Thriller

What is a Thriller?

The thriller is thus named because it provides the reader with thrills. Typically, however, the reader uses the thriller title to discuss a book that has significant danger to the hero, an engaging and powerful villain in the piece, and high stakes to the city, country, or world if the villain succeeds. The exact classification is a little fuzzy so books are sometimes defined as thrillers which may not fit this definition.

Thrillers are often lumped in with Suspense books, but if you want to break things down exactly, is a different genre. Both Thrillers, Suspense, and Mystery books often include elements each other, which is why they are often all tossed together under a single unified category of "Mystery/Thriller/Suspense' books.

Thriller Characteristics

Level of Characterization

The characters can be given a back story, or they may just serve as a way to move the plot along..

Level of Plot

The plot is one of the main drivers in the thriller, The characters must be a quest to help others by their actions.

Level of Mystery

There may be a mystery involved, but it's not a requirement of the subgenre.

Level of Suspense

Most definitely. A thriller need to have suspense, the feeling that something bad is going to happen. It helps activate the characters to solve the problem and save the world.

Level of Thriller

It goes without saying.

Level of Strangeness

There can definitely be strange elements in a thriller. New weapons, different technologies, anything that may threaten the world. And the villain should be larger than life.

Level of Violence

Violence in a part of any thriller. The violence must be sufficient to make the stakes high for the hero and the people involved.

Level of Action

It wouldn't be a thriller without action. Most thrillers have higher page counts, which in turn means more events must occur to keep things moving swiftly.

Degree of Thriller, Thriller, Crime, or Mystery in the Thriller Subgenre

Obviously, these fall into the category of thriller most of all. Thriller need suspense to keep the reader turning those pages. The stakes must be high and the results of failing must be intolerable. While there may be mystery elements, as perhaps the main characters don't know who they are fighting against, a mystery is not required for a thriller.

Related MYSTERY Subgenres

Suspense.

Thriller isn't for you IF...

“ like shorter novels, you don't want to be turning the pages at 3am.

Popular Thriller Books

1. The 39 Steps by John Buchan. A dead man and a dying clue send Richard Hannay off in search of the 39 steps.
2. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. A conspiracy thriller regarding the Holy Grail and the wife of Jesus
3. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Jason Bourne was made into a killing machine and has to recover the story of who he was
4. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. A Russian submarine is in US waters and everyone wants it.
5. The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon. The presidential candidate may have been brainwashed by secret agents to do their bidding in office.
6. The Marathon Man by William Goldman. The return of Nazis after the war is always a good thriller
7. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. A series of murders look like they are related to Dante's circles of hell.
8. LA Confidential by James Ellroy. Corruption and greed in post WWII Los Angeles
9. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. The agent has infiltrated a group planning on blowing up an observatory.
10. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsythe. An assassination attempt on a world leader drives this thriller.