YA
Darkmere by Helen Maslin
I read Darkmere when it first came out this summer and it was one of those books that whilst I was reading it I was kicking myself for not saving it until Halloween because it's the perfect gothic horror story for this time of year, but I wasn't too sad because I was enjoying it so much! This is a UKYA ghost story about a curse that hangs over Darkmere castle and is told in alternate chapters between the past and present day as two young girls come to spend time there. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves gritty contemporary YA with a sinister edge!
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
The Dead House is by far the scariest YA book that I've ever read and is therefore perfect for Halloween! It's about two girls who exist in the same body Carly gets the day but when night comes Kaitlyn takes over. This is one of those books where you're never really sure what is going on or what to believe and it really keeps you on your toes throughout. The book itself is beautifully made and presented and is well worth checking out if you love YA psychological thrillers.
Monster by C.J. Skuse
Monster has everything that you could want in a YA thriller, it's set in a modern day boarding school in an isolated snowy landscape with legend of a killer beast prowling in the school’s grounds. It's basically the book that my goosebumps-loving teenage self would have been all over. It builds in intensity as the book goes on as you're not sure what kind of beast has made the characters their target. Just don't make the same mistake that I did and read this before bed!
The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
The Accident Season is probably the least scary book on this list. It's more atmospherically unsettling than it is thrilling or scary but the gloomy tone of it fits the Halloween season perfectly. The book follows a family who are cursed to be accident prone during the month of October - this can range from anything from bruises and grazes to more serious accidents. This is moody, eerie, magical realism at its best and is perfect for cold October nights.
Adult
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
This is a book that I finished reading just a few hours ago and so has only just made this list! The Kind Worth Killing is an unputdownable game of cat and mouse only you're never sure who is the cat and who is the mouse in this game. This book had some brilliant twists and lots of action throughout. If you're looking for a thriller to lose sleep over this is the one!
The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne
I read The Ice Twins back in January but even now when I see somebody reading it I get excited for them. The book is about twin girls Lydia and Kirstie one of them died a year ago and one of them survived, but who? If you like books about creepy children then this is one for you. It left me really unsettled and has a very satisfying ending.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
So I'm pretty sure that everybody and their mother has read The Girl on the Train already or has, at the very least, heard of it but this list would be incomplete without giving this one a mention. It has been the Gone Girl of 2015 and for good reason. I was lucky enough to read this early last year before it came out and have watched the hype build and build for this one knowingly. If for some reason you haven't yet picked up this book Halloween is the perfect time to do so.
How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst
How I Lost You is possibly the most dark and twisted book on this list. Just when you think this book couldn't get any more twisted it does just that! This is about a woman who has just been released after serving time for the murder of her baby son Dylan only to receive an envelope with a picture of her baby boy now as a toddler. With no memory of the crime she was convicted of she sets out to find out what really happened and to find out if her son could really be alive. The synopsis for this one had me intrigued straight away and the book definitely lived up to it!
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
This is another book that I was completely addicted to and could not put down! Although I admittedly figured out the plot twist for this one fairly early on it didn't ruin the enjoyment of the book for me. I loved the dark atmosphere and isolated setting deep in the woods it was like watching a horror movie unfold on the page. If you love those books where the characters are trapped with nowhere to run and you just know something awful is going to happen and it's all going to end very badly then this is the book for you this Halloween.
The Lie by C.L. Taylor
C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite thriller writers and her latest one this year The Lie didn't let me down! The Lie centers around a girls holiday that goes terribly wrong. It's very mystery driven so I won't give anything more away than that other than that this is a really dark and twisted book that really played on my mind!
I hope my picks have given you some ideas for what to read this Halloween! I'd love to know what would make your list.
Happy Halloween!
