Top 100 Killer Thrillers

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

NPR, 100 Books

NPR's "Killer Thrillers" poll has culminated in a definitive list of the top 100 thriller novels, selected through a process that involved the enthusiastic participation of NPR's audience. Initiating with a nomination of approximately 600 novels, the poll attracted over 17,000 ballots, reflecting a wide engagement and a deep interest in the thriller genre. The resulting list is noted for its diversity, spanning various styles and periods, and for the intense debate it spurred regarding the inclusion of certain titles that push the boundaries of the traditional thriller category. Expert panelists, including critics and novelists, contributed to the selection process, offering insights into the dark and suspenseful nature of the chosen works. The endeavor not only highlighted the varied tastes and preferences of the NPR audience but also underscored the expansive definition of what constitutes a thriller, embracing a breathless sense of excitement as the unifying criterion. This poll has effectively mapped the landscape of thriller literature as seen through the eyes of a wide and engaged readership, offering a rich resource for discovering compelling tales of suspense and adventure.

This list was originally published in 2010 and was added to this site over 2 years ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
578 The Silence of the Lambs Thomas Harris 1988 American English
2189 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson 2005 Swedish Swedish
7107 Kiss The Girls James Patterson 1995 American English
1500 The Bourne Identity Robert Ludlum 1980 American English
109 In Cold Blood Truman Capote 1966 American English
1074 The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown 2003 American English
400 The Shining Stephen King 1977 American English
191 And Then There Were None Agatha Christie 1939 British English
1048 The Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy 1984 American English
164 The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle 1902 British English
53 Dracula Bram Stoker 1897 British English
274 The Stand Stephen King 1978 American English
4172 The Bone Collector Jeffery Deaver 1997 American English
1531 Jurassic Park Michael Crichton 1990 American English
4754 Angels And Demons Dan Brown 2000 American English
1801 A Time To Kill John Grisham 1989 American English
1352 The Andromeda Strain Michael Crichton 1969 American English
4291 Mystic River Dennis Lehane 2001 American English
415 The Day of the Jackal Frederick Forsyth 1971 British English
59 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier 1938 British English
1494 Eye Of The Needle Ken Follett 1978 British English
981 It Stephen King 1986 American English
87 The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas 1844 French French
8163 The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larsson 2006 Swedish Swedish
1837 Jaws Peter Benchley 1974 American English
3873 The Alienist Caleb Carr 1994 American English
1001 Red Dragon Thomas Harris 1981 American English
1491 Presumed Innocent Scott Turow 1987 American English
142 The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett 1930 American English
8505 The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest Stieg Larsson 2007 Swedish Swedish
2188 No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy 2005 American English
9677 Gone Baby Gone Dennis Lehane 1998 American English
1094 Gorky Park Martin Cruz Smith 1981 American English
894 Rosemary's Baby Ira Levin 1967 American English
8317 Subterranean James Rollins 1999 American English
6938 Clear And Present Danger Tom Clancy 1989 American English
1293 Salem's Lot Stephen King 1975 American English
7892 Shutter Island Dennis Lehane 2003 American English
233 The Spy Who Came in From the Cold John le Carré 1963 British English
7988 The Poet Michael Connelly 1996 American English
5979 The Boys From Brazil Ira Levin 1976 American English
6425 Cape Fear John D. MacDonald 1957 American English
11794 The Bride Collector Ted Dekker 2010 American English
2695 Pet Sematary Stephen King 1983 American English
2869 Dead Zone Stephen King 1979 American English
961 The Manchurian Candidate Richard Condon 1959 American English
633 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy John le Carré 1974 British English
143 The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith 1955 American English
10203 Tell No One Harlan Coben 2001 American English
10932 Consent To Kill Vince Flynn 2005 American English
344 The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan 1915 British English
10934 Blowback Brad Thor 2005 American English
1451 The Children of Men P. D. James 1992 British English
11831 61 Hours Lee Child 2010 British English
5929 Marathon Man William Goldman 1974 American English
139 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins 1860 British English
11524 206 Bones Kathy Reichs 2009 American English
1279 Psycho Robert Bloch 1959 American English
1930 Killing Floor Lee Child 1997 British English
8721 Rules Of Prey John Sandford 1989 American English
1388 The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins 2008 American English
3926 In The Woods Tana French 2007 Irish English
1645 Shogun James Clavell 1975 British English
6728 The Relic Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child 1995 American English
5234 Intensity Dean R. Koontz 1995 American English
495 Casino Royale Ian Fleming 1953 British English
3319 Metzger's Dog Thomas Perry 1983 American English
7168 Timeline Michael Crichton 1999 American English
2353 Contact Carl Sagan 1985 American English
5421 What The Dead Know Laura Lippman 2007 American English
1809 The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon 2001 Spanish Spanish
10515 The Cabinet Of Curiosities Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child 2002 American English
7018 Charm School Nelson DeMille 1988 American English
7582 Feed Seanan McGuire 2010 American English
11597 Gone Tomorrow Lee Child 2009 British English
10873 Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay 2004 American English
279 The Secret History Donna Tartt 1992 American English
3461 The First Deadly Sin Lawrence Sanders 1973 American English
2145 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson 1999 American English
8333 The Brotherhood Of The Rose David Morrell 1984 American English
9236 Primal Fear William Diehl 1993 American English
11129 The Templar Legacy Steve Berry 2006 American English
9730 The Hard Way Lee Child 2006 British English
507 The Last of the Mohicans James Fenimore Cooper 1826 American English
5467 Six Days Of The Condor James Grady 1974 American English
6652 Fail Safe Eugene Burdick, Harvey Wheeler 1962 American English
1240 Strangers On A Train Patricia Highsmith 1950 American English
5991 The Eight Katherine Neville 1988 American English
6307 The Lost Symbol Dan Brown 2009 American English
1690 Goldfinger Ian Fleming 1959 British English
9140 Bangkok 8 John Burdett 2003 British English
10176 The Kill Artist Daniel Silva 2000 American English
6583 Hardball Sara Paretsky 2009 American English
1709 The Club Dumas Arturo Pérez-Reverte 1993 Spanish Spanish
6735 The Deep Blue Good By John D. MacDonald 1964 American English
8592 The Monkey's Raincoat Robert Crais 1987 American English
8267 Berlin Game Len Deighton 1983 British English
3146 A Simple Plan Scott Smith 1993 American English
5465 Child 44 Tom Rob Smith 2008 Russian English
11288 Heartsick Chelsea Cain 2007 American English