The thriller genre is directly related to suspense, since it deals with situations that seek to generate anxiety and tension in the readers and generally tends to have a plot twist towards the end. Both also have a connection to horror, but this one usually deals with supernatural themes or characters such as ghosts and monsters.
In turn, the thriller It is divided into several subgenres, among which the psychological, criminal and political stand out, among others.
Recommended by specialists, with titles that were later adapted to film, television or the stage, eight thriller and suspense books:
The Institute
One of the most recent works of Stephen King, published in 2019, which narras the story of Luke Ellis, a 12 year old boy with telekinetic powers and a great intellectual capacity for his age. His life will change forever when a group of men kidnap him from his home and murder his parents.
The Institute.
–
Later, Luke will find himself in a space known as “The Institute”, where he will be put to the test along with other young people with supernatural gifts, with severe punishments for those who do not meet expectations.
the gypsy bride
Carmen Mola wrote and published the novel in 2018, which begins with the death of Susana Macaya, who was murdered after her bachelorette party. An event similar to what her sister Lara suffered, who also died days before her marriage.
Not only the dates coincided, but also the way in which the body was found. However, Lara’s killer is locked up in prison and it is ruled out that he is the same author.
The gypsy bride.
–
The case of the Macaya sisters It remains in the hands of Elena Blanco, the highest authority of the Case Analysis Brigade. She will be in charge of investigating the women’s gypsy family and discovering who was responsible.
In addition to this title, the author also created “The purple network” and “La nena”, which make up a trilogy starring inspector Elena Blanco.
I know what you’re thinking
It is first title within the trilogy that John Verdon wrote chronicles the life of Dave Gurney, a retired homicide detective who receives a strange call from Mark Mellery, a former college classmate, who urgently needs his help. The man had received letters at his home from someone who promised to know him so well that he would guess the number he chose between one and 1,000.
I know what you’re thinking.
–
Throughout the text, the detective will look for the person responsible for sending the letters, who always seems to be one step ahead of him.
“I know what you’re thinking” is the first volume, published in 2010, of the saga of seven that make up: “Do not open your eyes” (2011) and “Leave the devil alone” (2012), “Do not trust Peter Pan” (2013), “I will control your dreams” (2015), “You will burn in the storm” (2018) and “The Black Angel” (2020).
The wind’s shadow
Set in Barcelona in 1945, this novel begins when young Daniel Sempere goes to the cemetery of forgotten books with his father, where you will find a copy of “The Shadow and the Wind”, written by Julián Carax. Daniel takes the copy and, after reading it, is even more interested in the author, but discovers that someone has been looking for them and burning them all. Together with his adventure partner Fermín Romero de Torres, the protagonist will try to reveal the secrets surrounding the mysterious Julián Carax and his books.
The wind’s shadow.
–
The author of the novel is Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who published this first volume in 2001, but who later wrote three more titles to complete the saga of the “Cemetery of Forgotten Books”: “The Angel’s Game” (2008), “The prisoner of heaven” (2011) and “The labyrinth of the spirits” (2016).
The truth about the Harry Quebert case
The protagonist of this story is Marcus Goldman, a famous writer who is going through a creative block in mid-2008. So he decides to travel to visit his old friend and mentor, Harry Quebert.
The truth about the Harry Quebert case.
–
The plot takes an unexpected turn when Harry is indicted for the death of Nola Kellergan in 1975, after the case is suddenly reopened. From there, Marcus will be in charge of proving his friend’s innocence, but along the way a series of secrets that remained hidden for a long time will come to light. The novel will jump between 1975, 1998 and 2008 until revealing the truth of this mysterious case..
The author of this title is Joel Dicker, who rose to fame within the thriller genre after the publication of this book in late 2012. In addition, it was adapted in 2018 with a television series starring Kristine Froseth as Nola Kellergan and Patrick Dempsey as Harry Quebert.
Wedding dress
French writer Pierre Lemaitre wrote one of the most popular books in the thriller genre. and led him to win a large number of awards in France and in the rest of the world.
Wedding dress.
–
Although it is a text about which little can be said without making many spoilers, it portrays the bad moment that Sophie Duguet is going through in her life: her loved ones do not stop dying and she feels that she is losing her sanity. To start from scratch, she decides to work as a nanny for a six-year-old boy, but everything will go out of control little by little.
It
One of Stephen King’s best-known bestseller, which was published at the end of 1986, narrates the life of a group of children who live in Derry, a town of U.S where, mysteriously, boys began to disappear. After the death of Georgie Denbrough, brother of the protagonist, Bill Denbrough, he and his friends begin to investigate who is behind these suspicious events.
It.
–
“The Losers,” as Bill and his friends’ group is called, discover that the person responsible for the deaths is Pennywise, a clown who 27 years earlier carried out the same atrocities in the town and who will make each of the young people face their greatest fears. However, they manage to defeat him and make a promise that, should these crimes ever happen again, they would all return to face the clown.
The novel had two film adaptations., and on both occasions it was divided into two parts: the first, with the confrontation of the children against the clown, and the second with their return to town.
The psychoanalyst
This is one of the biggest best sellers of recent times and is still considered a classic within the thriller genre. It was published in 2002 and was written by John Katzenbatch, who 16 years later created Check the Psychoanalyst, the sequel to this story.
The psychoanalyst.
–
Frederick Starks is a psychoanalyst with a long career who receives an unexpected letter with the signature of “Rumplestiltskin”, a complete stranger to him. As the plot progresses, the author of the note welcomes him “on the first day of his death” and sets a deadline of 15 days for him to discover his true identity, because otherwise he will only be left with two options: commit suicide or see how each of their relatives die.
