Ever read a book you just couldn’t put down? Each chapter ended with a cliffhanger and so you said to yourself “just one more chapter” only to be left with another cliffhanger that made you read more.
Certain authors are notorious for this type of writing. John Grisham, Dean Koontz, Stephen King. I will literally read a Dean Koontz book until I see double and physically can’t read another sentence.
This is the genre called “thriller.” It’s suspenseful, emotional and action-packed. But what are the elements that make thrillers so page-turning good? Below I’ll give you a list of my top 5 elements I look for in thriller novels when I read them. Feel free to chime in by commenting and letting me know if you have elements of your own you look for.
It’s an emotional roller coaster
In The Devil’s Game by S.L. Pierce our emotions are kept on over-drive as Rachel passes from fearing for her life to feeling safe and warm in the arms of a psycho. In Moonlit Mind by Dean Koontz Crispin is perfectly happy walking his dog and people watching when in a split second he finds himself running for his life and taking refuge in a creepy cemetery. These books keep us on our toes and they pass from a feeling of relief to a feeling of sheer terror in a split second.
A villain we love to hate
Look back at Jaws by Peter Benchley and Silence of the Lamb by Thomas Harris. Who didn’t cheer when Jaws was slain or who wasn’t creeped out by Buffalo Bill and his plus-size suite of skin? You can’t help but be repulsed, frightened or creeped out by these two villains.
A protagonist that’s larger than life
The thing that made Katniss from Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games so appealing was that she was, decidedly by accident, larger than life. She became an icon for social rebellion and whenever the people of her country saw her they felt the need to rise up out of their oppression. Elaine Brogan in Mike Well’s Lust, Money & Murder trilogy is not only perfect in her ability to spot a counterfeit bill, but she’s also as hot and sexy as a super model with an undeniable rebellious streak in her.
The settings and actions are believable
Suzanne Collins had her work cut out for her making District 12 and the Capitol believable, but she took her inspiration from all around her to weave these places into existence making them more reachable to her audience. Elaine Brogan travels from European city to city, but the means her transportation are real and as easily accessible as Mike Wells claims them to be in his novels. Crispin’s home in Moonlit Mind by Dean Koontz may have been a little unbelievable, but his actions towards the those that attacked him were completely believable as he acted impulsively and often got away by a the skin of his teeth. Everything that happens must make sense and progress the story towards the epic climax.
There’s a deadline
If the FBI Agent doesn’t stop the assassin, the president will be taken down at the big political event. If the virus can’t be contained, the world will be infected and people will die off. If the rogue animal cannot be slain, the small town will be mauled and left as a ghost town. There’s always an incentive for the protagonist to stop the villain in his tracks.
Whether you read action thrillers, psychological thrillers or political thrillers, once thing you can always count on is the nail-biting, can’t-put-it-down feeling you get every time you pick up a thriller.
Did I miss a big component that you look for in a good thriller?
