Thrillers are marked by their swift pacing, frequent action, and resilient protagonists tasked with thwarting the schemes of formidable and well-equipped adversaries. These gripping narratives employ literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers to heighten the tension.
While thrillers share common ground with mystery stories, their plot structures set them apart. In a thriller, the focus is on the hero preventing the plans of an adversary, as opposed to unraveling a crime that has already occurred. Thrillers operate on a grander scale, tackling crimes like serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or government overthrow. Jeopardy and intense confrontations serve as standard plot elements. In contrast to mysteries reaching a climax upon solving the puzzle, thrillers peak when the hero successfully overcomes the villain, safeguarding not only their own life but often the lives of others.
