Deliverance
This is the most literate "thriller" I've ever encountered. I was absolutely mesmerized by James Dickey's insightful, probing prose, at the thoughts and feelings of his main character, Ed Gentry. Here is an example of a book whose film version, as famous as it is, barely scratches the surface of the novel's depth. It's not just a book for purposes of entertainment, but one to be read and reread and studied.
