Scary Reads for October

I have always been a lover of all things scary and spooky. And as a book lover, I grew up reading books by authors like Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz, V.C Andrews, and Dennis Lehane, to name a few.

Over the years, the fantastic titles coming from this genre has only increased my appeal to it and am finding myself expanding my mystery and thriller repertoire by exploring the fantastic titles available.

So this post is about mystery, suspense, and thriller novels that I’ve listened to or read to throughout the year that truly enjoyed and recommend.

Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Roanoke Girls is a twisted story of dirty family secrets that are slowly uncovered and gives us a better understanding of the motives of those involved.

Full of dirty family secrets, the wealthy Roanoke’s have had incredible power over the girls in their family. A force so strong that many of them die. When one of the girls goes missing, her cousin returns to face the demons that have always haunted her.

The One by John Marrs

There is so so much to unpack in this book. This thriller explores the concept of DNA matching diving deep into the complexities from having science determine who your true match should be.

Throughout the book, some amazing stories and characters are told. From the founder who participates in her experiment to an engaged straight man who is paired to another man, a woman who finds her match has passed away, and a serial killer who is falling love while living a secret sinister life that includes a trail of dead bodies.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because, from the very beginning, this novel shows just how complicated the simplest concepts can be.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

I will say this was an excellent debut novel from Krysten Ritter, the actress, producer, and writer.

Bonfire follows the story of an environmental lawyer, Abby Williams, who goes back to her hometown to work a case. As she goes back home, she has to confront her past which is full of lies, deceit, and death.

You by Caroline Kepnes

This book is a lot of things. It is dark, and it is twisted, it is disturbing and jaw-dropping. Joe, the lead character, finds love after cyber-stalking a woman who walked into the bookstore he manages. As the story progresses, we learn Joe is psychotic and unhinged as he travels 3000 miles to be with his soulmate, to find out that she is nothing like what he imagined she would be.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Ted and Lily meet on a flight from London to Boston. During their meeting, these strangers begin playing a game of truth, sharing intimate details which leads to them plan the death of Ted’s wife who he is sure is cheating on him.

From that point, Ted and Lily’s ‘relationship’ grows, these co-conspirators play a deadly game of cat and mouse in which the reader doesn’t know who will be the victim or victor.

Are You Sleeping? by Kathleen Barber

If you are a fan of Serial, you will LOVE this fantastic debut novel by Kathleen Barber. This psychological thriller explores a podcast that reopens a thirteen-year-old murder case.

I enjoyed this one, the plot is intense, and the pacing was so great.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

In this super dark thriller take you on a hunt to discover what is going on behind these closed doors of Jack and Grace, the perfect couple. This captivating novel is a perfect example of a marriage that looks immaculate on the outside but paints a vastly different picture on the inside.

Some other books I’ve read and highly recommend are:

Emma In the Night

The Widowers Wife

All the Missing Girls

The Chalk Man

Her Every Fear

Final Girls 

The Widow 

Since We Fell

Into The Water

Never Let You Go

And these are some of my to read titles are still stacked on my bookcase:

Behind Her Eyes

The Wife Between Us

The Broken Girls

The Woman In The Window

Dead Letters

Two Girls Down

All the Beautiful Lies