Looking for a unputdownable thriller that is a fast and fun read? Need a read in one day thriller? Want a book that you can’t stop reading? These thriller books are fast paced and to the point for those who who like their books gripping and hard to stop reading. Check out my list of Best Quick and Fun Thrillers to Read in One Sitting!
Hello! If you got here directly, you might also want to check out my quiz on What Kind of a Mystery Thriller Reader Are You?
And then explore my Master Post on the Different Types of Thriller Novels
But if you are just here for a list of Popcorn Thrillers, let’s go!
What is a Quick and Fun Thriller? Or a “popcorn” thriller
- It’s a fun, easy-to-read thriller that is plot-driven. These quick and fun thrillers get going right away, are easy to follow, and make the best thriller audiobooks to listen to.
- By definition, a quick and fun thriller can’t be 500 pages (sorry!) I feel like 300-375 pages is the sweet spot for these books, but let’s investigate!
- I find a “quick and fun” thriller the perfect books to read on planes. Someone on Goodreads once insulted a book as an “airplane thriller” as if that was a bad thing! If I’m fretting about turbulence, my book isn’t doing its job!
The Best Quick and Fun Thrillers to Read
This subgenre tends to be author-specific and these are the Unputdownable Thriller Authors I see mentioned over and over on social media.
Here’s the Alphabetical List With Links (click to open)
Ruth Ware
Taylor Adams
You’ll love Taylor Adams books if you love:
- Nail-biting suspense
- Strong female characters
- High stakes suspense
One Taylor Adams book that everyone mentions is No Exit. I have not read it, but it’s a must for this list. (352 pages).
It’s also a 2022 series on Hulu!
More recently, I read Her Last Breath. I could NOT put it down, except when I got too scared and had to put it down. It’s a survival thriller and it’s gripping! (336 pages)
Steve Cavanagh
You’ll love Steve Cavanagh if you love:
- A legal thriller or a book with a legal element
- Twisty plots
- Morally grey characters
I personally think Steve Cavanagh’s most gripping book might be Fifty Fifty. Yes, it’s #5 in a series, so you might want to read in order, but you don’t have to. (I didn’t.) It’s 349 pages.
If you are thinking “no thanks, I want a standalone,” you can try:
Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh (340 pages)
This Strangers on a Train inspired story will keep you gripped until the end!
Harlan Coben
You’ll love Harlan Coben if you love:
- Lots of banter and snarky humor
- Colorful characters
- A plot that’s long on fun and originality and sometimes shorter on logic.
Harlan Coben has written so many books that it’s hard to know where to start. Some people love his series; I am more a fan of his standalones.
Three of his top-rated books on Goodreads are The Match (352 pages) I Will Find You (329 pages) and Nobody’s Fool (352 pages).
The Match reminded me of one of my fave movies, The Fugitive.
The Match is a sequel to The Boy From the Woods, but I read it as a standalone.
Nobody’s Fool is a spin-off of a book called Fool Me Once. I recommend reading them both and then reading my Readers Guide which explains the connections.
Liv Constantine
You’ll love Live Constantine if you love:
- Domestic suspense with shady spouses
- Characters who manipulate and backstab each other
- Plot twists that make your head spin
I think the Liv Constantine books that are one-sitting reads are The Wife Stalker (320 pages) and The Next Mrs. Parrish (336 pages).
The Wife Stalker had a twist that REALLY got me!
This is the sequel to The Last Mrs. Parrish. I do recommend reading that one, though I found it a bit slower paced.
Mary Kubica
You’ll love Mary Kubica if you enjoy:
- Twisty plots that catch you by surprise
- Characters you can’t make up your mind about
The two Mary Kubica books I’ve read and loved are She’s Not Sorry (336 pages) and It’s Not Her ( 352 pages). Many people also recommend Local Woman Missing (378 pages).
She’s Not Sorry was a twisty tale about a nurse and her patient, a young woman in a coma.
It’s Not Her has a bit of a different vibe. A brother and sister and their spouses and children are vacationing at a lake when a horrific tragedy strikes.
Shari Lapena
You’ll love Shari Lapena if you love:
- Domestic dysfunction, from unhappy couples to unhappy families
- Diabolical crimes with solutions you won’t suspect!
I have a whole post analyzing The Best Books by Shari Lapena, but I feel like the most bingeable of her books are:
Not a Happy Family (384 pages) and She Didn’t See It Coming (384 pages)
Not a Happy Family is (I think) inspired by a Canadian true crime case and very gripping!
She Didn’t See it Coming is a clever locked room murder mystery!
Freida McFadden
In the quick read thriller lane, Freida McFadden is one the most highly recommended authors around.
Grab a Freida McFadden book if you like:
- A straightforward narrative that is easy to read or listen to
- A plot-driven book that has plenty of twists
- Morally gray characters
- Themes of vengeance, vigilante justice
I’m in the minority, but my favorite of her books is The Wife Upstairs (419 pages). It’s a modern Gothic with very similar vibes to Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Most people prefer The Housemaid, which did have a good twist and is her highest rated book, so check that one out too.
B. A. Paris
I’m a bit new to this British author but checked out a book of hers that people felt inspired The Housemaid.
Check out B.A. Paris if you like:
- Diabolical plot twists
- Dark themes and deeds
Her best known book is probably Behind Closed Doors (304 pages) but I just read and enjoyed When I Kill You (304 pages).
When I Kill You has a past present narrative, some good twists, and a lot of suspects!
Jeneva Rose
Read Jeneva Rose if you like:
- Toxic couples
- Morally grey characters
- Dark themes
Jeneva Rose started out writing romance, and then shifted to thrillers. I thought The Perfect Marriage was good (if a little bit reminiscent of a very popular legal thriller) and weighs in at a lean 288 pages.
BUT then she published a sequel: The Perfect Divorce. It was so twisty and crazy that I could not put it down! All 352 pages of it….
Riley Sager
Check out Riley Sager if you like:
- A writer who mixes it up, from horror movie inspired fiction to gothic suspense
Riley Sager has been a hit-or-miss author for me, but he has written some BIG winners! HIs highest rated books on Goodreads are Home Before Dark, The Only One Left, and The Last Time I Lied.
My favorite Riley Sager books: Final Girls (352 pages) and The Only One Left (385 pages).
Final Girls is a play on all the horror movies I used to watch back in the day. Loved it and my Spoiler Discussion for Final Girls is here!
The Only One Left is a fun Gothic suspense. I really enjoyed it, and it’s Sager’s highest rated book on Goodreads. It’s a complicated story, (hence the longer page count) so you might need my character list and plot summary, which is linked below!
Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware also mixes it up, from psychological suspense, to classic mysteries to thrillers. If you want to see all her options, I have a post on The Best Book by Ruth Ware
Her two most plot-driven books are Zero Days (368 pages) and The Perfect Couple (432 pages). Yes, these are a little bit long for my criteria, but they are both gripping!
Zero Days is a plot-driven, tech-driven thriller that is being adapted into a movie.
One Perfect Couple is a survival thriller set on an island. It’s Survivor meets Lord of the Flies.
I may continue to add to this post so I want to know what YOU think are the most Unputdownable, Best Thrillers to Read in One Sitting. Please tell me about all the books you could NOT put down in comments! I need to know!
THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
was also one of the very fast paced and unputdownable thriller book. Really good, completed it in one day.
I agree with you. I loved that book. Some people actually found it slow-paced because it did have some set up, but I also couldn’t put it down and that twist was awesome. I’m going to edit this post after I get some feedback and will add it!
Excellent list, Jen. I’ve read a few and have a few are on my tbr list. I heartily agree about your use of the “airplane book” and “popcorn thriller” tags. I read A LOT of these, primarily listening to them whilst getting dressed, cleaning, etc. The plots are easy to follow. But…sometimes I, too, need a break: I just started reading “It Ends at Midnight” a book most definitely not in this category: 500 pages and florid writing that I have to pay attention to! It’s lovely so far.
I love to mix it up! Sometimes I want a book with a bit more atmosphere and depth, but I LOVE a good fast-paced thriller too.
Rachel Hawkins is my go to for popcorn thrillers! The premise of her books is always interesting and they read super fast.
I agree – her books are so readable! I slot her more into the suspense lane but some books are definitely a combination of both!