Episode · The Book Review · 2026-08-05
Books mentioned on Let’s Talk About the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Cat Among the Pigeons
Discussed“My teacher, Mrs. McB read aloud to the class the Agatha Christie mystery, Cat Among the Pigeons. I don't know if you've read this one.”
Where to get it
-
Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a classic psychological thriller that follows a young second wife as she moves into a moody coastal estate, only to find herself haunted by the lingering memory and oppressive shadow of her husband's deceased first wife.
Discussed“So other things were like Rebecca, amazing thriller, The Turn of the Screw, and you know, you read those not knowing what genre they are, but oh my god, there are thrillers.”
Where to get it
-
The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a seminal Gothic novella that has terrified and fascinated readers for generations with its chilling ambiguity surrounding ghosts, psychological torment, and unreliable narration.
Discussed“So other things were like Rebecca, amazing thriller, The Turn of the Screw, and you know, you read those not knowing what genre they are, but oh my god, there are thrillers.”
Where to get it
-
The Firm
The Firm by John Grisham is a gripping legal thriller that follows a young, ambitious lawyer who discovers his prestigious new law firm is a front for the mafia.
Discussed“I remember maybe 13 or so picking up an early John Gisham. Might have been around the time that the movie version of The Firm came out.”
Where to get it
-
The Pelican Brief
Discussed“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief. I really love that book.”
Where to get it
-
Presumed Innocent
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow is widely regarded as a classic legal thriller that explores the intense fallout within a prosecutor's office after a prominent attorney is accused of murdering his colleague.
Recommended“And then I picked up um Presumed Innocent. I you know, actually I've Okay, go leave this podcast right now and go and read it. What's wrong with you? Uh Sarah, best book on this podcast maybe four years ago. You told me to read Presumed Innocent and I still haven't.”
Where to get it
-
And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is a masterclass in suspense and widely regarded as one of the greatest murder mystery novels ever written, following ten strangers lured to a remote island who are systematically killed off.
Discussed“But then there was a period where I moved to Agatha Christie myself. I picked up and then there Were None, which is still, holy cow, just one of the is tightly plotted and creepy books I've ever read.”
Where to get it
-
Peril at End House
Discussed“Gina, do you have a favorite Agatha Christie? Oh, that's too hard. Um, Peril at End House, maybe.”
Where to get it
-
Crooked House
Crooked House by Agatha Christie is a psychological mystery novel revolving around the secretive and dysfunctional members of a wealthy family residing in a sprawling English estate.
Discussed“I mean, I think probably in Then There Were None is the best one, but there's one called Crooked House. Oh. That is so creepy and weird...”
Where to get it
-
Time and Again
Time and Again by Jack Finney is an imaginative and immersive time travel thriller that transports readers back into the rich historical atmosphere of old New York.
Recommended“I love a time travel thriller because how it plays with reality and what you can change and and so I would always point people back to The Great Time and Again by Jack Finney, which has the benefit also of being set in old New York.”
Where to get it
-
Gone Girl
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a psychological thriller novel centering on the turbulent marriage and sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne, told through deceptive alternating perspectives.
Discussed“Tina Gong Girl by Gillian Flynn. That's the number one book on this list. Number one by a darn mile.”
Where to get it
-
Sharp Objects
Sharp Objects is a dark thriller by Gillian Flynn that follows a troubled reporter returning to her hometown to cover the murders of two young girls while confronting her own deeply dysfunctional family and traumatic past.
Discussed“Well, one of the other titles that falls into that trope is another Gillian Flynn book, Sharp Objects.”
Where to get it
-
Broken Harbor
Broken Harbor by Tana French is a psychological crime thriller centered on a disturbing murder investigation within a half-finished, economically ruined Dublin housing development.
Discussed“So the three books of Frenches that are on this list are In the Woods, which came in at number three, The Likeness, which came in at number 34, and Broken Harbor, which came in at number 20.”
Where to get it
-
Mystic river
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane is a gripping psychological crime novel about three childhood friends in Boston whose lives are violently upended by the murder of one of their daughters.
Discussed“And Mystic River, Dennis Leah Hannes novel came in at number two. Number two.”
Where to get it
-
All the Sinners Bleed
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A.
Discussed“if you're a criminal in his books or if you are the first black sheriff in a particular county as is the case in all the sinners bleed...”
Where to get it
-
The God of the Woods
Liz Moore's bestselling novel The God of the Woods is a suspenseful mystery set in the Adirondack mountains during the 1970s, revolving around a wealthy dynastic family whose daughter disappears from a summer camp they founded.
Discussed“Sarah, something that I know is a trend that you have called out recurs in one of the more recent books on this list, which is God of the Woods by Liz Moore.”
Where to get it
-
Man SOM Hatar Kvinnor [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo] (Korean Edition)
Stieg Larsson's gripping and complex thriller Man SOM Hatar Kvinnor [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo] (Korean Edition) explores dark mysteries and societal corruption through a chilling lens.
Discussed“I do think that Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was like what sort of kicked this off. Certainly for the Scandinavian mysteries and thrillers...”
Where to get it
-
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy is a gripping suspense novel that tracks the violent aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong in West Texas alongside the pursuit of a ruthless killer.
Discussed“No Country for Old Men which the Cone brothers directed the Cormack McCarthy novel which came in number five one best picture.”
Where to get it
-
Case Histories
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson is a compelling contemporary detective novel featuring private investigator Jackson Brodie.
Recommended“Well, I'm sure a lot of readers have been here already, but I'm going to plug the great book Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.”
Where to get it
-
Life After Life
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson is a celebrated novel that follows protagonist Ursula Todd as she repeatedly dies and is reborn across different eras of the twentieth century, most notably the Second World War.
Recommended“and she's written some beautiful novels, especially Life After Life, which is one of my favorite books of all time.”
Where to get it
-
The Secret History
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a gripping psychological thriller that follows a tightly knit group of classics students at an elite Vermont college who become morally corrupted after committing murder.
Discussed“Kyle, let's go back to even further say to a favorite book like Secret History, which I think we've all read. Gilbert, tell me you've read that.”
Where to get it
-
My sister, the serial killer
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite is a darkly comedic thriller that explores complex sibling dynamics against the backdrop of unusual crimes.
Discussed“I was surprised and delighted to see My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oen Ken Braithweight. It came in so high. It came in so high. I think it's at number six, right?”
Where to get it
-
We need to talk about Kevin
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver is a dark, epistolary psychological novel that examines the complex, chilling relationship between a mother and her estranged son who commits a school massacre.
Discussed“Sarah, it's such a great book, but I was sort of surprised and very pleasantly to see we need to talk about Kevin on this list.”
Where to get it
-
Butter
Discussed“In all of the front windows was this book Butter by Asako Yuzuki which was a Japanese uh thriller. It was huge there.”
Where to get it
-
Defending Jacob
Defending Jacob by William Landay is a gripping psychological legal thriller that examines the devastating fallout within a family when a teenage boy is accused of murder.
Recommended“It's defending Jacob by William Lande, an evil child book as we discussed.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (12) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief.”
“So, you know, the firm I think at the time it probably was the firm went back to a time to kill then it had to the client and then I picked up several other oh pelican brief.”
“Murder on the Express and some of the more obvious Agatha Christie books.”
“So the three books of Frenches that are on this list are In the Woods, which came in at number three, The Likeness, which came in at number 34, and Broken Harbor, which came in at number 20.”
“So the three books of Frenches that are on this list are In the Woods, which came in at number three, The Likeness, which came in at number 34, and Broken Harbor, which came in at number 20.”
“Um, defending Jacob. We need to talk about Kevin and the push. So there's three.”
“Um, defending Jacob. We need to talk about Kevin and the push. So there's three.”
“Um, defending Jacob. We need to talk about Kevin and the push. So there's three.”
“And you know, Gong Girl made into a well-known David Fincher movie starring Ben Affleck and and Rosman Pike.”
“Clint Eastwood directed the movie adaptation of Mystic River and that was that was an extraordinary movie nominated for best picture”
“Shutter Island was directed by Martin Scorsesei.”
“you know, the constant gardener was made into an amazing movie.”