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Sometimes I wonder if thriller readers wouldn’t be happier if we were better about identifying the difference between a Twist and a Reveal.
To me, a twist is something most readers shouldn’t see coming. A plot point or event that dramatically alters the way the reader sees the story, completely changing the direction of the remaining pages.
By contrast, a reveal is something the story is building to from the very first page. The reader will see hints here and there, perhaps a few red herrings, but when the reveal happens, a part of them should feel satisfied that they knew it all along!
The difference might not seem important, but given how many times I have thought “oh, I guessed that twist” when really I correctly identified the reveal based on the authors clues, I think it could change the way a thriller reader enjoys a story.
Also! By this definition, not every thriller has twists. In fact, a lot don’t. One recent popular one comes to mind: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. In fact, I’d argue that the only reason that book was such a mega bestseller was because of the twist.
The twist was huge! It totally changed the book! It made you want to read it all over again to experience it in a whole new way! That’s what a twist should do, IMO. Anything less than that reaction, it’s probably not a bad twist. It’s probably just a reveal 
