson
Black Cross, by Greg Iles
The Hypnotist, by M. J. Rose
Sovereign, by C. J. Sansom
HORROR THRILLERS
A hybrid between horror and thriller novels. Preys on our deepest fears. Emphasis on scaring the readers/viewers. Nasty, powerful, frightening villains.
A sampling of authors of horror thrillers:
Stephen King, Thomas Harris, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, Joe Hill, Max Brooks, William Peter Blatty
Some well-known horror thriller novels:
Stephen King’s novels: The Shining, Cujo, The Stand, Christine, Misery, Pet Sematary, and many others
The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris
Jaws, by Peter Benchley
Evergreen, by David Jester
Creepers, by David Morrell
INTERNATIONAL THRILLERS
These thrillers take you all over the world. Great for the armchair traveler!
Steve Berry’s novels
Many of James Patterson’s novels
The Orphan Trilogy and other Orphan novels, by James Morcan and Lance Morcan
The Bank of Fear, by David Ignatius
Buddha Kiss, by Peter Tasker
Black Money, by Michael M. Thomas
Wilderness of Mirrors, by Linda Davies
The Blade, by Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore
No Remorse, by Ian Walkley
Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton
LEGAL THRILLERS
One of the most popular types of thrillers, the action centers on courtroom drama, as a lawyer must use his/her intellect to overcome adversity or save a client, and is often threatened or placed in danger. The protagonist can also be a judge or law student, but is usually a defense lawyer.
Pioneer: Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow (1987)
Some authors of popular legal thrillers, in alphabetical order:
David Baldacci, William Bernhardt, Robert Dugoni, Dominick Dunne, David Ellis, Linda Fairstein, James Grippando, John Grisham, William Lashner, John Lescroart, Phillip Margolin, Steve Martini, Brad Meltzer, Richard North Patterson, Lisa Scottoline, Robert Tanenbraun, Scott Turow, Kate Wilhelm, and Stuart Woods
A sampling of popular legal thrillers:
John Grisham’s novels: The Firm, The Last Juror, A Time to Kill, The Confession, and many more
Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer novels
False Witness, by Lelia Kelly
Wild Justice, by Phillip Margolin
Past Due, by William Lashner
In the Shadow of the Law, by Kermit Roosevelt
Murder One, The Jury Master, and other novels by Robert Dugoni
Lisa Scottoline’s novels, like Daddy’s Girl, Dirty Blonde, Courting Trouble, and many more
MEDICAL THRILLERS
Usually set in a hospital or research center, with bad things happening to patients. Authors and main characters are often medical professionals.
Some key authors of medical thrillers, in alphabetical order:
Gary Braver, John Case, April Christofferson, Peter Clement, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, John Darnton, Eileen Dreyer, Tess Gerritsen, Leonard S. Goldberg, DP Lyle, CJ Lyons, Michael Palmer, Kathy Reichs, Steven Spruill, Stephen White, F. Paul Wilson
Popular medical thriller titles:
Coma, by Robin Cook
The Surgeon, by Tess Gerritsen
Harvest, by Tess Gerritsen
Do No Harm, by Greg Andrew Hurwitz
Fear Nothing, by Dean Koontz
The Cobra Event, by Richard Preston
When the Wind Blows, by James Patterson
The Tangled Web, by Ken McClure
Chromosome 6, by Robin Cook
Flashback, by Gary Braver
Mind Catcher, by John Darnton
Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child
A Marked Man, by Stella Cameron
NOIR OR HARD-BOILED CRIME THRILLERS
These thrillers have their roots in film noir crime dramas of the late thirties to late fifties. Protagonist is usually a police detective or private investigator who has witnessed too much crime, especially organized crime, combined with a corrupt legal system, and has become hardened and cynical. Closely related to hard-boiled myste
ries.
Pioneers in noir thrillers:
Raymond Chandler
Dashiell Hammett
The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain (1934)
The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson (1952)
Some current authors of noir thrillers:
Megan E. Abbott, Kent Anderson, Mitchell Bartoy, David Bowker, James Lee Burke, Ken Bruen, Michael Chabon, James Crumley, Pete Dexter, John Dobbyn, Loren D. Estleman, Jim Fusilli, Andrew Klavan, Peter Macklin, Cormac McCarthy, and Michael Tolkin
A sampling of neo-noir thrillers:
The Guards, The Priest, The Dramatist, Bust, and more by Ken Bruen
Die a Little, and The Song Is You, by Megan E. Abbott
Night Dogs, by Kent Anderson
The Devil’s Own Rag Doll, by Mitchell Bartoy
No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
The Player, by Michael Tolkin
PARANORMAL OR SUPERNATURAL THRILLERS
Either the protagonist or the antagonist may possess special powers or supernatural abilities.
Carrie, It, and other thrillers by Stephen King
Many of Dean Koontz’s novels, like his Odd series
Many of James Patterson’s novels
Jaws, by Peter Benchley
Bangkok Haunts, by John Burdett
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
Some other authors of paranormal thrillers:
John Connolly, Ted Dekker, Heather Graham, Kay Hooper, Michael Koryta, Patrick Lee, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Anne Rice, and more
POLITICAL THRILLERS
Some key authors of political thrillers (in alphabetical order):
David Baldacci, Tom Clancy, Ben Coes, Stephen Coonts, Vince Flynn, Stephen Frey, Tim Green, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, Phillip Margolin, Brad Meltzer, Oliver North, Richard North Patterson, Joel C. Rosenberg, Brad Thor, Stuart Woods, and Sidney Sheldon
Popular political thriller titles
Vince Flynn – Transfer of Power, Executive Power, and many more.
Tom Clancy – Patriot Games, The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, etc.
David Baldacci – The Camel Club, Stone Cold, Hell’s Corner, True Blue, The Pardon and The Abduction, by James Grippando
The Legacy and The Fourth Order, by Stephen Frey
Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton
The Good German, by Joseph Kanon
The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
The President's Assassin, by Brian Haig
Capital Crimes, by Stuart Woods
Shot, by Phillip Kerr
Free Fall, by Kyle Mills
The Hunters, by W.E.B. Griffin
Exile, by Richard North Patterson
Capitol Threat, by William Bernhardt
The First Commandment, by Brad Thor
The Money Harvest, by Ross Thomas
Parallax View, by Allan Leverone
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS
If you prefer mind games over chase scenes, go for psychological suspense, with its heavy focus on the unstable emotional states of characters.
Pioneers and groundbreakers:
La Bête Humaine, by Emile Zola (1890)
Laura, by Vera Caspary (1943)
The Collector, by John Fowles (1963)
The Shining, by Stephen King (1977)
When the Bough Breaks, by Jonathan Kellerman (1981)
The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris (1988)
Rules of Prey, by John Sandford (1989)
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)
Patricia Highsmith’s novels
Some authors of psychological thrillers:
Desmond Cory, Emma Donoghue, Gillian Flynn, Nicci French, Tana French, Rod Glenn, Jonathan Kellerman, Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas Harris, Henry James, Andrew E. Kaufman, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Dennis Lehane, Jeff Menapace, Chuck Palahniuk, Paul Parducci, Aleatha Romig, R.D. Ronald, Orson Scott Card, S.J. Watson, Melanie Wells, and Louise Welsh
Popular psychological thrillers:
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane
The Shining, by Stephen King
Red Dragon and Hannibal, by Thomas Harris
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted, by Andrew E. Kaufman
Before I Go to Sleep, by S.J. Watson
Sharp Objects and Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn
The Zombie Room and The Elephant Tree, by R.D. Ronald
Consequences and Truth, by Aleatha Romig
In the Woods, by Tana French
Room, by Emma Donoghue
Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
ROMANTIC THRILLERS (romantic suspense)
More character-driven, involve relationships. Usually two protagonists, one male, one female, who become involved with each other. Usually have a happily-ever-after ending.
Pioneers:
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
The Rendezvous, by Evelyn Anthony (1967)
Some of the many popular authors of romantic suspense, in alphabetical order:
Kristen Ashley, Cate Beauman, Allison Brennan, Sandra Brown, Claire Contreras, Silvia Day, Kendra Elliot, Marie Force, Barbara Freethy, Alexa Grace, Heather Graham, Lisa Renee Jones, Melinda Leigh, Brenda Novak, Nora Roberts, T.E. Sivec, Nicholas Sparks, Erica Stevens, Colleen Thompson,
A sampling of popular romantic thrillers:
Sandra Brown’s novels of the past 20 years or so: Smash Cut, Smoke Screen, Ricochet, The Alibi, etc.
Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels, such as these, all of which have won awards: Brazen Virtue: Night Shift, Divine Evil, Nightshade, Hidden Riches, Carolina Moon, Three Fates, and Remember When – Part 1; and, as J.D. Robb, Survivor in Death and New York to Dallas
SPECULATIVE AND FUTURISTIC THRILLERS
A thriller set in the future, often action or combat stories. Usually the antagonist or villain embodies futuristic qualities, while the hero is someone we can very easily relate to.
The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton (1969)
Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
Mammoth, by John Varley (2005)
The Gauntlet Assassin, by L.J. Sellers
STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THRILLERS
Who are some spunky, kick-ass female leads in thrillers? Here’s a sampling of popular ones:
Allison Brennan’s Lucy Kincaid
J.D. Robb’s Detective Eve Dallas
The Maggie O’Dell series by Alex Kava
Irene Kelly, the journalist from Jan Burke’s series
Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles series
Zoe Sharp’s Charlie Fox.
Claire Randall in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Anna Pigeon from Nevada Barr’s novels
Eve Duncan series by Iris Johansen
Lisa Gardner’s Detective D.D. Warren
Lara Evans in The Gauntlet Assassin, by L.J. Sellers
Katniss in The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Tracie Tanner in Allan Leverone’s Parallax View
The heroines of thrillers by Sandra Brown, Suzanne Collins, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, Lisa Jackson, Alex Kava, Laura Lippman, Lisa Scottoline, Karin Slaughter, Veronica Roth, and many more
Supernatural Thrillers – see Paranormal Thrillers
TECHNO-THRILLERS
Huge on technical details, especially military technology. Explore the inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, military, politics). Emphasis on real-world or plausible near-future technology.
These two authors defined the techno-thriller genre with these novels:
Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain (1969)
Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October (1984)
Other early examples:
Moonraker, by Ian Fleming (1955)
Fail-Safe, by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Whee
ler (1962)
The Penetrators, by Hank Searls (writing as Anthony Grey) (1965)
Tree Frog, by Martin Woodhouse (1966)
North Cape, by Joe Poyer (1969)
Firefox, by Craig Thomas (1977)
Shuttle Down, by G. Harry Stine (writing as Lee Correy) (1981)
Significant contemporary techno-thriller authors:
Larry Bond, Dale Brown, Dan Brown, Joe Buff, Caleb Carr, Richard Condon, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, Harold Coyle, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, Len Deighton, Bill DeSmedt, Greg Dinallo, Cory Doctorow, Jeff Edwards, John Gardner, Peter F. Hamilton, Eric L. Harry, Ben Kay, Brian Schan, Philip Kerr, Robert Ludlum, Jonathan Maberry, Alistair MacLean, Eric Nylund, Stel Pavlou, Ralph Peters, James Clancy Phelan, Matthew Reilly, Patrick Robinson, James Rollins, Neal Stephenson, Daniel Suarez, Walter Wager
Popular techno-thriller titles:
The Hammer of Eden, by Ken Follett
Killing Time, by Caleb Carr
The Blue Nowhere, by Jeffery Deaver
Call to Duty, by Richard Harman
Cold Fall, by John Gardner
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Sword Point, by Harold Coyle
Darwin’s Children, by Greg Bear
Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown
The Bear and the Dragon, by Tom Clancy
Cyclops One, by Jim DeFelice
Utopia, by Lincoln Child
TRUE-CRIME THRILLERS
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote (1966)
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read (1974)
Green River, Running Red, by Ann Rule (2004)
YOUNG ADULT (YA) THRILLERS
Suspense stories aimed at a teenage readership.
A sampling of YA thrillers:
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Playing Tyler, by T.L. Costa
Monkey Wars, by Richard Kurti
Acceleration, by Graham McNamee
Frost, by Marianna Baer
What We Saw at Night, by Jacquelyn Mitchard
The Diviners, by Libba Bray
Cryer’s Cross, by Lisa McMann
Ten, by Gretchen McNeil
Blood Wounds, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Resources:
Amazon lists
Goodreads lists
Library Thing
Overbooked.com: http://www.overbooked.org/booklists/genres/
Thrillers – A Guide for Readers’ Advisors, by Radenka Vidovic and David Hansen, https://www.library.ns.ca/files/thrillers_1.pdf
Thrillers – 100 Must-Reads
The Best Thrillers of All Time, Reader’s Digest, http://www.rd.com/advice/the-best-thriller-books-of-all-time/