Best Thriller Books for Beginners

1. 1

   

   The Terminal List

   Terminal List • Book 1

   by Jack Carr

   ★ 4.76 BLT Score (73.5K ratings)

   ★ 4.29 Goodreads (73.5K)

   407 pages • 2018

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
2. 2

   

   Verity

   by Colleen Hoover

   ★ 4.74 BLT Score (3.9M ratings)

   ★ 4.29 Goodreads (3.9M)

   336 pages • 2018

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
3. 3

   

   Misery

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.73 BLT Score (847.7K ratings)

   ★ 4.23 Goodreads (847.7K)

   370 pages • 1987

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
4. 4

   

   Cry Havoc

   Tom Reece • Book 1

   by Jack Carr

   ★ 4.71 BLT Score (8.7K ratings)

   ★ 4.45 Goodreads (8.7K)

   544 pages • 2025

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
5. 5

   

   Sons of Valor

   Sons of Valor • Book 1

   by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson

   ★ 4.71 BLT Score (3.4K ratings)

   ★ 4.51 Goodreads (3.4K)

   450 pages • 2021

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
6. 6

   

   The Silent Patient

   by Alex Michaelides

   ★ 4.68 BLT Score (3.4M ratings)

   ★ 4.17 Goodreads (3.4M)

   336 pages • 2019

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
7. 7

   

   The Institute

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.67 BLT Score (347.4K ratings)

   ★ 4.19 Goodreads (347.4K)

   561 pages • 2019

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
8. 8

   

   The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

   Millennium Series • Book 1

   by Stieg Larsson

   ★ 4.67 BLT Score (3.5M ratings)

   ★ 4.18 Goodreads (3.5M)

   256 pages • 2005

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
9. 9

   

   Watchers

   by Dean Koontz

   ★ 4.66 BLT Score (172.6K ratings)

   ★ 4.19 Goodreads (172.6K)

   624 pages • 1987

   Get the Book → Start Listening →
   Get the Book → Start Listening →
10. 10

    

    Billy Summers

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.66 BLT Score (195.3K ratings)

    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (195.3K)

    517 pages • 2021

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
11. 11

    

    A Time to Kill

    Harry Rex Vonner • Book 1

    by John Grisham

    ★ 4.64 BLT Score (828.3K ratings)

    ★ 4.12 Goodreads (828.3K)

    738 pages • 1989

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
12. 12

    

    Patriot Games

    Jack Ryan • Book 1

    by Tom Clancy

    ★ 4.64 BLT Score (214.5K ratings)

    ★ 4.17 Goodreads (214.5K)

    794 pages • 1987

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
13. 13

    

    Shelter in Place

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.63 BLT Score (48.2K ratings)

    ★ 4.27 Goodreads (48.2K)

    438 pages • 2018

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
14. 14

    

    The Guardians

    by John Grisham

    ★ 4.63 BLT Score (121.1K ratings)

    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (121.1K)

    370 pages • 2019

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
15. 15

    

    All the Colors of the Dark

    by Chris Whitaker

    ★ 4.62 BLT Score (474.2K ratings)

    ★ 4.24 Goodreads (474.2K)

    597 pages • 2024

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
16. 16

    

    Mind Games

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.62 BLT Score (45.8K ratings)

    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (45.8K)

    422 pages • 2024

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
17. 17

    

    The President's Daughter

    by Bill Clinton, James Patterson

    ★ 4.62 BLT Score (53.5K ratings)

    ★ 4.28 Goodreads (53.5K)

    594 pages • 2021

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
18. 18

    

    Then She Was Gone

    by Lisa Jewell

    ★ 4.61 BLT Score (1.0M ratings)

    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (1.0M)

    359 pages • 2017

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
19. 19

    

    Nightwork

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (41.6K ratings)

    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (41.6K)

    437 pages • 2022

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
20. 20

    

    The Lincoln Lawyer

    A Lincoln Lawyer Novel • Book 1

    by Michael Connelly

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (258.9K ratings)

    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (258.9K)

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
21. 21

    

    The Witness

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (95.6K ratings)

    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (95.6K)

    757 pages • 2012

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
22. 22

    

    Spezialeinheit Tier One

    Tier One • Book 1

    by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (15.7K ratings)

    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (15.7K)

    480 pages • 2016

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
23. 23

    

    Identity

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (72.0K ratings)

    ★ 4.28 Goodreads (72.0K)

    437 pages • 2023

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
24. 24

    

    The Power of the Dog

    Power of the Dog • Book 1

    by Don Winslow

    ★ 4.58 BLT Score (49.4K ratings)

    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (49.4K)

    542 pages • 2005

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →
25. 25

    

    The Outsider

    Holly Gibney • Book 1

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.57 BLT Score (386.6K ratings)

    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (386.6K)

    561 pages • 2018

    Get the Book → Start Listening →
    Get the Book → Start Listening →

Hooked? Thriller authors tend to be prolific — find one whose style clicks and you'll have a deep backlist to explore.