10 Psychological Thrillers That Will Keep You Up At Night

These page-turners will keep you up all night!

We all love a good read. A good book will leave us captivated, thrilled, engaged…all those hallmarks of a story well told. Some books do this because they’re funny, other’s because they’re sad, and some are hair-raising stories that keep us up because we’re too afraid to turn off the nightlight. Books like these are fun to dive into and get lost in, as compelling writing, dynamic conflicts, and mysterious characters all converge in an intricate unfolding of a crime, missing person, or mysterious family drama.

Psychological thrillers are almost more terrifying than standard horrors because they plunge us into the human mind, a place that is mysteriously complex and often hard to understand. These thrillers will make us ask “why” and question motivation. In the hands of a skilled storyteller, these books will leave a lasting impression. When we think of classic psychological thrillers, Edgar Allan Poe is the first to come to mind, with stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Murders In the Rue Morgue”. In film, Alfred Hitchcock and his “The Birds” or “Rear Window” are classic depictions of psychological thrillers.

Modern writers have been able to strike a similar chord by baffling audiences with the macabre, and audiences continue to be fascinated by these stories. Some of these stories are so convincing, you’ll have to put the book down to catch your breath and remember that it’s just a story! But then intrigue will send you right back in to see what happens next.

If you’re looking for a good thriller, check out these 10 titles that are so good, they’ll keep you up at night.

Image from MeganMiranda.com

1. All the Missing Girls, by Megan Miranda

Miranda tells the story of three missing girls whose disappearances are all connected by a small circle of childhood friends. What happened to those girls remains a mystery, until Nic, returning to her small hometown to care for an aging parent and rekindle old friendships, starts to put the pieces together.

Image from Simon & Schuster

2. The Vanishing Year, by Kate Moretti

Zoe Whittaker lives the privileged life of New York’s upper crust. She has everything, until her past life resurfaces, and challenges Zoe’s new world and her identity.