"Jaded readers want something more than the time-worn 'whodunit.' It is not enough to discover who inserted between the piano keys the knife that flew out and neatly slit the gullet of pretty Miss Rosamund Snow, as she essayed 'The Lost Chord.' The WHY is as important as the WHO or the HOW.
When the murder mystery embraces the psychological novel, the result is the 'psychothriller'—a story of substance in which the psychological overtones are as rich as the plot is intricate. Emotional suspense joins hands with all the coveted thrills and chills.
'Laura' is an excellent example of the psychothriller.
It was written and is published for those who are in no danger of forgetting..." the novels that follow.
—From the inside back flap of the first edition of "Laura" (Houghton Mifflin, 1943).
"The Cat and the Canary" came from the flap of "Repeat Performance." "RP" and "Laura" seem to be the only psychothrillers that Houghton Mifflin touted as such.
I'd add Stefan Zweig to this list.
