Cliffhanger

A cliffhanger is when the author introduces a sudden moment of extreme tension and suspense right before the end of a chapter or a switch in viewpoint, to make the reader want to keep reading to see what happens next. Cliffhangers do not have to involve cliffs.

Examples of Cliffhangers

 * Your main character wakes up in the morning to see a villain standing over them aiming a sword to their throat or a gun to their head.
 * A character suddenly vanishes into thin air.
 * A character is drugged or gassed and loses consciousness.

Sometimes cliffhangers can appear good news at first, but then become even worse. Example:
 * The giant bear attacking your hero in the middle of the night suddenly freezes and drops dead. The hero is relieved until he or she sees that the one who slew the bear is the villain, or someone worse than the bear.