Thriller books are entertaining all year round, but there’s something about fall that really brings out the murder mystery fan in me.
If you’re also a fan of psychological thrillers, domestic suspense novels, or murder mystery books, here are 13 absolutely chilling stories you’ll love. For me, a great thriller is one that is absolutely unguessable. I love unexpected plot twists that make me gasp out loud, and these books definitely hit the mark.
Thrillers and mystery novels are also great because they’re page turners. I’m not saying you can read each of these books in a day, but they’re definitely addicting enough to make you want to finish them in one sitting.
Happy Fall! And if you’re on the hunt for even more thrillers, check out my top thrillers of all time book list.
Best Binge-Worthy Thrillers to Read for Fall
They Never Learn
by Layne Fargo
For fans of My Lovely Wife and The Kind Worth Killing, Layne Fargo’s They Never Learn is a criminally underrated thriller. It focuses on Scarlett, a professor at Gorman University who is always on the hunt for her next victim–and that’s always a man who she knows definitely deserves it.
“Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder…”
Rock Paper Scissors
by Alice Feeney
A remote location, a husband and wife trying to repair their marriage, and way too many secrets…Rock Paper Scissors is a chilling psychological thriller that will keep you guessing.
“Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.“
Adam and Amelia won a trip to Scotland for a weekend away, and they’re using the opportunity to work on their marriage. Adam has prosopagnosia, a condition that gives him face blindness. So he can’t recognize everyone, not even his own wife…and he definitely doesn’t know that they didn’t randomly win the trip.
The Shadows
by Alex North
Crime writer Alex North is also known for his mystery The Whisper Man, which I also loved, but this was my favorite of the two. It’s an absolutely horrifying tale of buried secrets and unexplained mysteries. You can read my full book review here.
The Shadows is about a copycat murderer, a missing suspect, and a haunting past. I highly recommend reading this one with the lights on, if you choose to read it at night at all…
Th1rt3en
by Steve Cavanagh
Th1rt3en is one of my all-time favorite thrillers. I checked it of the library last fall and I WISH I bought my own copy of it because I held onto it for so long! I absolutely binged it and it was the perfect twisted fall read. I suggest going into this one blind, but here’s the one sentence that hooked me in:
“The serial killer isn’t on trial…he’s on the jury.”
Little Secrets
by Jennifer Hillier
This thriller caught me by surprise–I wasn’t expecting it to be the unforgettable bombshell that it was. Little Secrets is filled with lies, love, friendship, heartbreak and SO MANY SECRETS. It’s a psychological thriller with a surprising amount of depth, and one that will keep you guessing.
Marin’s son has been taken, and a year later, the FBI case has gone cold. Now her marriage is falling apart, and she can’t control anything…except she can get revenge on her husband’s new mistress.
“All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret…“
Eight Perfect Murders
by Peter Swanson
Peter Swanson is an absolute master of writing chilling, murderous characters–but he makes them seem SO normal. Eight Perfect Murders is the first book I read by him, and it’s one of my favorites (my #1 is The Kind Worth Killing, but this one is deliciously perfect for fall).
A bookseller has found himself in the midst of an FBI investigation: someone is using a blog post he wrote on a list of perfect literary murders to actually carry out those murders. Now he’s stuck in the killer’s web, who threatens to reveal even the most diabolical of secrets…
Northern Spy
by Flynn Berry
This Reese’s Book Club pick had me completely immersed in the troubles of Northern Ireland. I knew nothing about the IRA or the conflict in Northern Ireland, but this story utterly fascinated me. It’s a domestic drama with a chilling amount of espionage and lots of amazing characters.
Tessa is a producer at the BBC when her own sister makes national news…for taking part in a raid with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). As Tessa tries to uncover the truth behind her sister’s actions, she herself gets sucked into a dangerous world of crime that leaves readers full of suspense.
Magpie Murders
by Anthony Horowitz
All of Anthony Horowitz’s recent murder mysteries have been absolutely jaw-droppingly original and complex, and Magpie Murders is no exception. He’s the king of creative suspense, and Magpie Murders features a book within a book. This one centers around Alan Conway, a bestselling crime author with a new book on the horizon.
When Conway’s editor, Susan, reads the newest manuscript, she suddenly realizes that the murder on the pages might just be reflected in real life.
The Turn of the Key
by Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware is known for her haunting books like The Woman in Cabin 10, but The Turn of the Key is my go-to recommendation, and it’s literally perfect for autumn. This book made me want to hide under my covers with a flashlight and stay up wayyyy past my bedtime just to figure out what happened.
Our main character randomly finds an ad for a live-in nanny, and at first, it seems too good to be true: a smart home, an adorable family, and a remote, yet scenic location. And it is too good to be true, because she doesn’t know that her nannying journey will end with a dead child…and herself in prison, on trial for murder.
11/22/63
by Stephen King
This is the first (and only, so far!) Stephen King book I’ve read, and I was blown away by his originality. 11/22/63 is a hefty book–at 849 pages, it’s not a quick read, but I promise the pages practically turn themselves. The story focuses on Jake Epping, a 35-year-old English teacher whose dying friend has just introduced him to the unthinkable: a portal that takes him back in time…to 1958, to be exact.
Now, Jake is tasked with the insane mission of preventing JFK’s assassination, and the weight of the world rests on his shoulders.
Even if you’re not into sci-fi (I’m not), I promise you’ll love this suspenseful thriller that blends so many great genres.
For Your Own Good
by Samantha Downing
From the author of My Lovely Wife, one of my favorite psychological thrillers, comes another haunting story from Samantha Downing (check out my interview with her!). Downing excels at writing from the villain’s POV, and For Your Own Good has that amazing perspective + dark academia vibes.
Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year, and he definitely wants to teach his students a lesson…
Local Woman Missing
by Mary Kubica
If you’re looking for a thriller from this list you can binge in a day, Local Woman Missing is your best bet. Between different timelines, an unsolved mystery, and quite a few missing people, it’s a complex psychological thriller that makes you question everyone and everything.
After Shelby goes missing, her neighbor Meredith, and Meredith’s six-year-old daughter, Delilah, somehow vanish too. That was 11 years ago, and nobody knows what happened, and if the disappearances are connected. But now, 11 years later, Delilah is suddenly back…and what happens after she returns shocks the entire neighborhood.
Watching You
by Lisa Jewell
I couldn’t write this list without including a Lisa Jewell book. Watching You is a creepy suspense novel filled with all the good mystery tropes, which makes it the perfect fall read. Melville Heights is a nice neighborhood…
“It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.”
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6 Comments
I just discovered your website. I don’t have social media so I’ve signed up for your newsletter. Keep up the great work.
Aww love that! Thank you so much.
many of these are already on my tbr, this list just reaffirms that i need to read them sooner rather than later!
Yesss!! Hope you read them soon!
This List is amazing. I’ve read some on the list and look forward to reading some of your recommendations soon.
Ahh thank you so much!! Happy reading!