ALL TIME BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS

‘Psychological thrillers are a growing genre right now, both in books and in movies. Here we bring you a list of all time great psychological thrillers in the world of books, some of which have been made into movies.’
It’s objectively not possible to name a definitive list of psychological thriller novels that can stand the test of time. My picks may not make it to your list and yours may not make it to mine. But still, it’s fun to try. The psychological thriller genre has a huge fan following, a group which I am happily part of, what with the eerie settings, the stunning character reveals, the intricate games of the mind that the character must unravel. It can give the reader a few chills and also give him a truly visceral reading experience. If you’re new to the genre or if you like the sound of it, try these following books and you may be hooked for life.
1. Shutter Island (Dennis Lahane)
The movie is more famous than the book, but in my opinion, the book packs more of a punch. The setting is on a small island in 1954, in an isolated hospital for the criminally insane. U.S. Marshal Edward ‘Teddy’ Daniels comes to the hospital on Shutter Island along with his partner, Chuck Aule, in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, Rachel Solando. As the book draws one in, more and more details become known to us, and at the end we will end up questioning the very nature of reality.
2. See Jane Run (Joy Fielding)
When Jane Wittaker finds herself in a supermarket with no memory of her life or physical features, but with blood-stained shirt on and $10,000 in her pocket, she learns quickly that she cannot trust anyone off the street. When a handsome doctor claims to be her husband and takes her to their suburban home to recover, she begins to uncover some horrific incidents in her past that her mind had forgotten.
3. Before I Go To Sleep (S.J. Watson)
This is another novel that plays with memory, with another female character who wakes up each day with amnesia. Kind of like ’50 First Dates’, but a serious version of it. She wakes up each morning with no memory of who she is and whom she can and cannot trust. There is a movie coming out soon based on this book, so read it before it does and influences your imagination.
4. The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)
Has there been a creepier character than Hannibal Lecter in all of literature? I don’t think so. This is where he comes into his own, and even if you have seen the movie and know all his lines off by heart, you must totally read the book because it’s just a masterpiece.
5. Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
Probably the only ‘classic’ in this list (though some of the others may go on to become classics), Rebecca is atmospheric, haunting, romantic and horrifying at the same time. It will stay with you for days after you put it away.