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

[SorchaMumsnet]

From global bestseller Cathy Glass comes gripping new crime novel The Darkness Within, written under the name of Lisa Stone.

When critically ill Jacob Wilson is given a life-saving heart transplant, his parents are relieved that their darling son has been saved.

However, before long, his family are forced to accept that something has changed in Jacob. Their once loving son is slowly being replaced by a violent man whose mood swings leave them terrified – but is it their fault?

Jacob's girlfriend, Rosie, is convinced the man she loves is suffering from stress. But when his moods turn on her, she begins to doubt herself – and she can only hide the bruises for so long.

When a terrible crime is committed, Jacob's family are forced to confront their darkest fears. Has the boy they raised become a monster, or is someone else to blame? You know your son better than anyone... don't you?

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Darkness Within plus a £100 Love2Shop voucher, just tell us: what makes a good thriller? Give examples of your favourites if you like!

This discussion is sponsored by Avon and closes at midday Wednesday 9 August

Books T&Cs apply

What makes a good thriller is thinking you have an idea of the ending but when you reach the end of the book you actually had no idea and it leaves you feeling unsettled!!!

In my opinion, a thriller has to grip the reader from the opening paragraph, have enough "chills" in it to keep the reader engaged and be totally believable all the way through.

A good thriller will keep me reading, all night if necessary, but at the same time you don't want to finish it as you want to make it last!

Good thrillers include Behind Closed Doors, In a dark dark wood and Before I go to Sleep. The last one was not truly represented in the film version however!

Love believable characters, lots of twists and a proper ending, I hate it when books leave you hanging, having to make up your own ending!

For me there as be a good cast of people that one can get into there shoes so to speak ,like it fairly fast paced, a good theme or plot, a few twists and turns along the way but for me as have a great ending cut and dried

A good thriller needs to grip you from the beginning right through till the end, lots of twists & turns to keep you guessing & on the edge of your seat, also if it makes yiu feel as though you are part of the story by keeping you intrigued thoughout & when the buildup to the ending comes & you realise it was not the person you thought it would be .

Well drawn characters which you can identify with (maybe not the murderers lol) and maybe three or four narrative streams which all end up being connected in weird and wonderful ways.

I like fast-paced action, mainly told in the third person. I find it distracting when story told by several characters, as the book I am reading now, called 'The Widow'. It slows the story down when this happens.

I like well-rounded characters who are likeable, and you become concerned about events happening in their life.

Lots of plot twists, a surprise or two, tension, and an unbelievable (but happy) ending.

Mystery, plot twists, suspense, a cast of fishy characters, and keeping the readers guessing with plenty of 'red herrings' and a 'MacGuffin' or two.

Plus, like all books, it has to be be well written, with a sound narrative structure and effective composition.

A good twist.
The plot told from different characters viewpoints.
Scary.
Love Patrica Cornwall

A good and detailed Introduction then slowly pulls you into the storyline intense dark moody heart racing you can't put the book down weaving in and out oooh that's what I want from a thriller until BANG you are at the end gosh I didn't work that one out Bril!!

I prefer a contemporary setting and timescale unless there are flashbacks or flash forwards with lots of plot twists and interesting wacky characters. I do like to guess the ending but only as I near the finale. If the characters are especially memorable, I'm not averse to sequels or prequels.

Giving you believeable characters whose actions seem to head in one direction and you feel tense knowing what could happen, only to discover that it was a red herring and something very different and even more tense is waiting around the corner. It's great to get to the end of a thriller to find that you have a completely different view of the book than the opinion you had after only a few chapters. It makes you OMG out loud. (Sarah Pinborough - behind her eyes)

I love a good thriller. I like to sit cosied up with all the curtains closed and candles and lamp on with a hot cup of tea beside me. The book has to have characters you can identify with. The story line has to be catchy and keep you in suspense so you have to keep going back for more. Absolutely love a book that you cant put down and you cant wait until you get peace to get back to it. I recently read 'Finding Amy' which was a brilliant book. I was also lucky enough to win a copy of 'Rattle' from mumsnet which i thoroughly enjoyed. I have only recently discovered a new liking for suspense and thriller stories thanks also to mumsnet.

I love it when characters make understandable mistakes. I read Hakan Nesser's 'Hour of the Wolf' recently, and was actually shouting 'Nooo! Don't do that!' while thinking that I would actually probably do the same if I was in the same situation as the character.

I hate clichés, I love a twist and I also like it when you realise that the narrator has been leading you on a merry dance.

I love thrillers, I love the psychological type with a scary twist to the story, keeps you completely gripped and scared by the terrors that has happened and the way the plot turns out piece by piece, page by page getting more and more terrifying the more you read. The darker and more sinister it becomes. I feel that the authors that can write these stories are amazing and will never get bored with this style of book.

Aside from a high octane plot, with plenty of twists, tension, surprises and cliffhanger moments, for me the characters are essential. The hero/heroine who is the good guy needs works best for me when the character is complex. Ideally they should have their own flaws, own reasons to strive and perhaps slightly unpredictable and prone to maverick behaviour. The predator/psycho must be so odious that they make your skin crawl and compel you to read on. Both players should demonstrate a bloody minded determination that makes readers live and breathe every moment of the drama.

Having read quite a few thrillers, one of the disappointments that I find it after a plot sets off at breakneck speed and delivers a satisfying ending, the middle section can often feel like treading water, with little of relative importance happening. A plot which is punctuated by highs and lows and keeps the momentum going is a must for me.. even better, if the final solution and fallout can link back to some clever clues that the author has dropped into an earlier part of the story. I love it when something that seemed unimportant which the author conveys in the early chapters turns out to have pivotal,importance in the denouement.

Recent recommendations:

The Mayfly by James Hazel
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
The Promise Falls trilogy by Linwood Barclay

Great discussion, Valski

Believable characters and situations that are realistic are needed to make a great thriller. It also has to have lots of plot twists and keep you guessing right until the end.

I like lots of twists and turns. Love it when I am sure I know the outcome, only to find that the ending is completely different.

When you can't guess who has done it until the last page. And complicated characters (no one is just good or just bad).

...for the writing to be crisp, dynamic and free of cliche...

Lots of twists and turns so you keep page turning. Interesting characters especially ones that make them hard to believe they are telling the truth. A believable plot .

I like effortlessly realistic descriptions which draw me along, I realised this when I was distracted from the plot when reading a dated, overly wordy thriller. I also like well drawn, realistic characters not caricatures.

I like plot twists & red herrings, especially those that make you re-read the book to see how you missed it, like SJ Watson's Before I go to sleep.

I like unhinged characters, multiple points of view and suspense. I read one about a woman who is acting strangely. Turns out she's been living with her dead son's body for weeks- she shot him by accident and was so traumatised she made herself believe that he was still alive. Still gives me the creeps thinking about it.

I think it's the moment in a book every chapter or so when you read it and go, oh no, surely not and actually I stop reading the book to process it and realise, yes it could be and your heart skips a beat and you want to read more. The first time I read a Clare Donohue book this year was like that.

the bastions are where you don't work out the entire plot until the very last few pages, I like to be kept guessing and have the ending as a surprise rather than a predictable finale.