There’s no question that 2019 was a year jam-packed with thrillers that kept you on the edge of your seat. From debuts to new releases by bestselling authors, there were plenty of suspenseful novels to go around. These are the best thrillers of 2019.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

No one ever assumed there was anything wrong in Alicia Berenson’s life… until she shot her husband in the face five times. She hasn’t spoken a word since the crime and now spends her days silent in a locked facility. But everything changes when criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber takes on her case, determined to get her to speak to him. Through intense sessions and a lot of digging, Theo gets to the shocking truth Alicia has been hiding for years.

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Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

When Jules Larsen takes a job as an apartment sitter at the famous Bartholomew, she doesn’t care about the intense rules because she’s in desperate need of a roof over her head. But not everything’s as it seems and just as fast as she makes a new friend in fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, the girl disappears. When Jules tries to track her down, she learns the dark side of the Bartholomew and the extreme danger she’s in.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

This instant #1 international bestseller centers around an unconventional couple. Perfect for fans of Dexter, Samantha Downing’s debut details the lives of a married couple who keeps their relationship interesting by murdering people and getting away with it. A truly unique read, this book was on everyone’s #TBR in 2019.

The Whisper Man by Alex North

Another breakout debut from Celadon Books, The Whisper Man gave readers everywhere the chills this year. Set in the small town of Featherbank, this thrilling novel tells the story of “The Whisper Man,” a serial killer who once abducted and murdered children from the town. Once the culprit is behind bars, everyone in Featherbank can rest easy again… until another boy goes missing two decades later. In the midst of all of this, Tom Kennedy and his son Jake move to the town in the hopes of a fresh start but instead, find themselves at the center of a true nightmare.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Rowan Caine stumbles across an ad for a live-in nanny that looks too good to be true. She takes the job and relocates to the Scottish Highlands as soon as it’s offered to her. But the job will turn out to be nothing like she expected when one of the children is found dead and she’s charged for the murder. Rowan knows she is not guilty and through a series of letters to her attorney, she tries to prove her innocence.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

When Libby Jones turns 25, she learns more about her biological parents and the fact that she is to inherit an abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London. Excited at the prospect of owning this new home, she knows her life is about to completely change. What she doesn’t know, however, is that the home was the site of a gruesome incident 25 years before and her arrival will spark a new nightmare she never saw coming.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

In Virginia, a group of people are linked together due to their participation in a hyperbaric chamber that has been said to cure everything from autism to infertility. But when the chamber explodes, leaving two people dead, it becomes painfully obvious that it wasn’t just an accident. Now, everyone involved will be questioned about the event as they try to get to the bottom of the motive behind the killings.

The Suspect by Fiona Barton

Two 18-year-old girls have just gone missing in Thailand. Journalist Kate Waters works to uncover what happened to the two girls as she continues to worry about her own son who left to go travel two years ago and hasn’t contacted her since.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Abi Knight’s world comes to a screeching halt when she learns her daughter has fallen off a bridge, and when she gets to the hospital she is shocked to find out her daughter is both braindead and pregnant. But the most curious is that Olivia has bruises around her wrists, signaling to Abi that the fall was not an accident. Unsatisfied with the answers authorities are giving her, she does her best to learn the heartbreaking truth of what really happened to her daughter the night she fell.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

During the Cold War, intelligence officer for the FBI, Marie Mitchell feels like she can’t catch a break in her career. Unhappy with her future, she’s eager to take up a new role when it’s offered to her. Joining a task force aimed at bringing down revolutionary president and United States target Thomas Sankara, she’s excited to carve out a place for herself. Over the next few years, she works her way into Sankara’s inner circle and leads the charge in bringing him down once and for all.

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