Thriller tropes: What are my favorites

Good morning or afternoon, my fellow Owl book Coven! Today, I’m coming at you with awesome thriller tropes. I have tried to include almost all of the thriller tropes in the list. At least it includes a lot of the most popular tropes, whether it’s tropes that are popular among readers or tropes popular among authors.

With that being said, what exactly is a trope, let alone a thriller trope? It is a literary device that is used through books to create tension and suspense in the story.

If it weren’t for tropes, then stories wouldn’t be all that great. Who exactly wouldn’t want to read a book that didn’t have a little bit of tension in it? If it didn’t have these tropes, then the story would be very, very boring, and most of us would probably put it down.

Thriller tropes

List of tropes

A lot of these are the most popular thriller tropes. I know you have probably heard many of these. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of all of these. There are a couple of these I had never heard of, or at least I didn’t realize it was considered a trope. Now that I’m going through them, though, I’m starting to realize how many of them I’ve read over the years.

But here is a list of those tropes. Let me know in the comments which ones you have read and haven’t read!

  • Broken down vehicle
  • Isolated local
  • Mysterious stranger
  • Stalker or unhinged ex
  • Toxic friendship and cults
  • Powerful protagonist
  • Fearful protagonist
  • Victium gets revenge
  • Intelligent psychopath
  • Unreliable narrators
  • Blackmail
  • Kidnapping
  • Framed
  • Unassuming villain

Top ten psychological thriller tropes

These are some of the best psychological thriller tropes, and I have to admit that I’ve read quite a few stories with some of these, and I have to say that usually I really enjoy them. If I had to pick a favorite, I’m not sure I could. But I do know that I really enjoy the unreliable narrator, creepy small town, isolation, cult, and dark family secret.

I’m not really picky, though. When it comes to thriller tropes and horror tropes, I like almost all of them as long as the book is really well done.

  • The unreliable narrator
  • Amnesia
  • Creepy small town
  • the doppleganger
  • Isolation
  • Cat and mouse
  • The manipulator
  • the cult
  • dark family secret
  • Paranormal twist

Psychological thrillers are some of my favorites, though. I love books that kind of play with my head and keep me guessing the entire time. I don’t like being able to figure out how a book is going to end way before I even get there.

Conclusion to thriller tropes

What are some of your favorite thriller tropes? I know you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like thrillers at least a little bit. Did I miss any of the tropes that are your favorite? I know I probably missed a few tropes that some of you guys enjoy.

With that being said, there are quite a few thriller tropes out there. In my opinion, there’s something out there for just about everyone. If you enjoy thrillers, there has to be! If you enjoyed this post, then you might like my post on haunted house movies worth watching.

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury [book review]

Delicious Monsters

Book: Delicious Monsters

By: Liselle Sambury

Published: February 28, 2023

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: YA Horror

Setting: Ontario, Canada

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By Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang [book review]

By Invitation Only

Book: By Invitation Only

Published: September 2, 2025

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Genre: YA Contemporary

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you, then I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.

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September 2025 book releases perfect for spooky season

September seems to be a great month for new books. There are so many September 2025 book releases that seem like great books.

I know I don’t need any books right now. Who am I kidding? I always need new books. But I know I want to try and read some of these. Maybe once I get some of my TBR knocked out, then I’ll try to get some of these.

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Say Cheese and Die by R. L. Stine [book review]

Say Cheese and Die

Book: Say Cheese and Die

By: R. L. Stine

Published: September 1, 2003

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Middle grade horror

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you, then I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.

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10 gripping thrillers perfect for cozy fall afternoons

Guess what, guess what, guess what? Fall is nearly here! I don’t know if you’re a fan of the fall, but I know a lot of people are! I know what I’m most looking forward to is Halloween and spooky season! With that comes gripping thrillers and spooky books that will set the mood for this time of year!

What kind of books do you typically think about this time of year? Do you like to read more uplifting books, or would you rather read darker books?

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The Debutantes by Olivia Worley [book review

The Debutantes

By: Olivia Worley

Published: October 25, 2005

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genres: YA Thriller

Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you then I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.

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Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph [book review]

Secrets Never Die

Book: Secrets Never Die

By: Vincent Ralph

Published: August 29, 2023

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: YA Thriller

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you, then I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.

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9 Dark Academia Books for back to school thrills

Where I live in the United States, some schools have already started. Others start later, but where I’m at, they usually start at the beginning of August. It’s early, I know, but we’re used to it here. It’s normal, and now I don’t think anything about it. But with school starting here now, that means it’s time to find some great books that revolve around school itself. So, that means some great dark academia books!

So what exactly does dark academia mean? After looking it up the dark academia meaning is actually vague. But for me, dark academia is usually books that take place in private or prep school. It usually follows the “elite” kids, and obviously, something dark happens and secrets are exposed. There are some exceptions to this where it doesn’t completely take place in a private school. But it usually follows students who have something dark hidden, and it gets found out and exposed.

But here are some great dark academia books that you should add to your TBR!

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The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau [book review]

The Testing

Book: The Testing

By: Joelle Charbonneau

Published: June 4, 2013

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Genre: YA Dystopian

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.

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