Literary Thrillers to Sink Your Teeth Into
Regardless of genre, I’ve always believed that the best books are the ones that make you think about the world in a new way. As a thriller writer myself, I may be biased, but I believe that thrillers are uniquely suited to the task. After all, books in this genre are defined by their ability to induce fear and uncertainty in the reader’s mind, which then poses the question: what do these fears and uncertainties say about the world we live in? Alternatively, for thrillers with a more speculative bent, what do these hypothetical scenarios say about the aspects of life that we take for granted?
As an avid reader myself, I don’t necessarily derive this kind of insight from plot alone. More often, it comes from line-level craft and complex character development: things that are commonly associated with a book being “literary.” I know that the term is a little bit overused, but here I’m using it to mean books that offer evocative writing and nuanced character development alongside the kind of blockbuster plot you’d expect from the genre.
It’s rare to find a book that sits at this intersection, but I’m excited to share a couple of my favorites with you.
The narrator of Mouth to Mouth listens as a former classmate, Jeff Cook, tells the story of his adult life. Jeff’s life changes one day when he saves a drowning man, Francis Arsenault, who turns out to be a renowned art dealer. After the incident, Jeff starts showing up at Francis’s art gallery. While Francis does not recognize Jeff, he sees potential in him and takes him under his wing. Meanwhile, Jeff slowly starts to embed himself further in Francis’s life, without ever revealing how their lives have intertwined in the past.
In addition to being a page-turner that you can read in a single setting, Mouth to Mouth explores the way that we deceive ourselves and others, ending with a brilliant twist when the lives of the narrator and Jeff converge.
With his latest novel based on a stolen story, Jacob’s career takes off. But at the height of his success, an email arrives: “You are a thief, it says.”
The Plot has all the ingredients for an excellent novel: razor-sharp writing, a suspenseful plot, and a protagonist going through a mid-life crisis — if you’re into that (I certainly am).
Loosely based on the murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in 1986, A Gorgeous Excitement is told from the perspective of teenager Nina Jacobs the summer before going off to college, as she navigates toxic friends, her mother’s depression, and a growing dependency on cocaine. Set on losing her virginity before going off to college, Nina starts pursuing the handsome and charismatic Gardner Reed. However, her single-minded obsession with Gardner leads her to overlook warning signs that point to a darkness lurking underneath Gardner’s polished veneer.
Atmospheric and introspective, A Gorgeous Excitement is a tense coming-of-age novel that dazzles while leaving you on the edge of your seat.
Literary Audiobooks for Mystery & Thriller Readers
Discover the Author
Canwen Xu is a debut author whose writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Kansas City Star, Chalkbeat, Areo Magazine, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia University.
At first, she follows her because she’s just curious. What Laura orders for lunch. Where Laura shops. What Laura’s hobbies are. All of these things must contribute to her overall package, what makes her an acceptable person to Harvard. But still, Elizabeth just can’t see it. The only thing she sees is that Laura has taken her spot.
A spot that she knows she deserves after working so hard. A spot that she’ll simply have to take back.
Layered and subversive, this novel brings to light how, in the face of societal expectations and self-inflicted pressures, a person can unlock the darkest parts of themselves and show how far they’re willing to go to achieve their vision of success.
