New York Times' 50 best thrillers of the 21st century
New York Times' 50 best thrillers of the 21st century
The New York Times has selected the 50 best thriller books of the 21st century based on votes from 291 crime novelists, editors, booksellers, librarians and a host of book lovers.
Earlier, The New York Times Book Review had asked hundreds of experts to select the 100 best books of the 21st century. It soon became clear that the list was simply too short. There was not enough room to include all the outstanding works being produced in genres such as fantasy, romance, horror and thrillers.
As part of an effort to expand this literary collection of the 21st century, The New York Times therefore decided to select the best books in the thriller genre. Once the decision was made, ballots were sent to crime fiction writers working across genres, from legal thrillers and spy novels to cosy mysteries. Librarians, editors, critics and Bookstagrammers were also invited to vote. Everyone was asked the same question: What are the 10 best thrillers published since 2000?
Genre heavyweights such as Freida McFadden and Lee Child took part in the voting. The voters also included hundreds of acclaimed writers, including S. A. Cosby, Gillian Flynn, John Grisham, Alyssa Cole and Stephen King. You may already have read at least a few of these outstanding thrillers.
Take a look at the list and see how many you have read.
| 50 | None of This Is True — Lisa Jewell |
| 49 | Magpie Murders — Anthony Horowitz |
| 48 | All the Colours of the Dark — Chris Whitaker |
| 47 | The Push — Ashley Audrain |
| 46 | Before I Go to Sleep — S. J. Watson |
| 45 | Mexican Gothic — Silvia Moreno-Garcia |
| 44 | Jar of Hearts — Jennifer Hillier |
| 43 | Lush Life — Richard Price |
| 42 | You — Caroline Kepnes |
| 41 | Tell No One — Harlan Coben |
| 40 | Dark Matter — Blake Crouch |
| 39 | Fingersmith — Sarah Waters |
| 38 | I Am Pilgrim — Terry Hayes |
| 37 | Your House Will Pay — Steph Cha |
| 36 | The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides |
| 35 | All the Sinners Bleed — S. A. Cosby |
| 34 | The Likeness — Tana French |
| 33 | The Witch Elm — Tana French |
| 32 | Notes on an Execution — Danya Kukafka |
| 31 | Defending Jacob — William Landay |
| 30 | The Sympathizer — Viet Thanh Nguyen |
| 29 | The Plot — Jean Hanff Korelitz |
| 28 | The Perfect Nanny — Leïla Slimani |
| 27 | Big Little Lies — Liane Moriarty |
| 26 | The Da Vinci Code — Dan Brown |
| 25 | Winter’s Bone — Daniel Woodrell |
| 24 | The Dry — Jane Harper |
| 23 | The Goldfinch — Donna Tartt |
| 22 | The Constant Gardener — John le Carré |
| 21 | Room — Emma Donoghue |
| 20 | Broken Harbour — Tana French |
| 19 | Sharp Objects — Gillian Flynn |
| 18 | 11/22/63 — Stephen King |
| 17 | Shutter Island — Dennis Lehane |
| 16 | The Lincoln Lawyer — Michael Connelly |
| 15 | Dare Me — Megan Abbott |
| 14 | We Need to Talk About Kevin — Lionel Shriver |
| 13 | Case Histories — Kate Atkinson |
| 12 | The Girl on the Train — Paula Hawkins |
| 11 | Blacktop Wasteland — S. A. Cosby |
| 10 | Bluebird, Bluebird — Attica Locke |
| 9 | Slow Horses — Mick Herron |
| 8 | Razorblade Tears — S. A. Cosby |
| 7 | The God of the Woods — Liz Moore |
| 6 | My Sister, the Serial Killer — Oyinkan Braithwaite |
| 5 | No Country for Old Men — Cormac McCarthy |
| 4 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Stieg Larsson |
| 3 | In the Woods — Tana French |
| 2 | Mystic River — Dennis Lehane |
| 1 | Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn |