The Reading Lounge: Five Star ⭐️ Backlist Thrillers
Binge-worthy, fast paced, high stakes....six of my favorite thrillers + eight more recommended to me
Do you love getting recs for thriller novels? You’ve come to the right place! Today’s The Reading Lounge is a five star curation of backlist thrillers that kept me on the edge of my seat. If this sounds good to you, upgrade to paid for full access
Hello! This post is one I’ve been contemplating for awhile and when I finally sat down to go over my entire backlist of books (1200!) since I started tracking my reading in 2011, I had a blast revisiting thrillers I’ve loved over the years. I was reminded how much I enjoy plot, plot, and more plot, especially when it’s combined with high stakes, life and death consequences, and/or bad characters doing really bad things. Many of you already know, the mystery/thriller genre is my first great love. And I’ve read a lot of them! Over the years, some have certainly been duds (I was reminded that my past self did not like to not finish books), but after perusing 1200 of my backlist books, I came up with quite the list of 5 star thrillers I’ve loved. I’ll share some today and more in a future newsletter.
You might be wondering how I decided which books I consider thrillers. For this newsletter, my books are all on the faster paced side, have high suspense, and fit the “traditional” definition and characteristics of thrillers per the bit of research I did….
“Thriller” Definition
- From Jessica Dukes in her great article What is a Thriller on Celadonbooks.com
A thriller is a type of mystery with a few key differences. As its name suggests, thrillers tend to be action-packed, page-turners with moments full of tension, anxiety, and fear. Without fail, they are plot-driven stories with plenty of plot twists. Whereas a good mystery may provide a deep dive into the clues that lead a detective to solve a crime, thrillers give you just enough information to provide a convincing motive for the characters to get back to the action and the plot. All thrillers are mysteries — readers want to know how the world will be saved or how to escape a serial killer — but not all mysteries are thrillers.
I like this definition!
And from a general Google search…..
Characteristics of Thriller Novels
Suspense - thrillers are designed to keep readers guessing and on the edge of their seats
Action - thrillers are often action-packed and page-turners
Plot Twists - thrillers are filled with plot twists that keep readers engaged
Dark Themes - thrillers often explore the dark side of human nature
Complex Characters - thrillers often feature morally gray characters
Limited Time - Protagonists often have limited time to neutralize a threat, get revenge, etc
I would say all of my books have most, if not all, of these characteristics. If I had a written review for the books I’m sharing, I’ll share that, but for the most part, the less you know about these books before starting the better off you’ll be. Just know, all of these were 5 star, couldn’t put them down, stay up to read late types of reads.
After I compiled my list, I thought it would be fun to input the titles into Chat GPT and ask it to give me additional thrillers I might like…sharing the interesting results below my favorites. I will say, I think Chat GPT gave me some high quality options, including several I’d never heard of….