Whether we’re talking about films, TV, or just books the thriller genre can have a reader or viewer hooked straight from the outset. The intriguing storyline lures you in—a mysterious story, an unsolved murder, and before you know it,

you’ve stayed up reading it till 3 am just so you can discover what happens at the end of a particularly suspenseful chapter.

If you are someone who is enticed by the mystery and thriller genre, we have compiled a list of some of the best mystery novels that will surely have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

1. The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Twitter | Buckle up for a truly chilling end

The Perfect Nanny is a story that is based on real-life events. This chilling tale is of a woman named Myriam who hires a nanny for her two children so that she and her husband can focus on their work lives. They find an amazing nanny named Louise who is a polite, quiet, and devoted person and seemingly perfect for the job. But as time goes by, various incidents and instances lead to resentment, jealousy, and suspicion that result in a number of twists in this story.

2. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Book Club Chat | If you’re looking for a real page-turner, grab this book

Unlike most of the other novels in this genre, the storyline of “The Silent Patient” doesn’t revolve around the notion of “whodunnit” because it is revealed in the very first chapter that it is in fact Alicia Berenson who shot and killed her husband one night at her home.  The real question is, why did she shoot him five times in the face? Alicia has since stayed in a psychiatric hospital, silent, not speaking a single word. But one therapist is determined to make her speak, even if it leads to his own downfall.

3.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Amazon | The novel will have you running in circles and baffled

Gone Girl is a New York Times bestseller novel that is based on the story of Amy and Nick, a couple on the precipice of celebrating their five-year anniversary when things seem to take a turn for the worse. Amy has disappeared and since Nick seems rather relaxed about the whole affair, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of local law enforcement as the primary suspect. This is yet another novel that is based on real-life events and author Gillian Flynn revealed in an interview back in 2012 that the story was inspired by a high-profile disappearance that was all over the local news a decade earlier.