Mystery Thriller Quotes & Sayings

The arms, legs, and torso with head were dragged away in sections as the children were captivated by the drama, zealously chewing their candies with sticky teeth. — Wyatt Michael

The hole where my heart had finally grown back after the loss of my parents was returning because of the very person who had filled the void — Cassandra Giovanni

Thomas Pynchon surely inaugurated or crystallized a new genre in 1963 when he published 'V.' The seriocomic mystery or thriller with one foot set in the present and one in various historical eras received its postmodern baptism from Pynchon. — Paul Di Filippo

I've deprived my family in order to buy books. No doubt there is a special punishment in hell for such self-indulgence. Perhaps I shall be struck with blindness among the rarest known to men. — I.J. Parker

He was pushing fifty, with a face life had chewed on, and long wisps of graying hair parted low on one side and combed over his balding pate. — Patricia Cornwell

So, you think your coffee-addicted mother is amusing." She pushed at his shoulder. "I'll get even with you. I'll show your naked baby pictures to your girlfriend." ~ Chapter 9 The Truth and Nothing but Lies — Cheri Vause

It's so still she can almost hear the thrum of the cosmos, its pulse trembling at the edge of perception — Michael Allan Scott

The professor's motive was in the grand scheme of things terribly petty " Greenwood said. ""Pilate's Cross" is inspired by the questions this terrible crime created but as a work of fiction it is set in a different place and time and has a more complex motive for the murders. — J. Alexander Greenwood

A thriller must be thrilling. A mystery may or may not be a thriller depending on how much breathless emotion it has, as opposed to cerebral calculation. — David Morrell

We're Killers On The Keyboard — Cyndi Williams Barnier

... but his problem was infinity; his problem was time running along the x-axis versus stress running along the y-axis, and there never seemed to be time without stress. Stress was a constant. — Andrew Barrett

In any story where solutions to mysteries are found, there should always be at least one mystery which remains unsolved. — Sean Terrence Best

And when whatever happened in that barn happened, it was a moment I'll never forget. Like a missing key slid into a dusty old lock. Click. My world opened. — Jennifer Walkup

What do you think books will look like 50 years from now. — M. Scott

It was the freedom to experiment that made this experiment called Freedom possible. — Justin Sirois

I want to die."
May shook her head. "Let me get a knife."
"I've made a horrible mess of things."
"Haven't we all? If you don't want your supper burned, die quietly while I get back to the kitchen. — B. J. Daniels

At the witching hour, the city was totally silent. Only the wind of portent blew through the gathered council of whispering brick chimneys on the rooftops, delivering the hand that would write upon the wall. — Wyatt Michael

Her eyes were a rich dark brown that were so deep, they reminded me of my sleepless nights, awake, staring into complete darkness. I felt compelled to look deeper, searching for something inside her, but her soul was covered and her eyes would not show me. — Cristina Martin

I am not their f*****g entertainment. And I am not a f*****g hero! Given the choice, a hero would do exactly the same again. I wouldn't. Okay? — Andrew Barrett

She believed not in divine salvation but in the proposition that we poor mortals are fully capable of saving ourselves, if conditions and inclinations are right, and the evidence of this potential is found in the smallest of gestures, like the uncertain resting of a large hand on a bony shoulder. — Jeffery Deaver

They didn't understand, for we were Shakespeare, and they were mere actors in the play. — Cassandra Giovanni

If I am going to be a monster, the least I could do is be well fed! — Cristina M. Sburlea

I thought why not write a kind of mystery, murder, thriller book, but use romance language where the language plays completely against the very dark subject matter, that very strange murderous plot, but use that Harlequin Romance language. — Chuck Palahniuk

All I know is that the fear I have been battling all night is breaking down the door of my ignorance. As my feet slam down I feel not the hard, wet asphalt but the soft Persian rug that led to the staircase in my father's home. In the glow of lightning the dancing trees are illuminated but I see my mother in the glow of candlelight, spinning, twirling, her hair fanned out
behind her. It is falling over me, saturating my thoughts, and I cannot. I cannot let it in. — Gwenn Wright

Finally, the water level topped off, leaving him with no more air to breathe. He drew his last breath and slipped down deep into the darkness that claimed his soul. — Wyatt Michael

I am the prosecutor. I represent the state. I am here to present to you the evidence of a crime. Together you will weigh this evidence. You will deliberate upon it. You will decide if it proves the defendant's guilt. — Scott Turow

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. — Peter J. Tanous

There are a few rules in investigations, and one is to never cringe at the person's appearance that you're about to pump for info. — Ruth Bainbridge

She would not have another man push her aside like some appetizer, there to wet his whistle only to be left once the main dish arrived.

No more. She pushed her thumb into his throat a little harder. — Jacqueline Simon Gunn

What was justice, after all, but a particular outcome? — Suzanne Rindell

I'm either on the cusp of greatness or the edge of insanity. — Meb Bryant

I like B. Wooster the way he is. Lay off him, I say. Don't try to change him, or you may lose the flavour. Even when we were merely affianced, I recalled, this woman had dashed the mystery thriller from my hand, instructing me to read instead a perfectly frightful thing by a bird called Tolstoy. At the thought of what horrors might ensue after the clergyman had done his stuff and she had a legal right to bring my grey hairs in sorrow to the grave, the imagination boggled. It was a subdued and apprehensive Bertram Wooster who some moments later reached for the hat and light overcoat and went off to the Savoy to shove food into the Trotters. The — P.G. Wodehouse

Had a big trial. It was like an Errol Flynn movie. — Jeannie Walker

Well, you should have a chat with your boyfriend, clarify your desires. Hate to break the news, but, uh, he's cheatin' on you. Tell him I said my dog kisses better than him and he hits like a girl. — Courtney Vail

Shadowed beneath his brow bone were cold dark eyes containing secrets and sadness, bitterness and grief. — T.L. Parker

And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? — Peter J. Tanous

Two days of wedded bliss and dead dragons. Any regrets yet?"

"Not a one. — Ruth Ford Elward

Blood doesn't speak of its owner. — Mita Jain

My heart is an empty refrigerator. — J.T. Lawrence

It's a strange feeling, owning a secret. It's like a stone in my stomach, crushing my insides and making me feel sick every time I think of it. — Fiona Barton

What is your secret? What could you possibly know, more than 80 years after you death, that someone doesn't want us to find out? — Jennifer Walkup

His eyes were twin flakes of ember floating into the night from a roaring inferno. I won't let anything happen to you. No matter what I have to do, I will keep you safe. — Airicka Phoenix

A good book is a good place to go.....
to dream! — Donna Lee Comer

'Don't Look Back' is my first YA contemporary mystery/thriller. It's been described as 'Black Swan' meets 'Pretty Little Liars'. — Jennifer Armentrout

He avoided small talk at the best of times and this, unquestionably, was a million horrific miles from the best of times. — Jane Harper

Every man will tell you little boys should not play with dolls but ask any mother and they will tell you, every little boy has gone to sleep cuddled into one at one time in there life. — Peter Fryer

I am who I am and always shall be. — Laura Elizabeth

Just the night before, a puma's howl had set a chill at my spine and, man, life didn't get any richer than that. — Ed Lynskey

Simon's brain tried to comprehend the situation. 'Was an international supermodel really holding Doc Gutson, leader of the infamous Bloodworth Gang, captive? — Clare Havens

Redemption is for the weak. The strong keep sinning — Marvin Amazon

give a smile, get a smile, keep a smile — V.L.Z.

Dead. Supposedly Suicide. That's how they'll kill Michael too. Make it look like a suicide or an accident of some sort. — H.C. Deboard

My eyes meet his and I understand exactly what he's saying. He's my person. He's my home. — Jennifer Walkup

I don't mind my friends calling me "Thornes," but the fact of people calling me "Prickly Thornes" draws the line. — Simi Sunny

You look good, Clearwater. Been working out?' Danie teased.
'He does, doesn't he?'Janelle agreed. 'This will totally work.'
James' eyes darted back and forth between the girls, his head spinning. 'Wait, what will work? — Brandi Salazar

Ah ha!' the Doc screeched suddenly, wheeling around. 'The salicylic acid! Maybe it SHOULD have been heated first! — Clare Havens

Soon he would be able to touch her, to feel the warmth of her blood. When the time came, nothing would stop him. — Caroline Mitchell

When you turn a blind eye to atrocities, you are complicit in them. — David Crossman

What to do? Fight it or play along? Was God behind it? — Peter J. Tanous

My idea of a great night is just stayin' home, reading or playing video games. I'm about as boring as they come, Sorena. I ain't ever been into stress or drama or excitement. Shit, I'd kill for a nap most days. — Alisha Ashton

I was sitting in my kitchen agonizing over my Christmas grocery list when I heard the noise. — R.J. Harlick

How easy would it be to let the words uncurl from my tongue and glide slowly into the space between us? Let them light up the room in bright-orange neon: Here's your answer! Here's what you need to know! It's an incredible thing to have that kind of power. To know that your words could change everything. — Jennifer Wolf Kam

Hopefully you're on the edge of your seat when reading WUWPOO. That's my favorite reading position. — S.N. Deinscheiss

What are we, Charlie's Angels? — Terri Blackstock

MISSION ONE ACCOMPLISHED. The next challenge was bringing in online gamers to join him on his crusade. How was he going to convince online gamers to leave the privacy of their virtual world to work with others in the real world?
Harry Doubt — Anne-Rae Vasquez

The blank sheet stares up at me, its emptiness like a slap. Those were the last words Ginny ever wrote before she and her family were murdered. — Jennifer Walkup

What could there be in this document written by a young girl in 1917? — Peter J. Tanous

One wrong move, one bad rumor, one mistake, and it's social death row. I'm the latest to be sentenced. Move out of the way, everyone. Dead girl walking.
-Riley — Dawn Klehr

Henry was now very annoyed; he had dug himself into a hole so deep that they didn't make a rope long enough. — Andrew Barrett

I wrapped my arms around my body, pushing away my doubts and indecision for just a moment, and looked out toward the cemetery. "Whatever it takes," I vowed. And as I said the words, I felt a chill run across my neck and a ghostly touch slide down my cheek — Catrina Burgess

Miss Lasqueti consumed mostly crime thrillers, which constantly seemed to disappoint her. I suspect that for her the world was more accidental than any book's plot. Twice I saw her so irritated by a mystery that she half rose from the shadow of her chair and flung the paperback over the railing into the sea. — Michael Ondaatje

The pope was lying fully stretched out on the floor, his body half-obscured by Cardinal Villot, who was leaning over him. Calvi's heart jumped into his throat. The pontiff 's eyes were shut, his face distorted in pain. He wasn't breathing. He was life-less, drained of color. — Peter J. Tanous

Concert pianists get to be quite chummy with dead composers. They can't help it. Classical music isn't just music. It's a personal diary. An uncensored confession in the dead of night. A baring of the soul. Take a modern example. Florence and the Machine? In the song 'Cosmic Love,' she catalogs the way in which the world has gone dark, distorting her, when she, a rather intense young woman, was left bereft by a love affair. 'The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out. — Marisha Pessl

Writing the middle of a novel is a lot like driving through Texas. You think it's never going to end, and the scenery looks the same. — Carolyn Wheat

Black rose, black rose
Who's gonna be your only one?
Who's gonna keep you safe and warm?
Run, run my baby black rose
I'm gonna find you home. — P.M. Highlanders

Don't insult readers by questioning the extent of their imaginations. Most need only to be nudged to solve a good mystery. — Peggy Kopman-Owens

There were fat cats and skinny cats. The long-tailed and the bobbed. The daring young leapers, and the old windowsill sleepers. Balls of waddling fluff, smooth-coated prowlers, and hairless ones that looked fragile and wise. The tiger-striped, the ring-tailed, and the ones with matching coloured socks and mittens. There were tabbies and calicos. Manx and Persians. Siamese and Bombay. Ragdolls and Birmans. Maine Coons and Russian Blues. There were Snowshoes and Somalis, Tonkinese and Turkish, and many, many more. Brown and beige and orange and grey and black and white and silver cats, each with gleaming eyes of emerald, or sapphire, or amber. A rainbow of precious stones. — Brooke Burgess

Listen to me you piece of shit, if you ever give the press information about me, my parents or even breathe a word about me to anyone ever again, I swear to god I will make it my mission to make your life a living hell. And, believe me I'll do it with a smile on my face the whole time. You're a worthless excuse for a Detective and everyone here knows it. You've screwed your way to the top and backstabbed Gena to get into your Captain's good books. Well look around you honey, you're a real star. No one stopped Gena or me taking you on. I've currently got you in a hold, where I could snap your neck if I wanted to, and not one person is stepping forward to help you. Yeah, you've really made it. - Stephanie Carovella to Sandra Barton — Nina D'Angelo

There was nothing strange about it. Jed and i were on a covert mission. We had dinoculars, jungle, a quarry, a threat, the hidden presence of AK-47s and slanted eyes. The only missing element was a Doors soundtrack. — Alex Garland

He started for his office, but something was bothering him. Turning back to her, he said, "I have to know. DJ walks in and you instantly like her. You've never liked any of the women I've dated, and you've never done more than share a few words with them on the phone. What is different about this one?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice down.
Marge smiled. "You'll remember this one's name. — B. J. Daniels

Life, like that water droplet, is everlasting and imperishable. There is only a transition, never an end ! — Rajib Mukherjee

Every time I think I'm about to seize the moment, it drifts back into the shadows, just beyond my reach. — Paula Hawkins

Just making the cement now, only takes five minutes."
"I did it in four once," Pauly whispered boastfully to Johnny, "but if I'm honest, I was never completely happy that it set properly."
"Who was it for?"
"Big Joe the Hammer."
"Oh, yeah," Johnny nodded. "Didn't I hear he was spotted in Vegas a few weeks back?"
Pauly nodded morosely.
"Yeah, like I said, I didn't think it had set properly. — Clare Havens

I try to read and write something interesting every day. — Dave Vizard

Well, they've come a long way. To think that he now could access a secret document held in the Vatican archives, via electronic technology. — Peter J. Tanous

Another tug and a yank at my chestnut curls and she snarls at me, "You are so much like her."
This is something my mother often says and never explains. Though it is a great mystery to me it is also a blessing, for she always hurries from the room after saying it. — Gwenn Wright

It takes a certain kind of man willing to work long, grueling hours in a career offering few rewards. — Jon Michaelsen

When you give in to bullies, you don't just empower them, you encourage whatever methods they employ to achieve their ends; usually terror and violence. Meaning it's the innocent who pay; mourners at a funeral in Baghdad, a group of Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya, a group of defenseless school children in Pakistan. When we turn a blind eye to atrocities, we are complicit in them. — David Crossman

Abigail ... His heart ached for his little girl, and the loss of his family drove like a blade through his heart. His head jerked up as the creak of a timber echoed overhead. If only they hadn't come to this god-forsaken place. — Caroline Mitchell

You're a real cowboy."
He laughed. "You're just now realizing that? — B. J. Daniels

If you focus your eyes towards the horizon, everything and everyone walking in front of you becomes a blurry mass. That's what everyone else became. All of their dark wool suits began to mesh into one, and they began to rhythmically march in unison, all while I gazed at the sliver of sky that seemed to be pressed tightly in between the skyscrapers. I kept on walking and staring at the sky, and I began to notice the skyscrapers becoming larger and larger, and before I knew it, I had to turn to get to my building, and of course, the automat. — Cristina Martin

You know you're writing a good thriller when you make yourself paranoid. — Shirley B. Garrett

She's a princess and you're a jock," he says. He thrusts his chin toward Bronwyn, then at Nate. "And you're a brain. And you're a criminal. You're all walking teen-movie stereotypes. — Karen M. McManus

Virginia screamed, grabbing for the door handle and nearly throwing herself from the moving car.
James swerved to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes before she killed herself trying to escape. As it was, she flung herself from the car, falling to her knees and scrambling to her feet. Then she ran. Took off like a bolt until she rounded the bend and disappeared from view.
'Way to go, slick,' AJ said snarkily, climbing into the front seat. 'You ran her off. — Brandi Salazar

Tobacco kills a lot of people, but cigarette vending machines are killing that woman by stealing her job. — Otsuichi

Lawyers aren't the most popular people, Miss Allen ... - Murder in Hand — Celia Conrad

I define a thriller as a big-stakes, multiple-viewpoint novel involving suspense, action, and mystery, in which the reader doesn't know everything but usually knows more than any single character. — F. Paul Wilson

I would like to think of myself as an artist...excluding the part where he bows before an audience. There are no appreciations for killings. — Abhik Chatterjee

What's the best place to hide a car? In an airport long-term lot. Like where's the best place to hide a grain of sand? On the beach — Lee Child

Nothing woke up a man as quickly in the morning as a scorpion in his pants. — Dana Marton