Award Winning Page-Turners
by Librarian Lynn Lampert, Coordinator of Instruction & Information Literacy - August 17, 2026
On August 4th, 2026, The New York Times released their list of the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century. A thriller is a genre of fiction designed to create suspense, tension, anticipation, and excitement. The central question of a thriller novel is typically what will happen next? A good thriller novel keeps you turning the pages as you try to find out how the author will resolve the suspenseful narrative. The protagonist in a thriller usually faces escalating danger, a powerful antagonist, or a high-stakes situation where failure could have life or death consequences. Many consider The Woman in White (1860) by Wilkie Collins to be the first popular thriller novel. Some other older and very famous thrillers include Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), and Daphne du Maurier’s (1938) gothic thriller Rebecca. To come up with a list of the best fiction in the thriller genre since 2000, The New York Times sent ballots to authors of every type of crime fiction, “from legal thrillers to spy novels to cozy mysteries” asking them to name their picks for the 10 best thrillers. Ballots went out to librarians to editors, critics and Bookstagrammers. Famous authors like Stephen King, John Grisham, S.A. Cosby, Lee Child and Freida McFadden also sent in their recommendations. Luckily our very own Gohstand Reading Room has many of the 50 novels that were named the best thriller fiction of the 21st century so far. If you would like to pick up a thriller novel that may keep you up late at night turning the pages in suspense, consider selecting one of the following recommended titles below that was named to the recent New York Times thriller list or an older “classic” thriller from the shelves of the Gohstand Reading Room:
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PS3613.O5644 G64 2024
Awards: Named One of the Best 50 Thrillers Published Since 2000 by The New York Times; Nominated for a 2025 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America
Summary: "When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Losing a camper is a horrific tragedy under any circumstances, but Barbara isn't just any camper, she's the daughter of the wealthy family who owns the camp--as well as the opulent nearby estate, and most of the land in sight. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region: Barbara's older brother also went missing 16 years earlier, never to be found. How could this have happened yet again? Out of this gripping beginning, Liz Moore weaves a richly textured drama, both emotionally nuanced and propelled by a double-barreled mystery. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded drama brings readers into the hearts of characters whose lives are forever changed by this eventful summer: Barbara's wounded, grieving mother; the "townie" whose family makes a living off this land; the 13-year-old camper struggling to find her way; and the outsider tasked with seeing the bigger picture, and uncovering the truth"--Provided by publisher
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PS3603.O7988 A55 2023
Awards: Named One of the Best 50 Thrillers Published Since 2000 by The New York Times and the 2024 Anthony Award – Best Novel
Summary: "After years of working as an FBI agent, Titus Crown returns home to Charon County, land of moonshine and cornbread, fist fights and honeysuckle. Seeing his hometown struggling with a bigoted police force inspires him to run for sheriff. He wins and becomes the first Black sheriff in the history of the county. Then a year to the day after his election, a young Black man is fatally shot by Titus's deputies. Titus pledges to follow the truth wherever it leads. But no one expected he would unearth a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. Now, Titus must pull off the impossible: stay true to his instincts, prevent outright panic, and investigate a shocking crime in a small town where everyone knows everyone yet secrets flourish. All while also breaking up backroads bar fights and being forced to protect racist Confederate pride marchers. For a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South, that's no easy feat. But Charon is Titus's home and his heart, and he won't let the darkness overtake it. Even as it threatens to consume him."-- Provided by publisher.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PR6123.H556 A79 2024
Awards: Named One of the Best 50 Thrillers Published Since 2000 by The New York Times;
A Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Summary: 1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges--Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope."-- Provided by publisher.
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Location: Gohstand Reading Room ; PS3611.U415 N68 2022
Awards: Named One of the Best 50 Thrillers Published Since 2000 by The New York Times & Edgar Award for Best Novel (2023) by the Mystery Writers of America
Summary: "Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn't want to die--he wants to be celebrated, understood. Through a kaleidoscope of women--a mother, a sister, a homicide detective--we learn the story of Ansel's life. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake"-- Provided by publisher.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PR6108.A963 G57 2015
Awards: Named One of the Best 50 Thrillers Published Since 2000 by The New York Times
Summary: Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning, flashing past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stopping at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. Their life, as she sees it, is perfect ... until she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but now everything is changed. Rachel goes to the police and becomes inextricably entwined in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PR6007.U47 R4 1997
Awards: National Book Award Winner (1938)
Summary: Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel by English author Daphne du Maurier. It introduces an unnamed young woman who hastily marries a wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, and moves to his large estate, Manderley, in Cornwall. Upon her arrival, the new Mrs. de Winter finds Manderley overshadowed by the presence of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who died the previous year. The story explores themes of jealousy, the struggle with the shadow of the past, and the dynamics within a troubled marriage...
Acclaimed for its suspenseful plot, complex characters, and atmospheric setting, Rebecca has remained a bestseller since its publication. The novel has been adapted multiple times for stage and screen, most notably a 1940 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and a Netflix adaptation in 2020. The opening line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," is one of the most famous in English literature, setting the tone for a story of haunting memories and a struggle for identity and love. (Source: Audible Blog)
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Location: Gohstand Reading Room; PS3558.I366 T33 1992b
Awards: Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (1957): Won Best International Crime Novel.
Summary: “Suave, agreeable, and completely amoral, Patricia Highsmith’s hero, the inimitable Tom Ripley, stops at nothing – not even murder – to accomplish his goals. In achieving for himself the opulent life that he was denied as a child, Ripley shows himself to be a master of illusion and manipulation and a disturbingly sympathetic combination of genius and psychopath. As Highsmith navigates the mesmerizing tangle of Ripley’s deadly and sinister games, she turns the mystery genre inside out and takes us into the mind of a man utterly indifferent to evil”. (Penguin Publisher Summary)