Tell us what you think makes a good thriller - to win a copy of crime novel The Darkness Within plus £100 voucher. Now closed!

When you are not sure who is actually good/bad. I like the suspense of not knowing and plot twists. The best thriller I've read is Gone Girl.

I like a range of characters - too few and it's easy to guess who the culprit is. However, some books have too many (often with similar names!!) and then I find they don't provide enough insight into different characters and their motivations.

I love books with great chapter endings - meaning you can't put a book down as you're so keen to read the next chapter..

plenty of surprise twists and plenty of horrific gory detail.

A believable plot is important. As much as I enjoy Stephen King and James Herbert, you know that it is never going to happen.

The Girl On The Train ticked most of the boxes for me.

I prefer thrillers set in the UK as they are easier to relate to.

a good plot with plenty of twists so it keeps you guessing till the end

An interesting story with a twist that i wouldn't have thought of. Maybe a bit scary too!

interesting characters and an ending you can't guess

It is not about the gore or even the detailed description but it is about the intrigue, the engaging start and the suspense. I hate being able to work out the ending without a lot of anticipation and wonder and this is what really gets the reader thinking and excited

A good plot twist not something that can easily be guesses and good characters , characters that you can get lost in and when something happens it leaves you shocked

I think a good plot with lots of twists makes a good thriller. I don't like it when you can guess what's going to happen. The 'hero' of the story should also be a character that you like. James Patterson is an author who I think does this brilliantly. The Alex cross series is brilliant xx

Something exciting so that you can't put the book down!
I think it helps if it is very descriptive so that you can really picture what is going on!

suspense, suspense, suspense. Even if that suspense is never released, the threat of things happening keeps the emotions going. Multiple suspects also goes a long way.

A likeable main character - one that you can emphasise with.

A big twist that you really didn't see coming.

A chilling story that makes you want to turn the light on!

Recently I've enjoyed:

The Sister - Louise Jensen
Behind Closed Doors - B A Paris

Teasers, plot twists and clever, in depth characters

good story and well written

I like it when the premise is believable, as I become more immersed in the story. Good, strong characters (but not too many that you lose track of who is who, nor lots with similar names) who interact well. Twists which work, and a plot that does not just hang on one coincidence after another.

The thing that spoils it for me is the inclusion of the next chapter at the back of the book, especially if I don't know. There was something I read a few years back in which the last 40 pages or so were taken up like this, but I didn't know when I was reading it. Therefore, when the concluding twist happened (which was fairly obvious anyway) I ignored it, thinking the 'proper' ending was coming shortly, only to turn the page and realise I was at the end of the story. It really spoilt the book for me.

The other thing I hate only occurs in one series of books (so not widespread), but it is making me wonder about giving up reading them, which is a shame as the stories themselves are great. Basically, Book 1 ended up with a huge twist, in a way outwith the story itself, which related to the backstory of one of the protagonists (Bk1P1). Fair enough, it's an imaginative ending and leads into Book 2. Only it didn't. Book 2 set off with a different protagonist, though Bk1P1 did appear halfway through. Story ends, almost with an appendix, with a similar 'twist' to Book 1. And then the same story with Book 3. It's a shame, as, whilst the ending was good in Bk1, and annoying but ok in Bk2, carrying it on for yet another book seems more lazy than clever.

I don't like anything too graphic, I like subtle twists and turns and interesting, complex, but believable characters.

I like a complicated story (but not too complicated to follow), lots of unexpected plot twists, a fast pace and being kept in suspense all the way through. I also like the story to come to a proper conclusion and not leaving me hanging with an unsatisfactory ending!

Something relatable, a plot twist... and the unknown at the same time

Mystery and gripping storyline

Believable and likeable characters, interesting and not too far-fetched sub-plots to lead you off course, but most of all, the twist must be unexpected and unpredictable while remaining totally credible.

I love it when I am in awe of the actual twist or solution and immediately tell (usually DH who remains stoically disinterested) the person I am with, or the dog, or thin air if I'm on my own, that I didn't see it coming AT ALL...

When you're almost too afraid to read it alone or at night!

It's needs to give you red herrings! You need to be able to have some ideas yourself on what happened/is happening, but then you need to be surprised. The story cannot be predictable but you have to have some ideas and that only makes you more keen to know the truth!
For example 'Girl on the train' by Paula Hawkins, makes you think you know one thing, then allows you to work out the truth just as you're being told and it shocks you - I love that.

suspense, mystery and a good twist

In a good thriller you can't guess the twist until right at the end, it keeps you guessing all the way through.