Thrillers and horror novels are something we generally reach for during the Fall and Halloween season as they are atmospheric and help us get into the mood. But do you need help finding a good read though? We’ve found some excellent novels that will help you get into the spirit of Halloween!
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Plot (from Goodreads): “Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.”
Victorian London? Murder? Jack the Ripper? Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is a book to enjoy during the crisp Autumn months while you are sitting by the fire. The descriptions are horrifyingly graphic and the mystery so tangible, which makes you feel as if you are right alongside Audrey as she attempts to figure out the ripper’s true identity.
Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Plot (from Goodreads): “When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in. For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.”
Though this series is geared more towards younger audiences as it is categorised as a Middle Grade, it can still be enjoyed by everyone (I for one am not in the younger audiences category). It is a perfect Halloween read for those looking for a creepy ghost story with elements of humour to lighten the mood.
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
(Source: @ivy.booknerd on Instagram)
Plot (from Goodreads): “One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone’s a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose? Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.”
A recent release, One of Us is Lying is more of a mystery than a thriller. This is a book that is made for you to race through in order for you to figure out who the culprit is and why they did it. It will leave you wondering until the very end, “Who killed Simon?”
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Plot (from Goodreads): “Shhhh! Don’t spread the word! Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island. You do not want to miss it. It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury. But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?”
Ten teenagers are invited to a lake house party where they are supposed to have the weekend of their lives. But what they get instead is a storm cutting them off from the outside world and teens getting killed, one-by-one. Filled with suspense and intrigue, this book is a perfect read for the Halloween season.
A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachman
Plot (from Goodreads): “Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she’s been looking for—she’s been selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780’s to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace has lain hidden and forgotten ever since. Anouk, along with several other gifted teenagers, will be the first to set foot in it in over two centuries. Or so she thought. But nothing is as it seems, and the teens soon find themselves embroiled in a game far more sinister, and dangerous, than they could possibly have imagined. An evil spanning centuries is waiting for them in the depths.”
This is another thriller that left me breathless and desperately wanting more. Set in modern-day, a group of teenagers are chosen to help with the excavation of an underground palace, but the mission turns out to be a lot different from they thought. Twists and turns make up this creepy thriller that will leave you gasping for breath.
Which one of these have you read or want to read this Halloween season? Tell us in the comments below!
