As you sleep
In contemporary literature it is understood by "best books thriller”To those works written with greater quotas of suspense, anticipation, anxiety and surprises. Beyond presenting passages whose interpretation is confusing, the most prominent authors of this subgenre of fiction tend to play with the reader's own prejudices.
Usually, the aim of the writer is to induce reflection in the audience through a complex plot, led by characters of great psychological depth. There, no element (object, person, perspective, settings, sensory descriptions ...) is placed at random, and even the smallest detail has relevance for the outcome.
List of Best Thriller Books
Here is a complete list of the most representative books in this genre:
The pelican report (1992), by John Grisham
The Pelican Brief —In English — is the third novel by the award-winning American author and politician John Grisham. The author is considered an immovable reference within contemporary North American literature and Anglo-Saxon pop culture in general. And this is not strange, because, apart from selling more than 300 million books, the film adaptations of their stories have been huge box office successes.
Argument
This work contains all the elements of a thriller police turned into a bestseller. That is, characters with great psychological depth, a development with unexpected twists and a narrative style that is as dizzying as it is addictive for readers. Of course, you cannot miss a murderer whose identity and motives perplex everyone at the end of the story.
In this case, the first deaths (allegedly linked) are those of two high-profile judges, one liberal and one conservative. For this reason, Research progress is closely followed by the media and public opinion. Despite the criminal's meticulousness, a law student (Darby Shaw) appears to solve the questions surrounding the murders.
Hart's war (1999), by John Katzenbach
While John Katzenbach became internationally known for The psychoanalyst (2002)This does not mean that his previous works are less elaborate. In fact, Hart's war is one of the best novels by this American author who specializes in suspense texts. Additionally, in this book Katzenbach explores some of the lowest feelings of the human being.
Argument
In the heat of World War II, Aviation Lieutenant Tommy Hart is captured after being the only survivor of the downing of his entire unit.. He is held in Stalag Luft 13 (in Bavaria, Germany) along with other fighters from the Allied side. A short time later, Hart watches as his fellow inmates receive the arrival of an African-American prisoner, Lincoln Scott, with suspicion.
Despite being also a lieutenant in the Allied Forces, Scott is discriminated against because of his skin color. To make matters worse, one of the inmates is found dead and Scott is charged with the crime. Therefore, Hart must make use of all his law studies to try to save his compatriot from a skewed sentence. If he fails, the helpless soldier faces certain death.
Shutter Island (2003), by Dennis Lehane
Plot and context
Summer of 1954; heyday of the Cold War. US Commissioner Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule arrive at the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Ill on Shutter Island. They are on a mission to find a very dangerous fugitive named Rachel Solano. However, a hurricane hits the islet shortly after the arrival of investigators.
Synopsis
In the sanatorium nothing is what it seems… In the same way, Daniels seems to have his own particular agenda regarding the psychiatric institution. And it is that he is very interested in finding out about the trials with experimental drugs and dangerous surgeries carried out in the hospital. In addition, The secret evidence against Soviet brainwashing is quite disturbing.
As the investigations progress, Chuck begins to wonder if — in addition to the concerns mentioned — Teddy has other personal motivations for coming to the island. Anyway, that's the least of your problems, because they feel very far from finding out the truth and someone intends to drive them crazy… They may never be able to leave Shutter Island.
As you sleep (2011), by Alberto Marini
Originally, the text of As you sleep was conceived for the script of the homonymous feature film directed by Jaume Balagueró. However, the author decided to write the novel to explore the psychology of the protagonists more deeply. In the same way, in the book Marini does have the space to describe in more detail some situations that are not visualized in the film.
Argument
Cillian, the doorman of a building in New York, is a sinister man unable to feel satisfied or to make sense of his existence. Apparently, the only thing that seems to give this character some happiness is to sabotage the joy of other people. For this reason, he proposes to ruin the life of Clara, a tenant of apartment 5B, who has a completely antagonistic personality to him.
To the greater inri of the protagonist, Clara usually faces adversity with a positive attitude and a smile. In consecuense, Cillian —who has all the keys to the building because he's the doorman— starts a gloomy game to devastate Clara. It is a macabre practice (which is not death or torture), which he wishes to perform when he enters her apartment while she is asleep.
The sleeping doll (2012), by Jeffery Deaver
Plot and synopsis
In 1999, only one girl was saved from being murdered (hidden between her dolls) by Daniel Pell, who killed her entire family.. For this reason, the media referred to the little girl as "the sleeping doll." Likewise, public opinion baptized the murderer as "Mason's son" due to his group of fanatical followers capable of perpetrating atrocities for him.
Later, when this criminal is jailed and interrogated by agent Kathryn Dance - an expert in body language - she is as terrified as she is intrigued by him. The reason: Pell is not just another bully. Then, When Daniel escapes from prison and resumes his serial killer habits, Dance is forced to hunt him down ... despite risking his own skin.
I read the pelican report a while ago, and the truth is spectacular. Recommended to all lovers of this genre.
-Gustavo Woltmann.