Books
12 of the best serial killer thrillers
There’s nothing like losing yourself in a fast-paced crime thriller – and the stakes are rarely higher than when there’s a serial killer on the loose.
From copy-cat killers with an axe to grind, to sadistic psychopaths who live by their own rules, these are the characters who stay with us even as determined detectives track them down – and keep us turning the page well into the early hours.
So, with that in mind, here’s our pick of the best serial killer thriller books.
Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge
Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge
A sadistic serial killer is kidnapping people in pairs, taking them to desolate locations, and leaving them without food or water. They’re told they will die – unless one of them kills the other first. This psychological thriller is a thought-provoking insight into human nature. It’s also the first in the series of DCI Helen Grace novels; a detective with a dark past, who will go to any lengths to solve a case.
The Whisper Man by Alex North
The Whisper Man by Alex North
Fifteen years ago, a serial killer terrorised a small, sleepy town. But, with the accused murderer behind bars, Tom moves to the town with his son, looking for a fresh start. And then another boy goes missing, raising the question: could the killer still be out there?
This psychological thriller is chilling, yet also moving in its depiction of the core father-son relationship.
Want to Play? by P J Tracy
Want to Play? By P J Tracy
When a copy-cat killer takes inspiration from a new computer game, it’s up to games creator Grace MacBride and her team of experts to stop them before more people lose their lives. This fresh take on the cat-and-mouse serial killer genre is full of believable characters and surprising plot twists that will keep you hooked until the last page.
1st to Die by James Patterson
1st to Die by James Patterson
A killer is on the loose, targeting newlywed couples on their wedding nights. San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer is on the case, but she enlists the help of Claire, a leading coroner, Cindy, a journalist, and Jill, a top attorney. Together, they form the Women’s Murder Club: a group willing to make their own rules, and sidestep their bosses, in their pursuit of justice.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Millicent and her husband have been married for 15 years. They have two children, a house in the suburbs, and their marriage is anything but boring. Their method for keeping their romance alive is…unconventional, to say the least, as it involves seducing and then murdering lone women together. But, as they rack up more and more victims, how long can they keep their actions a secret?
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
A young female doctor, who was subject to a brutal assault, thought she had shot her attacker dead. But now, years later, a killer with a similar MO is targeting women who live alone, breaking into their apartments and torturing them before murdering them. The precision of his methods leads Detective Jane Rizzoli to suspect he is in the medical profession. Could he be the same man who’d been presumed dead?
Birdman by Mo Hayder
Birdman by Mo Hayder
Five young women have been murdered, their bodies mutilated in a most disturbing way and dumped on wasteland in south-east London. When another body shows up, DI Jack Caffery realises he is dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to satisfy his perverted bloodlust. There’s never a dull moment in this pacy thriller.
The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons
The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons
Twenty years ago, seven rich, privileged students committed a horrific crime at their exclusive private school. Now, someone is tracking them down and killing them off one by one, in the most violent ways imaginable. Detective Max Wolfe is on the case, tracking this mystery from the seediest corners of the internet all the way up to the corridors of power. Dark and unsettling, this novel is the first in the Detective Max Wolfe series.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Of course, no list of the best serial killer thrillers would be complete without The Silence of the Lambs. For those who haven’t watched the Oscar-winning film, this novel follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she hunts an elusive serial killer with the help of the psychopathic cannibal Hannibal Lecter. This thriller is chilling and unsettling but, most of all, fascinating.
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup
If Scandi noir is more to your taste, you’ll be gripped by this gruesome thriller from Soren Sveistrup. A serial killer is wreaking havoc on the streets of Copenhagen, leaving behind a unique calling card at each of the crime scenes: a doll made of chestnuts and matchsticks. He is also leaving behind a string of clues that point to an already solved murder case, taunting the detectives who are hunting him down.
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
A young boy wakes up to find his mother has disappeared. But when he looks out of the window, he sees her favourite scarf wrapped around the neck of a snowman. Detective Harry Hole soon draws links between this disappearance and an alarming number of wives and mothers who have gone missing over the years – each on the first day of snowfall. It’s clear to the detective that he is up against a calculating serial killer; one who is in the mood for playing games.
The Poet by Michael Connelly
The Poet by Michael Connelly
When Denver crime reporter Jack McEvoy’s brother dies by apparent suicide, he knows something doesn’t add up. And when he investigates a series of police suicides, he finds a pattern: each of their supposed suicide notes references the poems of Edgar Allen Poe. Jack is sure he’s dealing with a serial killer who is choosing his victims carefully. But things take a turn when the killer senses Jack is closing in on him…
Have we missed any of the best serial killer thrillers? Let us know in the comments below…
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Love all of tess gerritson books also surprised that Chris carter is not included another author who I’d strongly recommend
By Reason Of Insanity by Shane Stevens. An epic.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Nadine Matheson’s The Jigsaw Man