The single greatest characteristic of a thriller is obvious. It "thrills" as one reads it. The plots are scary, the characters are at great risk and the novels are constructed in a manner that makes the reader really want to keep watching.
A story that starts with a serious problem, a protagonist (usually a person with an almost fatal character flaw) who tries to solve the problem only to find that it gets worse and worse and worse. The plot rises to a dramatic confrontation with the antagonist, usually on his territory, and ends with a short conclusion.
There are some general characteristics that most but not all thrillers have. These usually include a plot that concerns itself with life-and-death issues. Sometimes thrillers involve murder mysteries. Nearly all thrillers put the protagonist and other sympathetic characters in serious danger. Most thrillers have seriously malevolent antagonists.
If it has you biting your nails and staying up late at night, double-checking that the windows are locked and worrying and fretting about whether the characters are going to survive, chances are it is a thriller.
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