5 Best Thriller Books To Read Over The Weekend

The debut novel of Alex Michaelides published in 2019 was an instant no.1 New York Times bestseller and became the recipient of Goodreads Choice Awards which it undeniably deserved.

Alicia Berenson seems to have a perfect relationship with her beloved husband as her diary entries suggest. So why did she shoot Gabriel, whom she loved more than anything, five times in the face and never speak again? And why did she paint a self-portrait right after the murder and title it 'Alcestis', after the name of a Greek heroine? The tabloid story naturally caught the attention of the public but most notably of Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who is convinced that he can get Alicia to talk again. He begins investigating the events leading up to the murder and tries to get into her head through one-on-one therapy sessions which were mostly futile because of her silence. But when she does speak, is it something he wants to hear? 

The ending of the story gives off a hint of a classic Agatha Christie mystery and I am convinced that if this man continues with such brilliance and picks up consistency, he may emerge as the 21st century Christie, which most of us mystery fans would die for. A book that edges more towards psychological thrill, this

This work made me realize the horrors of severe mental illnesses and just how much they can damage an individual and the people around them. Undeniably one of the best psychological thrillers I have read, this read gives us a peek into the life of Rachel Watson, a woman who finds solace in train journeys. She was plunged into dipsomania that had far-reaching consequences on her broken marriage with Tom and her professional life. 

Rachel suffers from a condition where she has frequent episodes of the fugue, during which she physically assaults her husband Tom, having no recollection of such events thereafter. This has driven Tom away from her and into the life of Anna with whom he has a daughter. This seems to aggravate her violent behavior due to her own barren state. Her frequent train journeys gives her a peek into Tom's new life as well as the life of Megan Hipwell as their homes pass her train each day. Due to her dipsomania, Rachel gets into a pickle every now and then which makes her frequently a subject to hate and criticism by others. But things seem to be completely different from what they appear, to us and to Rachel herself.

This story with an unbelievable revelation easily made its place in the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers 2015 list. Still captivating many readers, the intricacies of the ending never fail to astound the readers. 

Larsson created his character Lisbeth who is the lead female character of his book from the image of an old acquaintance who was a rape survivor. The character of the book was made in her shadow and given the attributes of a strong and fierce woman with a haunting reality. 

Michael Blomkvist, an infamous publisher of Millenium magazine, is imprisoned after losing a libel case which he believes he shouldn't have been stuck in the middle of, to begin with. After his freedom, he has been offered to investigate a long-forgotten case of a missing girl named Harriet Vanger by an old relative. Reluctantly, he accepts the offer and he soon finds himself genuinely interested in the mystery of this missing girl. He soon gets an assistant in Lisbeth Salander, a genius hacker who until recently was subject to sexual assault from her legal guardian.  The two embark upon the mission of fathoming just what happened to Harriet years ago by rummaging through her old case files and meeting the unquestioned witnesses. 

A book that gives a look into the crude reality of what happens behind the closed door of a family and what most women endure throughout their lives owing to this unsympathetic world, the writer illustrates the ordeal of different women and frequently cites real data that enlightens the readers about the cruelty of the world. 

10 strangers find themselves cooped up on an isolated island after being invited by a mysterious U.N. Owen. The host, however, seems to be absent from the entire island and no one knows the real identity of this stranger. After dinner, a gramophone was played on the order of the mysterious Owen and each of the guests was accused of committing terrible crimes for which they were not prosecuted and slipped out of the hands of law and subsequently, Justice. Soon after the accusations were made, each guest begins to get killed by some unfathomable force because it is petty evident that the island is inhabited by only these 10 people who are the real target of such brutality, then who is the murderer? 

One of the best-selling books and mysteries of all time with over 100 million copies sold, this piece still keeps the readers amazed and the solution of the riddle will leave you dumbfounded. 

With a controversial and delicate central theme, this book has emerged as a subject of popular discussion that invites comments of appreciation and most notably hate as the book questions the origins of Christianity. There is a thin line between facts and fiction which is unclear if you are not well-versed in the Christian scriptures and Roman history. Subsequently, I often found myself googling some things that were written in the book, and surprisingly, most claims checked out. Nonetheless, it has been widely criticized by readers for its fallibility at every turn, be it the Roman history or Christian scriptures. The mystery and adventure though will leave you awe-struck. 

An archaeologist during one of his excavations unearthed some secrets buried deep down in history that could change the beliefs of the present time entirely and smash down the foundations of Christianity. This discovery ensues a wild chase where the archaeologist and his assistant are being relentlessly hunted down by the police and virtually every other authority in Italy. Among the people trying to chase the archaeologist are felons Jonathan Payne and David Jones who have been reluctantly recruited for the job in the exchange for their freedom. Meanwhile, some unfathomable and emblematic murders seem to take place all over the world where people completely different from each other are being crucified, leaving a tricky puzzle for detective Nick Dial to figure out.