Few thrillers can be perfect 10/10 reads, but some books likeDark Placesand the secondThursday Murder Clubnovel come tragically close to achieving this. The thriller genre is home to some true classics, as well as a lot of duds. There are plenty of thrillers that make no sense, filled with cringeworthy dialogue and predictable plot twists.
However, there are alsothe rare 10/10 thriller booksthat managed to craft a believable world, populate it with engaging characters, and then send the reader on a thrill ride that is authentically unpredictable. These books come in many different forms, from cozy mysteries to dark psychological thrillers.
WhileCaroline Kepnes’sYouplaces the reader in the mind of an unrepentant murderer, Gillian Flynn’sSharp Objectsoffers a thornier take on memory, family, and murder. Similarly,My Sister the Serial Killeris a far lighter, funnier thriller, whileRazorblade Tearsis a pitilessly bleak addition to the genre.
8Dark Places — Gillian Flynn
Flynn’s Weakest Novel Is Let Down By Its Convoluted Conclusion
The only thing that all the books listed above have in common is that, for all their differences, they are 10/10 thrillers in their own ways. Similarly, the books listed here are all thrillers that almost boasted the same accolade, only to stumble at the last hurdle.Gillian Flynn might be the best living thriller author, but even she struggles with this.
2009’sDark Placesfollows Libby Day, the sole survivor of a massacre that occurred 24 years before the book begins. Flynn’s time-twisting narrative bounces between the events of Libby’s childhood and her present-day life as she is confronted with the reality that her brother may not be the family annihilator she once thought.
Where Gone Girl’s ending gracefully knitted together the preceding story, Dark Places falls apart with its overly convoluted conclusion.
Steeped in a Southern Gothic atmosphere, Flynn’sDark Placesis a propulsive read with a compelling anti-heroine at its core. The problem is that, whereGone Girl’s endinggracefully knitted together the preceding story,Dark Placesfalls apart with its overly convoluted conclusion.
7The Paris Apartment — Lucy Foley
Foley’s Most Ambitious Story Bends The Whodunit Formula Too Far
Author Lucy Foley made a name for herself with the impressive one-two punch ofThe Hunting PartyandThe Guest List, a pair of entertaining whodunit thrillers that updated Agatha Christie’s formula for the new millennium. Expectations were high for her third outing,The Paris Apartment.
This thriller follows a young woman who arrives in Paris hoping to stay with her half-brother, only to find he has gone missing without a trace. What follows is an increasingly convoluted series of interactions and red herrings that expand the novel’s set of characters until there are entirely too many suspects, only for the book to eventually reveal a shockingly predictable conclusion.
While the writing is strong, the plotting bogs this one down.
The Paris Apartment’s biggest problem is subverting the whodunit formula too much, ensuring that readers expecting a murder mystery are likely to leave frustrated. While the writing is strong, the plotting bogs this one down.
6The Man Who Died Twice — Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club’s First Sequel Should Have Left Out One Subplot
The upcomingmovie adaptation ofThe Thursday Murder Clubis set to become a major release for Netflix, and it is easy to see why. This cozy series of bestselling novels from British comic and author Richard Osman won over readers with its depiction of a quartet of retirees who solve cold cases (and a few hot ones) in their spare time.
An inexplicable subplot where one of the heroes is attacked by loutish teens is outdated, stereotypical, and doesn’t fit the tone of the series at all.
However,the second novel in the series failed to recapture the charm of its predecessor.Specifically, an inexplicable subplot where one of the heroes is attacked by loutish teens is outdated, stereotypical, and doesn’t fit the tone of the series at all.
The storyline sets up a predictable revenge fantasy, but it’s one that clashes badly with the sweet tone of the books. In a novel series where arms dealers and drug dealers politely make cups of tea for police, depicting the lone character under 40 as a mindless monster leaves readers with an unpleasant taste.
5Before I Go to Sleep —SJ Watson
Watson’s Thriller Features A Painfully Predictable Twist
SJ Watson’sBefore I Go to Sleepis beautifully written, and it is no surprise that the novel was a bestseller worldwide upon its 2011 release. Following a woman suffering from anterograde amnesia,Before I Go to Sleepsees its heroine wake up every morning with no idea who she is.
Saying anything else about this bestseller could give away too much, but this fact alone highlights the main issue with the novel. While the characters are well drawn and the protagonist’s condition is convincingly, harrowingly evinced,the inevitable twist is obvious from page one.
While Before I Go to Sleep might be worth reading as a novel, as a mystery, its big twist is unfortunately easy to unpack for even an uninitiated reader.
Readers who have come across more than one psychological thriller in their lives will instantly know where this one is heading, and this makes the slow wait for the big reveal particularly painful. WhileBefore I Go to Sleepmight be worth reading as a novel, as a mystery, its big twist is unfortunately easy to unpack for even an uninitiated reader.
4The House Across The Lake — Riley Sager
Sager’s Thriller Falls Victim To A Classic Genre Problem
AlthoughRiley Sager’sFinal Girlsearned the approval of no less than Stephen King himself, the author’s 2022 novel,The House Across the Lake, was not quite so lucky. The novel enjoyed solid reviews, and a movie adaptation is planned, but not everyone will leave this one with a satisfied smile on their face.
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Middle of the Night
2024
The issues with the novel are impossible to discuss without treading into the dreaded territory of spoilers by implication, but suffice to say thatThe House Across the Lakefalls into the classic “Not supernatural until the very end” trapfaced by so many promising mystery novels. Individual readers might find their annoyance at this trope varies.
Readers who love movies likeSinisteror theunderrated Denzel Washington vehicleFallenshould seek out Sager’s ambitious novel. However, those hoping for a straightforward psychological thriller may find the zanier aspects ofThe House Across The Lake’s outlandish ending harder to swallow.
3In the Woods — Tana French
French’s Ambitious Thriller Breaks A Cardinal Rule of Mysteries
Most of the books on this list include disappointing endings or subplots that didn’t belong in their otherwise strong stories. However, Tana French’sIn the Woodsis a unique case. For one thing, the novel was a massive critical and commercial success, so clearly not all readers had issues with the 2007 hit.
However, what is truly interesting is what exactly makesIn the Woodsa disappointing mystery. The first book in theDublin Murder Squad series,In the Woodsopens with a trio of children disappearing without explanation, only for one child to return alone with no recollection of what happened.
The book never explains what happened in the titular woods.
Readers expecting an explanation should look elsewhere, as, althoughIn the Woodsdoes move on to another mystery decades later and provides an intriguing, compelling plot in that regard, the book never explains what happened in the titular woods. For some readers, this audacious approach to plotting is ingenious, but for others, French’s novel is a mystery that ignores its mystery.
2Hallowe’en Party — Agatha Christie
Christie’s Lesser Poirot Story Stumbles At the Finish Line
It almost feels mean-spirited to single out one of mystery legend Agatha Christie’s iconic Poirot novels for inclusion on this list, considering how many novels the prolific author penned in her time. However,Hallowe’en Party, which laterbecame the movieThe Haunting of Venice, comes unfortunately close to greatness before stumbling at the finish.
Christie trades in the elegant simplicity ofThe Murder of Roger AckroydorMurder on the Orient Expressfor a convoluted plot about secret children, poisoning, and conveniently inconvenient red herrings.
Hallowe’en Party’s movie adaptation radically altered the story, utilizing elements of other Poirot stories like Dumb Witnessto flesh out a thin plot. However, it isn’t the lack of plot that makesHallowe’en Partya lesser Christie outing. Instead, it is an ending that fails to follow the author’s usual approach to the whodunit genre.
Hallowe’en Partyis a whodunit where readers couldn’t possibly work out the killer, as Christie trades in the elegant simplicity ofThe Murder of Roger AckroydorMurder on the Orient Expressfor a convoluted plot about secret children, poisoning, and conveniently inconvenient red herrings.
People pop up at just the right millisecond to play a pivotal role in the murder, various labyrinthine family connections are hidden under fake names and alibis, and the fact that the entire affair hinges on the murder of a child makes everything a touch too dark to be fun. As such, this is a rare instance where the movie improves on its source material.
1Verity — Colleen Hoover
Hoover’s Psychological Thriller Features An Absurd Final Twist
Colleen Hoover’s books have divided critics, but her success is undeniable. While2024’sIt Ends With Usmovie adaptationwas arguably overshadowed by the dramatic controversies that plagued its production,Veritymay be Hoover’s most anticipated upcoming adaptation.
Verityfollows a writer who is seduced by a stranger and convinced to write a biography of his invalid wife.
A strange spin on Daphne Du Maurier’s classic mystery,Rebecca,Verityfollows a writer who is seduced by a stranger and convinced to write a biography of his invalid wife. While staying at his home, the heroine finds a diary written by his wife, but all is not as it seems in the remote estate.
To say anymore would be to risk sharing spoilers, but suffice to say,Verityhas one of the most shocking plot twists in recent history. The only issue is that “Shocking,” here, doesn’t necessarily equate to great. Sometimes, a twist has never been used before because it doesn’t make all that much sense.
Dakota Johnson
Lowen Ashleigh
The writing is immensely readable, the characters are convincing, and the contemporary Gothic atmosphere makesVeritya compulsive read. However, whileVerity’s movie adaptationmay salvage the story, the book’s ending ensures it is not quite a classic, much likeDark Placesand oneThursday Murder Clubsequel.
