Thriller Books

Every year we eagerly await the annual International Thriller Writers Awards shortlists, which seek to spotlight the very best new writing in the genre. The 2026 finalists up for the title of 'best standalone thriller' include a breathless psychological novel about an obsessive relationship and a fast-paced suspense book centred on a medieval manuscript that has been likened to the Da Vinci Code.

2025 was another bumper year for spy novels, says Shane Whaley, host of Spybrary—the go-to podcast for lovers of spy books and movies. He talks us through his five favourite standalone books published this year, from a realistic novel about a duel between Mossad and Iran's security apparatus, to a nonfiction book about a Cold War defector that reads like a thriller.

A historical thriller should be both well researched and tightly plotted, explains Mike Downey—the filmmaker and author of Istria Black, a fast-paced novel set partly among war criminals in postwar Argentina. Here, Downey recommends five gripping books so dense with atmosphere and action you won't be able to put them down.

Every summer, judges for the ITW Awards highlight the very best new thrillers published in the previous year. In 2025, they shortlisted five books for the title of 'best standalone thriller novel,' including a vivid narrative of a disastrous plane crash and a high pressure locked-room mystery set in a hyperbaric chamber.

Psychological thrillers with a twist are some of the most gripping books to read, keeping you awake late into the night in a quest to find out what unexpected person or event was the hidden driver of the entire plot. Novelist and literary critic Hannah Beckerman recommends five of her favourites, from Agatha Christie to Alex Michaelides.

For those with a taste for fine literature, but who also enjoy their fiction with a bit of suspense and momentum, the acclaimed novelist Chris Power—author of A Lonely Man—has put together a recommended reading list of five 'literary thrillers', including work by Fernanda Melchor, Roberto Bolaño and the Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano.

Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels late in his life, before dying of a heart attack at the age of just 56. Charlie Higson, author of the Young Bond series and a novella, On His Majesty's Secret Service, introduces us to the man and his life and talks us through his five favourite Bond books.

The best psychological thrillers are books that draw you into the lives of seemingly ordinary people, keep you turning the pages and then (often) floor you with an unexpected twist. British thriller writer JS Monroe, author of No Place to Hide, recommends some of the best ones out there, including the 1955 book that inspired the modern genre.

Crime novels are one of the most popular fiction genres, catering to a wide range of tastes and interests. Our editor, Sophie Roell, takes us through the books that won prestigious US and UK awards this year, from a historical novel set during the American Civil War to a spy thriller that raises interesting questions about Western policy in the Middle East.

For all its horrors, World War II was a time when things happened to people and that, perhaps, is what makes it such an enduring source of fascination. Graham Hurley, author of the Spoils of War series, recommends five of the best World War II thrillers, including one that reads like nonfiction.