Step into the dimly lit realm where shadows dance to the eerie whispers of the wind and the pages of forbidden tales beckon you into their haunting embrace. We journey through the spine-chilling corridors of literature, where every word is a creaking floorboard and every sentence is a rustle in the ghostly underbrush.

The night is dark, the tales even darker…
‍

‍
‍

YOUNG ADULT

1. None Shall Sleep

None Shall Sleep explores the monsters living among us and inside us. Two teens who help the FBI track down juvenile serial killers are called in to advise on a murderer who exclusively hunts teenagers but things soon unravel. Author Ellie Marney’s books are meticulously researched - she's even interviewed forensic and technical specialists at London’s Westminster Mortuary for her taut thrillers - so you may not sleep either.

‍2. Some Shall Break

In the sequel, Some Shall Break, Travis and Emma have gone their separate ways. Emma rejects her Quantico offer while Travis stays to train within a new unit of the FBI Behavioral Science division. The unit’s latest case is feeling eerily familiar with a copycat killer on the loose. Utterly addictive, Marney's thrillers focus on the '70s and '80s, known in FBI circles as the ‘Golden Age of serial killers’.

‍3. We'll Never Tell

No one is certain who’s behind We'll Never Tell, a viral YouTube channel run by students at Hollywood High. Now that their senior year is winding down, the YouTubers decide to go out with a bang, shooting their final episode at the abandoned Valentini ‘murder house’. It’s the perfect setting for We’ll Never Tell author Wendy Heard who also lives in L.A. and has a voracious appetite for ‘80s thrillers and everything vintage.

‍

‍

GRAPHIC NOVELS

4. The Heart of the Beast

The Heart of the Beast features lavish, painted artwork by superstar Sean Phillips (Fatale, Criminal). The story is set against the backdrop of New York's decadent ‘90s art world and revolves around Sandra, a bartender, who meets the enigmatic Victor, a man with strange scars and even stranger secrets. Author Judith Dupré is not only an acclaimed writer, she is also an architecture expert.

‍5. The House

American WWII soldiers seeking shelter from a blizzard soon find themselves trapped in an abandoned mansion. Once inside The House, doors disappear, rooms morph, and exits become entrances. Their minds soon descend into madness and panic. Is this real or is there more to this tale of supernatural evil by Drew Zucker (Canto, Skybreaker) and Phillip Sevy (Tomb Raider, Triage)? Unmissable.

‍6. Shadow Service Vol. 1: Dark Arts

Black magic meets black ops in Shadow Service, a novel about private Investigator and witch Gina Meyers who earns her living in the underbelly of London. Gina is abducted by a government organization and finds herself in the dark world of MI666. Author Cavan Scott has written for many series including Star Wars, Batman, Star Trek, and more. Shadow Service is his first volume in the 10-issue series.

‍

ADULT FICTION

7. A House of Ghosts

WWI is entering its most brutal phase in the winter of 1917 and British arms manufacturer Lord Highmount is hosting a spiritual gathering to contact his two sons, both of whom died at the front. Two guests are also dispatched from the intelligence services in A House of Ghosts, including the mysterious Captain Donovan. 

‍8. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

‍Knives Out meets The Thursday Murder Club in this clever mystery. It seems that in Ernest Cunningham’s family, everyone has killed someone - and the high achievers more than once. As for Ernest, he wishes he’d killed whoever decided his family reunion should be at a ski resort. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is being adapted into an HBO series. Don’t be the last horror fan to read this darkly comic mystery.

9. Luckenbooth

Luckenbooth is a haunting novel about the secrets we leave behind. It is about stories tucked away on every floor of 10 Luckenbooth Close, Edinburgh, including those of a spy, a coal miner who fears daylight, and a psychic. The New York Times calls author and poet Jenni Fagan ‘the patron saint of literary street urchins’. Also keep an eye out for her memoir, Ootlin, about being raised in state care.
‍

‍

10. My Murder

What if the murder you had to solve was your own? Lou is a married mother of a toddler and the victim of a serial killer who is brought back to life and returned to her grieving family. She settles in uneasily, wondering who she can trust. Katie Williams’ My Murder is a quirky sci-fi take on cloning that’s been described as an extended episode of Black Mirror.

‍11. Silver Nitrate

Silver Nitrate is a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism, a dark thriller about a curse that haunts a legendary lost film and awakens one woman's hidden powers. Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia believes we should read books that scare us and Silver Nitrate certainly fits the bill - it is mad, bad, and dangerous.

12. The Blackhouse

The Blackhouse is set on a Scottish island and revolves around a remote village, a deadly secret, and an outsider who knows the truth. As a Hebridean storm rages, the islanders of Kilmeray must accept their fate. Horror maestro Stephen King describes Carole Johnston’s The Blackhouse as dark, devious, and beautifully written.

‍

‍

13. The Fervor

Alma Katsu spent 29 years working in US intelligence and foreign policy so she speaks with authority in The Fervor, a novel about the horrors of the Japanese-American WWII internment camps. Meiko Briggs and her daughter, Aiko, are desperate to return home but life in the camp is disrupted when a mysterious disease spreads and a minor cold quickly becomes spontaneous fits of violence.

14. The Writing Retreat
‍
Alex has all but given up on her dream of becoming a published author when she receives an invitation to attend a month-long writing retreat at the estate of horror writer Roza Vallo. Alex soon realizes that something sinister is afoot though... The Writing Retreat explores the dark side of female relationships. Author Julia Bartz is a practicing therapist, so expect a few mind games!

15. This Thing Between Us

In this mesmerizing horror thriller, a widower battles grief, rage, and - wait for it - the mysterious evil inhabiting his home smart speaker. It was Vera's idea to buy the Itza, advertised as the world's most advanced smart speaker, but there is soon a scratching noise in the walls. This Thing Between Us is a bold horror novel about grief and the oppressive intimacy of technology by a new talent, Gus Moreno.
‍

‍

ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

It seems you can’t get enough as you traverse the haunted landscape of words, the boundary between the living and the dead as thin as a wisp of ghostly mist. SPYSCAPE also recommends these chilling novels.
‍