Seconds pass, steady yet relentless, as the deadline looms. No, it’s not the timer for your practice task—it’s the imminent threat your protagonist faces in these suspense story ideas.

What is a Suspense Story?

Suspense novels are categorized by their high stakes, palpable tension, atmospheric settings, and terrifying cliff-hangers.

Though similar to thrillers and mysteries, suspense novels are often slower paced than high-octane thrillers and tend to deal with threats of a smaller scale. For example, the protagonist might be the only one in danger in a suspense novel, whereas thrillers are more likely to deal with threats to larger communities or even the world itself.

Additionally, a major difference between suspense and mystery novels is that there is a threat of impending danger in suspense, whereas in mysteries the protagonist is usually trying to solve a crime that has already been committed.

Two well-known suspense novels are Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. If you enjoy suspense, we highly recommend you check these books out!

The suspense genre has several sub-genres, including romantic suspense, supernatural suspense, and psychological suspense. It’s an incredibly versatile genre, primed for unreliable narrators, the protagonist's life at risk, dizzying plot twists, and a heart-pumping race against time.

For more tips on how to write a suspense novel, check out our comprehensive guide here.

Want to write a suspense story but not sure where to start? Writing prompts are a great way to spark your creativity and practice your skills. Here are 20 nail-biting suspense story ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

20 Gripping Suspense Story Ideas

1. A young woman is devastated when her best friend since childhood disappears. Though the police agree she's disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the trail eventually runs cold, and life reluctantly goes on . . . until the woman receives a text message from her friend with their secret SOS code: “They didn’t have any chocolate ice cream at the store.” However, when she tries to call the phone, it’s disconnected.
2. A young father looks through his family’s vacation photos and notices an older man he doesn’t know in the background. At first, he chalks it up to the man being another hotel guest; but then, in one photograph, he sees the man peering through their hotel’s window. He contacts the police, but they can’t do anything. The young father convinces himself to let it go—the resort was in another state, after all, and the family is home and safe now. Then the older man shows up again—with a cryptic message.
3. Two sisters had what they thought was the perfect life. After their parents die in a freak accident, the grieving sisters decide to renovate their childhood home before selling it. They smash through a wall, only to discover a secret room. Inside is a single chair, desk, and filing cabinet—filled with handwritten notes about the entire family, dated from decades ago until yesterday. Even the chain of events leading up to their parents' deaths is accounted for. They do not recognize the handwriting.
4. The night before the biggest trial of her career, an attorney is informed the key witness to a gruesome murder has disappeared. She quickly learns there’s more to this disappearance than cold feet when the witness turns up at her house in the middle of the night with some terrible information.
5. A small-town detective with a dark secret takes his normal train home. His carriage is filled with the usual passengers—all except one, a middle-aged woman he’s never seen before. He doesn’t think much of it until she appears beside him, leans down, and whispers in his ear, “I know what you did. And I have a case for you.”
6.  A young woman is assigned a seat beside a friendly man on a plane. The flight is enjoyable, if a tad boring, until the woman looks up from her book and finds the sleeping man has left. She continues reading, believing he’s using the restroom or stretching his legs, but soon an hour has passed, and the man still hasn’t returned. She calls the flight attendant, who soon confirms the woman’s fear: the man has completely vanished. Mid-air.
7. A storm destroys a reclusive neighbor’s fence. Curious, three siblings head over to investigate, only to find a secret cellar and a terrible secret. 
8. A detective is called out to find a missing person, only to discover they never officially existed.
9. An underappreciated professional is excited to finally get the chance to travel to a new city for work. However, things unravel quickly when they wake up in the morning to find their hotel is completely empty. Where did everybody go? And why?
10. A vacationing family is stuck inside their cabin during a blizzard. When they’re finally able to emerge, they notice a pair of footprints leading up to their house . . . but none leaving.

11.  A truck driver picks up a hitchhiker, only to discover they know things about the driver that nobody else does. And now they want the driver to do something for them.
12. A therapist begins treating a patient who has vivid dreams that end up happening in real life. At first, it’s about mundane things of little to no effect. But then the patient starts dreaming of murders, which take place the next day. Thinking the patient is behind the murders, and this is all some elaborate trick, the therapist informs the police and the patient is imprisoned. Except the patient keeps dreams about future events while in prison . . . and the murders keep happening.
13. A couple wake to find their technologically advanced “smart house” has locked them in. And no matter what they say or do, the artificial intelligence won’t let them back out again.
14. A man named Fred Greene notices a forgotten phone on a bench at the park. He picks it up to take it to the local police station, but then it starts to ring. The phone ID says, “Answer me, Fred Greene.”
15. The Smith family is delighted when a new family moves across the street. They have two kids—a boy and a girl—just like the Smiths do. They’re all the same ages as the Smiths are. They even have a dog like the Smiths do. The families quickly become firm friends, and Mr and Mrs Smith think this is a match made in heaven—until the similarities become a little too close for comfort.
16.  An ER doctor realizes that every emergency patient coming into the hospital tonight knows her—and the closer they are to her, the more severe their injuries.
17. After moving into a new house, a teacher receives an abundance of gifts from her friendly neighbors. Except the gifts keep coming, and the notes attached become more and more sinister. A little perturbed, she tries to leave . . . only to discover she can’t.
18. A woman meets someone at a party who seems to know her. Thinking they must have met in the past—and knowing she has a terrible memory—she plays along, pretending she knows them too. They become fast friends until it suddenly becomes clear they’d never met before that party. And this person knows far too much for a simple stranger.
19. The same anonymous tipster keeps sending a detective vital clues for all her murder mystery cases. Then they start leaving clues at the crime scene. Finally, they send clues for cases that haven’t happened yet.
20. A socialite receives an invitation to one of the most prestigious parties of the season. But shortly after she arrives, she realizes no one intends for her to leave.

We hope these story ideas have you (and your character’s!) heart racing. Which creative writing prompt is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!