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In my opinion, the best thrillers involve a spiraling series of actions and reactions which put the protagonist (and the world) in increasingly perilous situations until -- BAM! -- the whole mess finally gets resolved.
The scenario "Plan A fails, Plan B fails, Plan C fails, and then Plan D succeeds" is far less intriguing to me than "Plan A has an unintended side-effect, necessitating Plan B, which results in changed behavior from the antagonist. Plan C thwarts the antagonist's latest nefarious scheme, but with complications that force the hero to improvise Plan D."
It's the "out of the frying pan, into the fire" trope. Thrillers involve steadily rising tension and increasingly higher stakes, often with a firm time limit on how long the hero has to get the world straightened out.
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