THE 50 BEST SUSPENSE BOOKS EVER - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

Today I come with a list of the best suspense books ever for kids, teens, and adults. Some of them combine suspense with fear, mystery and even love. Among them are El resplandor, It, Perdidos, La cupola or The men who did not love women.

The suspense is defined as the expectation that is created before the development of the plot of a literary work or film. This keeps the viewer or reader aware of what is going to happen.

Recommended suspense titles

1- The Shining, Stephen King

Stephen King is an expert when it comes to suspense. The story begins with the transfer of a family to a luxury hotel that was closed for six months because of the snow.

There, the father will begin to have a series of "hallucinations" that will turn the coexistence of the place into hell.

2- Complete stories of Allan Poe

The entire collection of the best stories from one of the fathers of the horror and suspense genre.

The dizzying rhythm that impresses his writings and the darkness that is breathed in the environment will hook you from the first moment.

In The Raven, The Well and the Pendulum or The Tell-Tale Heart you can find some of their best stories.

3- It, Stephen King

A group of young people live in terror with the appearance in their city of an intimidating figure whom they call "that". It is capable of changing shape by feeding on the terror it produces in its victims.

For reasons beyond their control, they must leave their hometown, but one day they decide to return to try to solve the case that kept them in suspense for so long during their youth.

4- The exorcist, William Peter Blatty

Based on a true story, The Exorcist is a novel based on the exorcism of a 13-year-old girl in Missouri.

What was one of the greatest best-sellers of all time, reached more popularity thanks to the film of the same name and directed by William Friedkin.

5- Américan Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis

Published in 1991, American psycho recounts the acts of a murderer in Manhattan in the 1980s.

With addictive prose, the novel seems to be a monologue of the psychopath, where he expresses his feelings and thoughts, what goes through his head at all times.

The protagonist of the play is Patrick Bateman, a successful young man who murders, tortures and rapes without any shame.

6- The monk, Matthew Lewis

First published in 1796, the novel was written by its author even before his twentieth birthday and in just ten weeks.

The story is about a Spanish monk who is tempted by the devil. After discovering himself, the protagonist is condemned by the Inquisition to die.

With an insane rhythm, it approaches a psychological terror that will leave you petrified, much in the style of Allan Poe.

7- The dome, Stephen King

On October 21, the inhabitants of Chester's Mills wake up isolated from the outside world by a strange dome.

The situation is getting worse and worse, increasing the number of deaths day after day. Why has that strange dome appeared? How will the protagonists solve this problem? Who is behind all this?

If you want to know the answers to this interesting plot, do not hesitate to read this book.

8- Houses without doors, Peter Straub

Set of stories bathed in a mixture of suspense and terror that will make your imagination fly to each page you devour.

Among them you can find some stories such as The Poetry Reading or The Buffalo Hunter.

9- I am Legend, Richard Matheson

Story that tells of Robert Neville's survival attempt in Los Angeles. In a post-apocalyptic panorama, he has been the only one capable of surviving a pandemic that has devastated the earth.

But, as the plot progresses, he will discover that he is not alone, and that there are more beings who accompany him on his adventure.

The book was adapted with a successful adapted film starring actor Will Smith.

10- Lost, Peter Straub

Interesting suspenseful story that tells the story of a disappearance in the town of Millhaven.

This occurs when Mark's mother commits suicide for no apparent reason. Weeks later, fifteen-year-old Mark disappears.

Where has he been? To know him you will have to read this work by Peter Straub.

11- The truth about the Harry Quebert case, Joël Dicker

Is there a genre that exploits more suspense than the police or detective?

In this case, the plot revolves around three murders that unfold to give the play a brilliant outcome. Reading will become a vice as you progress.

12- Men who did not love women, Stieg Larsson

Henrik Vanger, a retired businessman, decides to solve an old case: the disappearance 30 years ago of his niece thirty years ago on a Swedish island owned by the magnate.

He will be accompanied by an investigative journalist from Millenium magazine who is not in his prime.

13- Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie

We are facing one of the most famous works of the writer Agatha Christie. And it is not for less, since the novel will keep you in a constant suspense from beginning to end.

In it, detective Hercule Poirot travels on the Orient Express, a train that travels to England from Istanbul. Suddenly, a traveler appears murdered in his sleep. Given this, he will have no choice but to launch into the investigation to try to discover the culprit of this.

14- The shadow of the wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón

One of the most famous novels of Spanish production in recent years.

The writer Carlos Ruíz zafón places us in 1945 to tell us the story of a boy led with his father to a place called "the cemetery of forgotten books."

There they will find a cursed book that will change their lives forever. The action will take place in Barcelona.

15- The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett

History that revolves around a precious relic: a Maltese falcon that the knights of the Order of Malta gave in the 16th century to Emperor Charles V. The plot tells how this object has been the focus of thieves and mishaps during the passage of years.

Located in the twentieth century in San Francisco, a group of criminals seizes their power. Given this, Detective Sam Spade must do everything possible to get hold of the falcon.

16- The da Vinci code, Dan Brown

Dan Brown's most famous work so far. After the appearance of a dead man in the Louvre museum surrounded by a somewhat strange symbolism, Robert Langdom, an expert professor in this field, is turned to.

As a result of that moment, he will experience a series of events that will lead him to mix religion and art as the main bases of his research.

17- Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes' first novel and one of the best known. In it, Dr. John Watson is looking for a home to stay in. It ends up meeting Sherlock Holmes and his particular life as a detective.

In A Study in Scarlet, both characters must investigate a murder that will lead them to meddle in the plans of the Mormon Church.

18- The Hound of Baskerville, Arthur Conan Doyle

A mysterious dog has been murdering members of the Baskerville family for years. Given this, the last living heir of the family will ask the help of Sherlock Holmes and his assistant to discover why these terrible events and how to solve them.

19- Angels and demons, Dan Brown

The Vatican enlists the help of expert professor of symbology Robert Langdom. This must solve a mystery that hangs over the entire ecclesiastical community. Another dead man with the Illuminati sign appears for no apparent reason.

After this, a series of murders on the cardinals favorite to the papal position are taking place unstoppably

20- The spy who emerged from the cold, John le Carré

Alec Leamas, a former English spy, accepts a challenge: to enter the ranks of East Germany to assassinate the top spy leader in that Gallic area.

The events, which will keep you under constant pressure, will unfold in the most unforeseen way possible.

21- The postman always calls twice, James M. Cain

22- The Ice Princess, Camilla Lackberg

23- Cold skin, Albert Sánchez Piñol

24- The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris

25- Lost, Gillian Flynn

26- Another turn of the screw, Henry James

27- The Invisible Guardian, Dolores round

28- The Swamp of Butterflies, Federico Axat

29- Lost, Gillian Flynn

30- Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

31- The End of the Scribes, Glenn Cooper

32- Sacrifice to Mölek

33- Murder on the Nile, Agatha Christie

34- The thirteenth story, Diane Stterfield

35- The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris

36- What does not kill you makes you stronger, David Lagercrantz

37- Boy 44, Tom Rob Smith

38- Leona Blanca, Henning Mankell

39- The indelible marks, Camilla Lackerberg

40- Inferno, Dan Brown

41- Call for the dead John le carrér, Patricia Cornwell

42- The thief, Fuminori Nakamura

43- The Cuchoo's Calling, JK Rowling

44- The girl who dreamed of a match and a can of gasoline, Stieg Larsson

45- The Queen in the Palace of Drafts, Stieg Larsson

46- The White Town, Arthur Machen

47- The Wendigo, Algernon Blackwood

48- The Open Door, Margaret Oliphant

49- The Prophecy of Cloostedd, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

50- The litigants, John Grisham

Themes of interest

Books of all genres

Short novels

Self-help books

Books based on real events

Adventure books

Science fiction books

Mystery books

Detective novels

Psychology books

Horror books