Sleep With the Lights On: 5 Thrillers That Will Keep You Guessing

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There’s something irresistible about a book that leaves you breathless, your

pulse quickened, and the shadows in your room suddenly more menacing.

Crime, thriller, and mystery fiction allow us to explore fear safely, turning the

unknown into entertainment. And at the heart of this fascination are the

stories themselves—crafted to push us to the edge of our comfort zone and

keep us flipping pages late into the night.

New & Noteworthy Thrillers (2024–2025)

Here are some of the standout psychological thrillers that have captured readers’ imaginations over the past two years. Each one offers a different shade of fear whether it’s paranoia, survival, or the creeping dread of someone watching too closely.

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Not Quite Dead Yet

By:

Holly Jackson

Solve your murder before time runs out.

Jet Mason has just seven days to solve her own murder before her brain

injury kills her. Jackson, queen of YA thrillers, blends urgency with an

inventive premise that hooks you instantly.

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The New Neighbors

By:

Claire Douglas

When paranoia feels a little too real.

A suburban nightmare where Lena becomes convinced her neighbors are plotting something sinister. Douglas excels at domestic suspense, blurring the line between paranoia and reality.

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Runner 13

By:

Amy McCulloh

Every mile could be your last.

Set against the brutal backdrop of a Sahara ultramarathon, runners begin to vanish one by one. A taut survival thriller where every mile could be your last.

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Don't Let Him In

By:

Lisa Jewell

Someone’s watching... and waiting.

Three women’s lives collide under the gaze of an ominous watcher. Jewell masterfully ramps up the tension, proving again why she’s one of the genre’s most addictive voices.

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Dark Things

By:

Kate Anslinger

When fiction and reality collide in deadly ways.

When a bestselling author disappears, the clues she leaves behind seem torn from her own fiction. Anslinger plays with the boundaries between reality and imagination, creating a layered, haunting read.

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The genius of psychological thrillers lies in how they manipulate uncertainty. Every misdirection, every unanswered question keeps us second-guessing ourselves and the characters. The fear feels real—but in the safe space of fiction, we savor it. These books are page-turning rehearsals for danger, giving us a controlled way to explore our darkest curiosities.

✨ If your next read leaves you sleeping with the lights on, that’s the sign of

a thriller well done. Fear, after all, is part of the fun—and these books deliver it in spades.

What’s the last book that made you leave the light on?