The five best thriller novels of all time, according to David Baldacci

US novelist David Baldacci is one of the world’s most loved writers of suspense and legal thrillers, with his books published in over 45 languages in more than 80 countries. His first book in 1996, Absolute Power, was an instant hit and was adapted into a film starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. He has since written more than 50 novels, along with seven books for young readers. His latest book is Hope Rises, a sequel to last year’s Nash Falls. All In, the latest in his 6.20 Man series featuring former army ranger turned detective Travis Devine, will be published in November. Baldacci is an ambassador for the UK’s National Year of Reading 2026 campaign, branded as “Go All In”, which aims to help more people discover the joy of reading. Here he reveals the thrillers by other writers that have set his heart racing. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides Alicia Berenson is a famous painter. Then she shoots her husband in the face, killing him, and never utters another word, hence the title. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with both the case and Berenson. I was blown away by the spare, tense prose; the development of the characters was superb and the twists and turns were rendered perfectly. The cat-and-mouse plot in this tale is first-rate. And the last twist, oh what a twist it was. This is a story that keeps you on your toes throughout in the capable hands of a master storyteller. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith You’ve probably seen one of the myriad film adaptations but you need to read the book. Guy and Bruno meet on a train. Bruno wants his father dead. Guy would rather be without his wife so he can marry his true love. The sociopath Bruno proposes an exchange of murders that will have no motive and thus will never be solved. Highsmith did evil as well as anyone (hello The Talented Mr Ripley) but the story is nuanced, complicated and always landing in the nether regions of grey. I remember reading this novel for the first time and asking myself, “What would you have done?” The easy answer is call the police and be done with it. But life is rarely that simple, and the story would have ended way short of a classic tale. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe An anonymous narrator stalks and kills an old man. Then he buries him under the floorboards. While talking to the police who are questioning him, the killer believes he can hear his victim’s heart beating; he also believes the police can hear it. The tension in The Tell-Tale Heart is sometimes beyond the repair of a pacemaker. It is not the murder that is the point in this novel. It is the planning and then the aftermath. The co-existence of sanity and madness, guilt and shame, bravado and depression. Few did suspense better than Poe. His personal life was full of tragedy and that was super fuel for the works that he delivered to all of us. From misery comes art, at least when misery strikes the talented heart. 11/22/63 by Stephen King One man from Maine, using a closet in a diner, has a chance to change history and prevent the assassination of JFK. Only in the hands of King could such a tale have a chance of being not just plausible but compelling. The book is a door-stopper but also a page-turner. No one can change history on one attempt and as you venture deeper and deeper into the story, saving JFK is no longer really the point. We all want to time-travel. We all want to see what came before or is coming up. But none of us knows what we would do when in the moment, when changing outcomes may be possible and we get to play God. This novel rolls from first to last. Blacktop Wasteland by S A Cosby Beauregard “Bug” Montage can pull wrenches with the best and can outshine Baby in the film Baby Driver when it comes to speed on wheels. But Bug has a problem, and he has to pull another job to fix that problem. The story is violent, bloody, will make you queasy, exercise your heart and send you down plot paths you might not have ventured along before. The grit and authenticity that Cosby writes with is compelling, and you will find you can’t take your eyes off the page; it will make you feel, every word of it. For information about how to get involved in the Go All In campaign, including volunteering opportunities, visit goallin.org.uk