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

I love the general sense of foreboding, a slow burn where you know the bad guy (or gal) is a wrong un but gets creepier by degrees (i.e. you aren't made aware of all their "faults" at the start but are drawn into their world slowly).
The characters should to be true to life and relatable. To be shocked I need to feel that it's a story that could happen to anyone.
A plot twist is always good but not essential - if you are drawn into the characters enough there doesn't need to be a big reveal or shock moment for the tale to remain with you.
Recent favourites have been Disclaimer by Renee Knight, Ragdoll by Danial Coles and Rattle by Fiona Cummins

plot twist are a must. but the story needs to be believeable

Suspense, fast-pace, at least one character one identifies with/roots for, the unexpected, twists and turns and a non-disappointing ending.

What makes a good thriller...........

I'll be back.

Good pace, don't dwell too long building up your story or race to the bottom when it starts kicking off. Hmm...could be applied to other areas of life methinks!
I used to read everything but Paula Hawkins stands out, I had the cute hardback and oh to go back and read for the first time again..

Plot twists are good but only if plausible. Implausible ones but me and the book loses credibility.

Hmm.

Characters that do what normal people would do!

Characters who may be suspicious

Subtle clues that become clear later

I like to be kept guessing- just when I think I know who it is/the deep dark secret/what's going on, something happens to make me completely rethink.

I also like a happy ending. :)

A plot twist - one that makes you stay up at night feverishly turning pages so you find out what happens.

Engaging characters - you have to care enough about the character to want to read on and see what happens to them!

An interesting, novel plot, not one that's been done to death a million times.

A book that stays in your mind after you've finished it, with a plot you can relate to and imagine happening in real life. That's scary.

Good thrillers I've read recently - See Jane Run by Joy Fielding.
The Magpies by Mark Edwards.

John Le Carré The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is superb because the characterization of the spies is as important as the plot's twists and turns.

For me, the best thrillers are unsettling. They have you frequently second guessing what you think you have already figured out, and create a sense of unease that is hard to shake when you put the book down.

Plot twist but not one that changes everything in the book. One I read recently was written by the point of view of one character but the twist at the end was that the character was s psychopath and a liar si everything was bullshit. I felt cheated!

A good pace. Slow, thoughtful and detailed in places and then frantic, heart-thumping on others!

I love MJ Aldridge and James Patterson. I love when you think you have figured out the plot or the baddie, only to find out there's a twist and it isn't at all what you thought!!

Oddly enough, was talking about this with my son yesterday. Sudden, unexpected plot twists that you are not prepared for are a bit rubbish. I think a book needs to be good enough to read again, knowing the "secret". Good examples would be "Before I Go to Sleep" and "Girl on the Train". I also love the film, "The Sixth Sense" for its twist(s) and the beauty of all of these is that you can enjoy them more than once.

I also think characters need enough depth to be believable - not just good / bad but complex humans with clever motivation that is an extreme version of things we all encounter. The character I enjoyed most recently was Paul in "Lie With Me" by Sabine Durant. Loathsome, but believably so and a self-confessed liar so a clever unreliable narrator.

I'm not one for plot twists, but I love intelligent, interesting characters. Usually for me, less is more - Phil Rickmans understated style which builds it in my own mind for instance

Should have added. Mandasue Heller,KarinSlaughter, Lin Anderson. Kelly Griffiths. I got so excited - forgot to add my favourites !

It's great when the author allows you to really get to know the characters, and even better if an action can suddenly change your opinion in an heart stopping moment. A twist at the end is good. For me a really good book means when I have to put it down I can imagine the life of it carrying on without me and I cannot wait to rejoin the adventure !

Plot twists, interesting characters, no obvious factual or continuity errors.

I love to be scared so I like suspense.

a plot twist that you don't see coming but when you reread the book is sufficiently signposted. I like to be able to reread my books and still enjoy them and often with a thriller once you know the end it's not as enjoyable to read.

I like female characters who have characters and aren't only described physically (when their only flaw is a slight snub nose ) or by what they are wearing. Bores the absolute tits off me.

Twists are good! Obviously. Kate Atkinson's Case Histories nailed it.

I like hints and teasers so you don't have all the details and therefore keeps me gripped as I want to find out more. It's really hard to pinpoint exactly what part of the writing makes me enjoy it, but the books that stick with me, I can still picture certain scenes in my mind, so just enough detail for me to picture it. A plot twist of course is important so you can get to the end and be shocked. I'm a fan of Jeffrey Deaver and Dean Koontz just now.

I am a fan of the less is more approach. I like to build pictures of people, atmosphere and tension in my mind without having everything spelled out for me. Tasters, teasers, the hint of something else not yet revealed are the kind of things that draw me in. Writers like Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Ella Griffiths, David Baldacchi, Peter May and Ann Cleeves all of this well. Along with unexpected twists and turns, of course.

I like it when chapters are written from different characters perspectives especially if the 'bad guy' is one of them