What is a "thriller" exactly? Goodreads says it is "characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of a...villain." In a mystery story, the climax is reached when the myster is solved, whereas in a thriller, it is reached when the hero triumphs over her or his enemy and saves themselves and others.

If you've been watching the latest book news, you'll know that two famous women recently collaborated to write a thriller. Yes...Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny! Their book is titled State of Terror, and it's been getting positive reviews. See this inside look at how they teamed up to write the book.

Some classic thrillers we can recommend from our collection:

• The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carré: a British agent longs to end his career but undertakes one final, bone-chilling assignment.
• The Manchurian Candidate, by George Axelrod: Sgt. Raymond Shaw, an ex-prisoner of war and stepson of an influential senator, is the perfect assassin. He's been brainwashed during his time as a P.O.W. and is being manipulated by an enemy of the U.S.
• Night Over Water, by Ken Follett: a fictionalized account of the final flight of the Pan American Clipper passenger airplane during the first few days of WWII, early Sept. 1939.

And a few newer thrillers:

• Thin Air: a Jessica Shaw Thriller, by Lisa Gray: Private investigator Jessica Shaw receives a photo of a 3 yr. old kidnapped from Los Angeles twenty-five years ago and is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself.
• The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides: a shocking psychological thriller of a women's act of violence against her husband and of the therapist who is obsessed with uncovering her motive.
• The Family Upstairs, by Lisa Jewell: Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. What she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well, and she is on a collision course to meet them.