Books that *Trick*
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Hello readers,
Welcome to my first round of fall book recommendations! Today, I’m bringing you a big list of recommendations, specifically:
Books that trick.
Or, more simply, books that are spooky, scary, thrilling, dark, or unsettling in some way. I broke down this round-up into three categories by genre: Horror, thrillers, and spooky books (though some books fall into more than one genre category, I categorized based on my interpretation of which genre fits most prominently).
Each category of books also includes ranking via a spook-ometer to give you a sense of how scary each book is compared to the others in the category, with the least scary/unsettling at the bottom. Books placed at the bottom were ones that I could pretty comfortably read in the dark before bed, while those at the top were ones that made me want to turn on some extra lights or wait until daytime to read. Of course, the spook-ometer is based on my interpretation and reading experience. You may completely disagree with my rankings, and that’s the beauty of reading!
The books included in this round-up are my current all-time favorites in the horror, thriller, and spooky genres, and I hope you’ll pick one up for this spooky reading season! Now, let’s get into the round-up:
Horror recommendations
Devolution by Max Brooks: Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction; a Bigfoot story unlike any other. (Highly recommend audio for this one!)
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand: The first ever return to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, a terrifying story of longing and isolation.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: Set in the ‘90s, a suburban women’s book club must protect its community from a mysterious and handsome stranger.
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas: Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this story set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches.
Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: Days before an exhibition at the New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are savagely murdered. But autopsies indicate the killer cannot be human…
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: A debutante receives a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom at a distant house in the Mexican countryside.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager: A widowed actress retreats to her family lake house and becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the vanishing of a woman across the lake.
Cackle by Rachel Harrison: A recently single teacher moves to a small town and befriends an enigmatic local who may be too good to be true.
Bunny by Mona Awad: An MFA student navigates the trials of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination.
Thriller recommendations
The Island by Adrian McKinty: A family vacation turns into a nightmare on a remote island after a terrible accident changes everything.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager: A woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is it really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound, and dangerous, secrets hidden within its walls?
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: A reporter must return to her small hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another, attempting to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past in order to get the story and survive her homecoming.
The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas: A couple inherits what seems to be their dream home, until they make a horrifying discovery.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: Twenty years ago, a woman’s eldest sister went missing without a trace. Today, her mystery is still unsolved, and another girl has disappeared with chilling echoes of the past.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware: A young woman takes a live-in nannying job at a luxurious “smart” home in the Scottish Highlands, unknowingly stepping into a nightmare that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Verity by Colleen Hoover: A struggling writer accepts a job to complete the remaining books of a bestselling author who is unable to complete their series.
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier: A year after her son’s disappearance, a woman discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger woman and desperately tries to save her marriage.
His & Hers by Alice Feeney: When a woman is murdered in a British village, a newsreader is reluctant to cover the case. The detective on the case is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. (Also highly recommend audio for this one!)
Spooky recommendations
The Only One Left by Riley Sager: A woman takes a job caring for an elderly woman who was accused decades ago of murdering her parents and younger sister.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: An occult scholar searching for evidence of a haunting, an assistant, a fragile woman familiar with poltergeists, and the future heir of Hill House arrive for a stay in the supposedly haunted mansion, unearthing its dark history and beginning to question their own sanity.
The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: An FBI agent, a journalist, and an archaeologist join forces to investigate horrifying murders that echo those done by a serial killer in the 1880s bent on prolonging his lifespan by any means.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: A young woman marries a wealthy widower before discovering that both he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late first wife, Rebecca.
The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch: In 1659 Bavaria, Germany, more than one child has been murdered and all bear an unusual mark on their shoulders. The town midwife is suspected of witchcraft and the town’s hangman is ordered to torture a confession out of her.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney: A dysfunctional family gathers for their Nana’s 80th birthday in her crumbling gothic home on a tiny island. As the tide comes in, they’re cut off from the rest of the world when Nana is found dead, and more family members soon follow.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo: A high school drop-out and homicide survivor receives an unlikely full ride to Yale University and is tasked by her mysterious benefactors to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco: Two sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself. And an intoxicating romance.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson: A group of misfit kids spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends.
Hopefully, you’ve found your next spooky read but if you’re looking for something a bit less scary and more comfy, cozy, then keep your eye out for part 2: Books that treat!
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If you’re looking for more fall reading inspiration, check out the books I’m prioritizing this fall!
