12 Fantastic Paranormal Thrillers

	Title	Author
1.	The Only Child	Andrew Pyper
2.	All the Broken Places	Anise Eden
3.	Ancient Revenge	Pauline Holyoak
4.	What Lies Inside	J.L. Myers
5.	The Clairvoyants	Karen Brown
6.	The Butterfly Code	Sue Wyshynski
7.	Dead Man Running	T.R. Ragan
8.	Dream Student	J.J. DiBenedetto
9.	What Haunts Me	Margaret A. Millmore
10.	Hell is a Harem	Kim Faulks
11.	Immortal Descent	Carolyn M. Walker
12.	Death Has a Name	Jerry Hanel

8 Great Thriller Films

Munich (2005)
The Departed (2006)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Heat (1995)
Spy Game (2001)
Black Swan (2010)
Se7en (1995)
Taken (2008)

Popular Thriller Sub-Genres

The History of the Thriller

Some of the world's oldest known stories used the same elements that make modern thrillers so enticing. Homer's famous epic poem The Odyssey is something of a prototype of the genre. The hero's life is in constant danger as he uses his cunning to overcome his enemies. But the genre isn't exclusive to Western culture. One of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights (commonly known as Arabian Nights) is considered to be the oldest known murder mystery. This tale, The Three Apples, is full of plot twists and revolves around a mysterious death. Centuries later, the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo popularized the action thriller with it's swashbuckling revenge plot. Eventually, of course, the genre made its way from the pages of books to the big screen. Some of the most famous of these movies were directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who worked on several classics throughout his career, including Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

Alfred Hitchcock on Mystery vs Suspense

In Depth

There's nothing we love more than a hair-raising story featuring supernatural creatures with terrifying powers. Modern novelists have found clever ways to present otherworldly beings in a realistic context, making them even scarier. Here are twelve fantastic paranormal thrillers, listed in no particular order.

First up, at #1, we have "The Only Child" by Andrew Pyper. Dr. Lily Dominick is a forensic psychiatrist who works at a mental institution in New York. One day, she encounters a patient who claims that he's over two hundred years old and that he is the inspiration for the iconic works of writers such as Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. Lily's life changes forever when her client reveals that he's her father, who somehow knows the truth behind her mother's gruesome death.

Next, at #2, is "All the Broken Places" by Anise Eden. Cate Duncan has a promising career as a therapist, but when her mother commits suicide, she spirals into depression, which starts to affect her performance at work. When her boss forces her to enter a training program to help her deal with her personal issues, Cate learns that she's an empath who can feel others' emotions. She soon realizes that there are others like her, and through the three-week program, she learns how to control her newfound abilities.

She soon realizes that there are others like her, and through the three-week program, she learns how to control her newfound abilities.

At #3 is "Ancient Revenge" by Pauline Holyoak. While staying at her aunt and uncle's cottage near Stonehenge, Emily is visited by an evil ghost who seeks to torment her for the rest of her stay. Five years later, she returns to the cottage in order to try and figure out exactly who or what the spirit was and why it confronted her in the past. Along the way, Emily befriends a man named Jonathan McArthur, who helps her in her quest for answers.

Next up, at #4, we have "What Lies Inside" by J.L. Myers. When Amelia Lamont turns sixteen, her inner vampire is unleashed, burdening her with an insatiable thirst for human blood. Her condition forces her to move to a different town, where she has to learn how to control her newfound powers before she inadvertently kills innocent people. At her new school, she falls in love with an enigmatic boy named Ty, but he's harboring dangerous secrets of his own, which threaten to drive them apart.

Next, at #5, is "The Clairvoyants" by Karen Brown. Martha can see ghosts, and it's driving her insane. She decides to escape them by leaving her home and attending college in New York, where she falls in love with a professor named William. When she begins seeing the ghost of Mary Rae, a woman who recently went missing, Martha learns that the spirit used to be William's lover. Intrigued by this revelation, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Mary's disappearance.

Intrigued by this revelation, she sets out to uncover the truth behind Mary's disappearance.

At #6 is "The Butterfly Code" by Sue Wyshynski. After accepting the opportunity of a lifetime, violinist Aeris Thorne decides to spend the summer with her father at home. One night, she encounters Hunter Cayman, a strange doctor who seems oddly drawn to her. As she continues to run into Hunter, she finds herself becoming increasingly involved in his dangerous life, and with his help, Aeris starts to unravel her own mysterious past.

Next, at #7, is "Dead Man Running" by T.R. Ragan, often credited as Theresa Ragan. When mortician Angela notices that one of the bodies at her workplace seems to be misplaced, she finds out it's a man named Jason, and he's not dead. He claims that he's been convicted of a murder that he didn't commit, and he needs Angela's help in order to prove his innocence and apprehend the real killer.

At #8 is "Dream Student" by J.J. DiBenedetto. Sara Barnes has the ability to see other people's dreams, unintentionally learning about their dark secrets and fantasies. When she starts having horrifying nightmares about a serial killer, she and her friends try to track him down and catch him before more people are murdered.

Sara Barnes has the ability to see other people's dreams, unintentionally learning about their dark secrets and fantasies.

Next up, at #9, we have "What Haunts Me" by Margaret A. Millmore. In this world, ghosts terrorize people by giving them deadly diseases and addictions, which often result in their untimely deaths. One day, a man named George suddenly gains the ability to see these malicious spirits, and he discovers that he also has the power to vanquish them. With his newfound abilities, he makes it his mission to save as many people as he can, making several new friends and enemies along the way.

At #10 is "Hell is a Harem" by Kim Faulks. Lorn is a witch who hunts misbehaving supernatural creatures for a living. Together with inspector Titus Banks, they have to investigate a new drug called Sigil, which is especially harmful to paranormal entities, causing them to go feral. Her case becomes increasingly complicated when she's accidentally exposed to Sigil, and it gets worse when two other men begin fighting for her affection.

Next, at #11, is "Immortal Descent" by Carolyn M. Walker. When Ethan West is attacked by unknown forces, he's saved by a mysterious woman named Rue. He soon learns that he's one of the Lorns, immortal descendants of the Nephilim. Upon discovering that he has a very rare ability known as Sensory, Ethan is forced to choose between two warring factions, and his decision will determine the fate of his kind.

Upon discovering that he has a very rare ability known as Sensory, Ethan is forced to choose between two warring factions, and his decision will determine the fate of his kind.

Finally, at #12, we have "Death Has a Name" by Jerry Hanel. Ever since he was a child, Brodie Wade has always been able to interact with the entity known as The Truth. This connection grants him psychic abilities, which come in handy in his line of work as a detective. With the help of fellow detective Phil Dawson, Brodie must use his powers to track down and apprehend the Midnight Killer, who appears to have risen from the dead.