Blog15 Best Thriller Books to Read in India [August, 2024]
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Thriller novels offer readers an adrenaline-filled escape from everyday life. From page-turning psychological thrillers to edge-of-your-seat crime capers, the thriller genre has something for every reader looking for an electrifying reading experience.
In this blog, we showcase the 15 best thriller books to read in India. Backed by extensive research and reviews from thriller aficionados, this curated list covers fan-favorite authors like Holly Jackson, Richard Osman, and Rachel Abbott.
Discover pulse-pounding stories, complex characters, and shocking twists that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Read on for the definitive guide to the most gripping thriller books to enjoy in India right now!
/ IN THIS ARTICLE [ hide ]
- The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
- Time Is Running Out
- Forget Me Not
- I Hear You & Whisper to Me Your Lies
- Try Not to Breathe
- The Thursday Murder Club
- The Best of Sherlock Holmes (Set of 2 Books)
- Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark Book 1
- Next in Line
- The Maid
- Murder at Maybridge Castle: The new murder mystery to escape with…
- As Good As Dead
- The Killer Inside
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Box Set of 3 Books)
- Her Deadly Secret
- Comparison for best thriller books to read in India
- FAQs about best thriller books to read
- Conclusion
1. The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Description
The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows high school senior Pippa Fitz-Amobi as she works to solve the five-year-old murder case of Andie Bell. When Pip uncovers flaws in the original investigation, she launches her own inquiry to uncover what really happened to Andie.
Key Features
- Features an amateur teenage sleuth digging into a cold case
- Combines mystery, drama, romance, and coming-of-age themes
- First book in Holly Jackson’s acclaimed, bestselling YA thriller trilogy
Our Expert Opinion
This YA thriller offers an addictive mystery while also exploring relevant social issues. Pip is a relatable heroine who shows grit and determination in seeking the truth behind her town’s most infamous unsolved crime. Overall, The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder kicks off an unputdownable trilogy perfect for thriller fans of all ages.
2. Time Is Running Out
Description
In Time Is Running Out, DCI Matilda Darke races against the clock to track down a sadistic criminal holding Sheffield residents hostage with a series of deadly bombs. Meanwhile, Matilda grapples with doubts over a wrongful arrest from her past that allowed the real killer to walk free years ago.
Key Features
- Seventh book in Michael Wood’s DCI Matilda Darke thriller series
- High-stakes plot featuring a mad bomber threatening the city
- Dual narrative explores past and present cases testing Matilda
Our Expert Opinion
Wood’s background in law gives insider authenticity to his police procedurals. Time Is Running Out continues the hard-hitting Matilda Darke series with another gritty page-turner focused on cold cases, deadly obsessions, and bruised personal lives. Crime thriller devotees will be glued to this breakneck thriller until the final shocking twist.
3. Forget Me Not
Description
When the corpse of a teenage girl with a red ribbon tied around her wrist turns up floating in the river, DI Lucy Harwin recognizes the MO of a serial killer who was never caught three years earlier. Teaming up with psychological profiler Sean Hardacre, Lucy enters a race against time to connect the dots and unmask the twisted killer before another life gets snuffed out.
Key Features
- Features a driven female detective paired with an expert profiler
- Revolves around a serial killer resurfacing after years of silence
- Includes pulse-pounding suspense and a gasp-worthy twist ending
Our Expert Opinion
Co-written by real police officers, Forget Me Not infuses psychological insight with gritty realism in chronicling the hunt for a diabolical killer. Harwin makes for an appealing protagonist while the storytelling deftly ratchets up tension leading to a finale that will leave readers stunned. For crime fiction devotees, this serial killer thriller delivers on all fronts.
4. I Hear You & Whisper to Me Your Lies
Description
When Jenna McKnight’s twin sister Alina is found murdered in the river, Jenna begins receiving messages in her sister’s handwriting that make her doubt local police ruled out foul play too hastily. Convinced Alina’s abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, Jenna investigates on her own, not realizing she may be placing herself directly in the murderer’s crosshairs.
Key Features
- Psychological thriller with themes of grief, gaslighting, and domestic violence
- Amateur sleuth central narrative fuels the mystery
- Explores toxic relationships and obsession
Our Expert Opinion
EE Nicolson crafts an emotionally complex thriller that delves deep into the psyche of the victim, the accused, and the bereaved. Nuanced characterizations and deft misdirection keep tension high throughout this slow-burn mystery. For readers who appreciate sophistication and depth alongside their chilling suspense, I Hear You & Whisper to Me Your Lies delivers a rewarding, stay-up-all-night reading experience.
5. Try Not to Breathe
Description
A year after journalist Alex Dale wakes up from a coma, she cannot remember the tragic accident that nearly killed her. Plagued by paranoia and other post-coma symptoms, Alex investigates what really happened that night, fearing someone close to her is hiding the truth.
Key Features
- Features hypnotic unreliable narrator
- Explores gritty themes like vice, grief and post-traumatic stress
- Small-town New England setting reflects sinister underbelly hiding behind white picket fences
Our Expert Opinion
Holly Seddon’s debut thriller simmers with tension as readers question if Alex’s accident was truly accidental. Gritty realism grounds the narrative despite shocking twists and haunting reveals about deeply damaged characters. Hardy thriller fans will love piecing together the fragments of Alex’s memories leading up to the twist ending that flips everything upside down again.
6. The Thursday Murder Club
Description
In a peaceful retirement village, four savvy septuagenarians meet weekly to analyze famous cold cases for fun. But when a real murder occurs nearby, the Thursday Murder Club puts their sleuthing skills to the test to catch the killer before they strike again.
Key Features
- Spotlights witty, wizened senior citizen main characters
- Intertwines clever whodunit mystery with humorous situational comedy
- Launch of Richard Osman’s popular Thursday Murder Club cozy crime series
Our Expert Opinion
Osman infuses this senior citizen crime caper with endearing characters and ingenious plotting. As the Thursday Murder Club puzzles over clues and tracks leads, readers are treated to a riveting murder investigation paired with incisive commentary on aging, second chances, and lifelong friendships. Witty wordplay and elegant red herrings make The Thursday Murder Club a continually spellbinding thrill ride for armchair detectives of all ages.
7. The Best of Sherlock Holmes (Set of 2 Books)
Description
This collector’s set bundles two distinguished Sherlock Holmes short story collections—The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Together, these volumes feature some of literature’s most acclaimed mysteries solving capers penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle starring the iconic investigator duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Key Features
- Includes renowned tales like “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Final Problem”
- Showcases Holmes’ ingenious deduction methods and Watson’s steadfast partnership
- Features iconic mystery adventures of literature’s most famous detective
Our Expert Opinion
For over a century, Sherlock Holmes tales have enthralled readers globally. Doyle’s sophisticated storytelling and the irresistible chemistry between Holmes and Watson make The Best of Sherlock Holmes compulsively readable and eminently discussable classics. This compilation offers a one-stop fictional bundle to experience Holmes and Watson on the chase at their very finest.
8. Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark Book 1
Description
Spine-tingling short horror fiction perfect for late-night reading, Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark Book 1 collects dozens of scary tales involving restless spirits, bizarre science experiments gone wrong, haunted houses, revenge plots and more. Brace yourself for sinister stories designed to terrify brave readers of all ages.
Key Features
- Showcases short scary stories ranging from hauntings to disturbing rituals
- Features edgy, modern horror sensibility with sinister twists
- Includes contributions from buzzworthy emerging horror authors
Our Expert Opinion
While horror thriller novels have their bloody charms, short horror fiction often delivers the most distilled, potent frights going down smooth but packing a wicked punch. Whether read alone late at night or shared fireside, Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark inflicts nonstop sinister shivers. Horror hounds will gulp down this first volume eagerly awaiting the rest of the addictive anthology series.
9. Next in Line
Description
Rising through the ranks of the London police force, dynamic young detective William Warwick investigates a string of mysterious fatal “accidents” targeting Metropolitan Police Service officers in this newest thriller from Jeffrey Archer continuing the William Warwick series.
Key Features
- Part of British author Jeffrey Archer’s interconnected novels spotlighting William Warwick
- Police procedural focused on probing suspicious deaths in law enforcement
- Features fan-favorite character William Warwick progressing in his career
Our Expert Opinion
Archer strikes thriller gold again with his pragmatic, principled crime-solver William Warwick. Warwick’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals pampered privilege and dangerous secrets lurking beneath London’s landscape of power players. Sleek storytelling and a breakneck investigation make Next in Line a propulsive one-sitting read showcasing Archer’s enviable gifts for captivating characterization and diabolically clever plotting.
10. The Maid
Description
In this twisty debut thriller, hotel maid Molly Gray investigates when a wealthy hotel guest is found dead shortly after a drunken confrontation with another patron. Unconvinced the murder is as straightforward as local police claim, Molly puts her intimate knowledge of the hotel and its occupants to work searching for the real story behind the prominent businessman’s demise. Will chasing the truth place a target on Molly’s back…or unveil the killer?
Key Features
- Showcases amateur hotel maid sleuth central protagonist
- Blends cozy mystery tropes with grittier suspense elements
- Debut launch of Nita Prose’s buzzworthy new whodunit series
Our Expert Opinion
Prose makes an impressive debut with The Maid, spinning a classic “upstairs, downstairs” mystery scenario into an original rollercoaster thriller brimming with hidden motives and dark secrets. Our unconventional heroine Molly makes for an irresistible underdog investigator readers will root for during risky after-hours sleuthing sequences full of sneaking suspense. With its fresh premise and cinematic storytelling, The Maid heralds Prose as a rising talent to watch in the mystery thriller genre.
11. Murder at Maybridge Castle: The new murder mystery to escape with this winter from the ‘modern rival to Agatha Christie’ (A Christmas Mystery Book 3)
Description
Isabel Foxe, a young woman struggling financially, accepts a housekeeping job offer from the affluent Fletcher siblings to care for their ancestral home, Maybridge Castle, while their aunt vacations abroad over Christmas. But when eccentric family members start dropping dead in bizarre accidents amid a series of sinister pranks, Isabel realizes some killer secrets are hidden deep within the castle walls…
Key Features
- Blends cozy mystery, psychological suspense, and serial killer subgenres
- Spotlights less common English holiday setting and scenarios
- Features working class outsider navigating the world of the ultra-rich
Our Expert Opinion
For a captivating closed-circle mystery thriller, look no further than Murder at Maybridge Castle. Isabel makes for a charmingly plucky heroine magnetically drawn deeper into the clues and chaos surrounding the untimely demises plaguing the privileged Fletcher brood. This claustrophobic cold-weather whodunit serves up endless intrigue surrounding the fallen heirs’ hidden agendas—plus a stunning solution that Agatha Christie would approve of herself.
12. As Good As Dead
Description
After solving two cold case murders in her hometown, amateur sleuth Pip Fitz-Amobi heads off to university. But when a fellow student goes missing, Pip once again puts her studies on hold to pursue yet another complex missing persons investigation.
Key Features
- Conclusion to Holly Jackson’s hit YA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder thriller trilogy
- Features popular teenage detective character Pip Fitz-Amobi
- Explores themes of obsession, betrayal, vigilantism and police corruption
Our Expert Opinion
Jackson saves plenty of bombshells for this final installment starring charming millennial sleuth Pip. While providing satisfying closure for longtime franchise fans, As Good As Dead still shocks with gasp-worthy twists. Jackson cements her reputation here as the modern successor to Lois Duncan when it comes to crafting socially relevant, new generation page-turners centered around an appealing YA protagonist who finds herself entangled in ever more dangerous dilemmas.
13. The Killer Inside
Description
A devoted wife and mother suffering from worsening headaches starts blacking out for hours with no memory of her lost time. After making a disturbing discovery that hints at a possible alternate violent persona emerging, she fears she may unwillingly be responsible for an escalating murder spree terrorizing her small town.
Key Features
- Showcases unreliable narrator grappling with potential split personality
- Explores domestic themes like motherhood and marriage
- Small-town suburban setting belies gruesome spree killer mystery
Our Expert Opinion
The Killer Inside amounts to a stay-up-way-too-late psychological thriller driven by an irresistible ticking time bomb premise: is our increasingly unstable narrator capable of murder without even knowing it? Ramsey flexes her thriller chops, keeping readers guessing through the final paragraph. Fans of domestic suspense and classic Jekyll-and-Hyde themes need The Killer Inside in their beach bag—though its disturbing content may fuel a few nightmares!
14. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Box Set of 3 Books)
Description
This collection bundles all three novels in Holly Jackson’s hit Good Girl’s Guide to Murder young adult mystery thriller series. Follow teenage sleuth Pip Fitz-Amobi through the series as she cracks cold cases and hunts killers in her small town community.
Key Features
- Includes The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good as Dead
- Showcases Pip solving a different mystery in each book
- Explores themes of family, friendship, obsession and vigilante justice
Our Expert Opinion
Holly Jackson’s award winning YA trilogy cements her reputation as the Agatha Christie of the Snapchat generation. The addictive saga spans several years in the life of an endearingly stubborn sleuth who cannot resist reopening suspicious cold cases and chasing serial killers terrorizing her community. This binge-worthy box set provides the ultimate marathon reading experience for devoted franchise fans and new readers alike.
15. Her Deadly Secret
Description
When their mother suddenly dies overseas, estranged sisters Lisa and Fiona reunite to sort through her empty home. While searching for answers behind their mom’s abrupt demise, long-brewing tensions boil over. The visit turns lethal after Lisa goes missing one night. Now Fiona races to piece together cryptic clues about her sister’s life to solve the mystery shrouding them before the killer returns to silence her forever.
Key Features
- Spotlights sisters reconnecting after years of minimal contact
- Isolating setting ratchets up tension
- Family drama underscores bloody psychological suspense plot
Our Expert Opinion
Her Deadly Secret keeps dysfunction running high throughout this sinister suspensefest. Portraying complex sibling bonds strained by lies and jealousy, Chris McGeorge steers readers down an unpredictable, chilling trail. Just when you think you have figured things out, shocking revelations change the game again. For domestic thriller enthusiasts, Her Deadly Secret always keeps tension taut and secrets scary to the very end.
Comparison for best thriller books to read in India
| Book | Key Elements | Story and Themes |
|---|---|---|
| The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder | Teenage sleuth, cold case mystery, drama | Murder investigation, high school drama |
| Time Is Running Out | Police procedural, serial bomber, cold case | Police thriller, mad bomber, obsession |
| Forget Me Not | Female detective, serial killer | Serial killer thriller, criminal profiling |
| I Hear You & Whisper to Me Your Lies | Amateur sleuth, domestic violence | Psychological thriller, grief, gaslighting |
| Try Not to Breathe | Unreliable narrator | Psychological thriller, memory loss, post-coma effects |
| The Thursday Murder Club | Senior citizen sleuths, whodunit | Cozy mystery, retirement community |
| The Best of Sherlock Holmes | Iconic literary detective, short stories | Classic mystery adventures |
| Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark Book 1 | Short horror fiction anthology | Scary supernatural tales |
| Next in Line | Police detective protagonist | Police thriller, suspicious deaths |
| The Maid | Hotel maid turned sleuth | Murder mystery, upstairs/downstairs drama |
| Murder at Maybridge Castle | Working class sleuth | Cozy mystery, serial killer, wealthy family |
| As Good As Dead | Teenage sleuth | Psychological thriller, missing person |
| The Killer Inside | Unreliable narrator | Psychological thriller, split personality |
| A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder | Teenage sleuth | YA mystery thriller trilogy |
| Her Deadly Secret | Sisters reconnecting | Psychological thriller, family drama |
FAQs about best thriller books to read
Q. What are some of the best thriller books to read in India?
Some of the best thriller books to read in India include:
- The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
- Time Is Running Out
- Forget Me Not
- I Hear You & Whisper to Me Your Lies
- Try Not to Breathe
- The Thursday Murder Club
- The Best of Sherlock Holmes
- Horror Stories To Tell In The Dark Book 1
- Next in Line
- The Maid
- Murder at Maybridge Castle
- As Good As Dead
- The Killer Inside
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
- Her Deadly Secret
Q. What thrilling themes are explored in The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder?
The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder explores thrilling themes like murder investigations, high school drama, chasing cold cases, and amateur sleuths digging for the truth behind unsolved crimes. The story follows a teenage protagonist solving the infamous killing of a classmate years earlier.
Q. How can readers choose the most gripping thriller books?
When selecting the most gripping thriller books, focus on fast-moving plots emphasizing thrills over slower character development, shocking plot twists or heightened suspense elements like assassins, serial killers, bombs, hostage scenarios and missing persons cases. Also consider if stories incorporate genre mash-ups like psychological, supernatural or spy thriller themes to add extra electrifying layers.
Q. What are some different types of thriller fiction books?
Some top thriller fiction subgenres include psychological thrillers, spy thrillers, supernatural thrillers, historical thrillers, fantasy thrillers, sci-fi thrillers, erotic thrillers and YA thrillers aimed at teen readers. Best-selling examples include The Silent Patient (psychological), Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series (spy), Dracula (supernatural/historical mashup) and Twilight (YA/romance/fantasy/supernatural hybrid).
Q. How to prolong enjoyment of mystery thriller novels?
Beyond savoring every shocking twist, some tips to stretch out your reading pleasure include reading only during daylight hours to avoid excessive nighttime freakouts, taking breaks between chapters to conjecture motives with friends, curating atmospheric background music playlists to enhance tension and purchasing physical copies to display as coveted collectibles post-reveal.
Q. What thriller books make for addictive reading?
Standout page-turners known for “unputdownable” reading experiences often incorporate unreliable narrators, shadowy antagonists, omnipresent danger, breakneck pacing, abundant cliffhangers, multiple interweaving storylines and “just one more chapter” hook-you-in writing styles. Recent examples include The Wife Between Us, Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors and Such a Quiet Place.
Q. What guidance helps in purchasing thriller books as gifts?
When selecting thriller novels as gifts, helpful strategies include choosing bestsellers within a popular subgenre the recipient already enjoys, bundling the first installments of buzzworthy series they can continue collecting, opting for special edition cover designs and complementary bookish accessories like bookmarks. Most importantly, gift the stories you loved most to share your personal passion!
Conclusion
Our curated list collects some of the most gripping, highly anticipated thriller book releases captivating fans in India right now. From amateur sleuths chasing serial killers to stay-at-home moms investigating their own shocking double lives, these electrifying tales showcase the genre’s incredible range and evolution.
So pick your preferred poison—creepy psychological suspense, action-packed espionage, small-town scandal or classic whodunit and crack open the year’s most exhilarating thrill ride today! Just be warned…these shocking stories will keep you frantically flipping pages deep into the night.
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