Five Things I Love in a Psychological Thriller

There are many things I love about psychological thrillers, but if I had to narrow it down, these five would be high on the list.

1. Secrets
Not just any secrets, but the sort that pretend to be harmless, while everyone else gets on with making tea and lying to each other. You just know that those secrets are going to spill out before long, creating angst for all concerned.

2. Uncertainty
I love not knowing whom to believe. Is the narrator mistaken? Lying? Traumatised? Manipulated? All of the above?

In real life, uncertainty is exhausting. In psychological thrillers, it’s entertaining.

3. Ordinary places made sinister (I’ll be posting more about this next week)
A kitchen. A spare bedroom. A quiet street. A family home.

Psychological thrillers remind us that danger doesn’t arrive wearing a black cloak and accompanied by dramatic music. Often it’s already sitting at the breakfast table, buttering toast.

4. Characters who are complicated rather than simply “good” or “bad”
I’m drawn to characters who make poor choices for understandable reasons. People who are flawed, conflicted, frightened, proud, grieving, jealous, loyal, self-deceiving — in other words, all too human. The best thrillers don’t just ask: ‘What happened?’ They also ask: ‘Why would someone do this? Behave this way?’

5. That one-more-chapter pull
You know the feeling. You’re tired. You should go to sleep. You’ve brushed your teeth, climbed into bed, and made a firm and oh-so-adult decision. One quick chapter won’t hurt, though.

Then a scene ends with a revelation, a compelling line of dialogue, or someone doing something they definitely shouldn’t. Suddenly it’s midnight and your sensible adult self has left the building. Then it’s one o’clock, two o’clock…  

For me, that happens all too often. I’m currently reading ‘The Good Father’ by Liam McIlvanney, and I found it difficult last night to put it down and switch off the light. It’s an intriguing read!

Over to you…
What’s the one thing that makes a psychological thriller impossible for you to put down?

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