The best thriller books are works from which readers are not able to tear themselves away until they “swallow” the last pages. The impression is enhanced if the finale is a complete surprise. What are the fruits of writing that are able to keep in tension throughout the reading, and then hit with an unexpected denouement?
Rebecca (Daphne Dumorier)
There is a work that cannot be ignored, calling the best thriller books. The rating is deservedly led by the novel "Rebecca", created by the talented Daphne Dumorie. The writer is one of the authors without whom such a phenomenon as the “intellectual thriller” would not have been born. Rebecca is a book whose original plot does not allow readers to relax until the finale. Of course, the ending comes as a surprise.
The main character is a simple girl, by fate, becoming the wife of a wealthy aristocrat. After the wedding, she learns that her chosen one was once married to a mysterious woman named Rebecca. Once in the husband’s house, the newlywed begins to experience great discomfort from the fact that others do not cease to compare her with her first wife. It begins to seem to her that the former owner of the mansion is still alive, and she herself is just an impostor. Gradually, the girl reveals the truth about Rebecca, which causes her ever-increasing fear.
The Invisibles (Chuck Palahniuk)
Remembering the best thriller books with an unexpected end, one cannot fail to mention the work of such a wonderful writer as Chuck Palahniuk. Of course, the author is known primarily around the world as the creator of Fight Club, but the work of Invisible deserves the same high praise. This novel shockes readers with its frankness, keeps it in suspense and amazes with the unpredictability of the ending.
The focus is on three people traveling around North America. The storyteller is a girl who was a successful model in the past. To abandon a brilliant career, the beauty was forced by people who disfigured her face. Now that the main character has nothing to lose, she intends to pay off all her enemies. Not a single reader has yet managed to guess in the reading process what the outcome of the conflict will be.
Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)
What else can you recall the best thriller books with unpredictable denouement? The list will not be complete if you forget to add the Fight Club to it. Of course, the finale of the best work of Chuck Palahniuk will not come as a surprise to those who watched the eponymous film with Brad Pete and Edward Norton in the lead roles. However, those who have not yet had time to watch the famous thriller, the ending of the novel, which formed the basis of its plot, will really amaze. Not surprisingly, journalists dubbed him the most scandalous work of the 90s.
The central character of the story is a clerk, fatally tired of the monotony of his existence. Suddenly, on his life path, a charming Tyler Darden, the owner of a perverted philosophy, meets. Following the example of a new friend, yesterday's clerk begins to do things completely unusual for him, changes and is liberated in front of his eyes. The impression that remains of reading the last pages is hardly forgotten quickly.
The best thriller books: “Secret Window, Secret Garden”
Stephen King is a famous writer who masterfully plays with the emotions of readers. The best thriller books that have come out of his pen can deprive a person of sleep and peace. It is difficult to tear yourself away from King’s works without understanding what is really happening and what awaits the heroes in the end.
An example of a wonderful book, the end of which cannot be predicted even by the most careful reader, is “Secret Window, Secret Garden”. The central character of the novel is a writer who has secluded himself in a lonely house in order to tackle a new story. However, suddenly the author begins to pursue a crazy person who assures that the protagonist stole his work. Of course, the denouement will be unexpected only for those people who did not watch the Secret Window thriller, star of which was Johnny Depp.
Prestige (Christopher Priest)
Of course, not all the best thriller books of all time are listed above. The rating cannot but include a work authored by Christopher Priest. Readers who did not have time to get acquainted with the film "Prestige", which saw the light in 2006, will fall into a state of shock after learning the ending of the novel of the same name.
The main characters of Prestige are two talented illusionist magicians. Initially, they are close friends, comic competition helps them move forward, honing their skills. However, over the years, unspoken rivalry is gaining momentum. The jokes end, the time comes for a real war. Magicians are capable of any meanness in order to find out the secrets of fantastic numbers from an opponent or spoil someone else's performance. Enmity flares up with such force that even close illusionists are in danger.
Creativity Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is not the writer whose work will appeal to the reader who is interested in the best thriller books of all time. However, this talented woman managed not only detective stories with a predictable ending, but also thrillers, the outcome of which is extremely difficult to foresee.
An example is the brilliant novel “10 Indigents”. A mysterious stranger gathers in a house located on a secluded island, 10 people, using various pretexts. Guests are met only by maintenance staff, who are also not up to date. People gathered in the house cannot leave the island, the ferry that delivered them here will return only after a few days. At first, what is happening is reminiscent of an absurd joke, but one by one the guests begin to die. When reading a thriller, the voltage does not leave the reader right up to the final pages.
What else to read
Naming the best thriller books, one cannot fail to mention the novel that came out of the pen of the Scotsman Ian Banks. “Horn factory” is a work that should not be taken by the faint of heart. Throughout the reading, there is a desire to open the final page and get acquainted with its contents. Those readers who can resist this step will receive a generous reward in the form of a shocking denouement. The central character of the story is a sixteen-year-old teenager with a mysterious past.
“Atonement" is a work of Ian McEwan, the ending of which is terrible and beautiful at the same time. You should definitely read it with readers who are interested in the best thriller books. Of course, first of all, this applies to those who did not have time to watch the film of the same name, shot several years ago.