Spooky season is the perfect time to buy, borrow, or read some new books, so grab a blanket and some hot chocolate and get cozy to read a few mysteries, maybe some fantasy, and lots of horrors! (Please note that some of these books contain dark and mature themes, so I recommend checking the content warnings beforehand!)
- The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
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Genre: Horror/Thriller, Adult
Lynette Tarkington survived a massacre more than twenty years ago, earning herself the title of a “final girl.” She and five other “final girls” have been meeting with a therapist for about ten years, learning to move past their traumas together, when one night, one of them goes missing. As they face a new evil, these final girls must learn to work together and use their past traumas as a weapon in one last battle.
Current News: The Final Girl Support Group will be adapted into a TV series on HBO Max!
- All’s Well by Mona Awad
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Genre: Horror, Adult
After an accident ends her acting career and leaves her with chronic back pain, Miranda becomes a college theater director determined to put on Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well play. Three strangers approach her at her breaking point to make impossible promises for her career and her future. How far will Miranda go to get her life back?
- They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
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Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult
Set in the expensive and exclusive world of a preparatory school on Long Island with secret societies and killer parties, Jill begins to question the innocence of her best friend’s supposed murderer, who confessed to the crime three years prior. As mysterious texts roll in, Jill vows to uncover the truth at any cost.
Current News: The Player’s Table is an upcoming TV series produced by HBO Max based on Goodman’s They Wish They Were Us. The show will star singer-songwriter Halsey and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney.
- A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
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Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Adult
From the same author of The Girl on the Train, this novel follows three women with different connections to a murder victim in London. With suspicion all around, these women’s secrets, desires, and resentment will be revealed and keep the reader wondering how far someone might go to find peace.
- My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
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Genre: Horror/Thriller, Adult
Jade Daniels, a young woman from a broken home and living on the outskirts of her indigenous community, finds comfort in horror flicks, so when people suddenly begin dying, she uses her “encyclopedic knowledge” of slasher films to predict the culprit’s next moves. There’s more to this story, however, Jones also offers critiques of gentrification, American colonialism, and Indigenous displacement. - No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
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Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Adult
The death of Laina’s brother at the hands of a police officer reveals the existence of mythological creatures and monsters. As these creatures, secret societies, and pro/anti-monster organizations come to light, nothing will ever be the same for Laina’s world. But the bigger question remains: why is it so important for these monsters to reveal themselves now? - Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
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Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Adult
After mysteriously being kicked out of Cornell University at the start of her senior year, Mary must return to her hometown in Minnesota and reconcile her past and present lives and selves. When two girls go missing, the town only seems to notice the disappearance of the beloved Instagram influencer. Mary, however, is more curious about the departure of young DeMaria Jackson, becoming determined to uncover the truth behind the cases of the two missing girls. - The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (pen name: Rachel Hawkins)
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Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal, Adult
A series of mysterious and terrifying events begin to occur when Rhys, the ex-boyfriend that Vivienne foolishly placed a curse on nine years ago, arrives back in town for the annual fall festival. Regrettably, the two must work together to break the hex and stop the attacks on their town. - Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
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Genre: Horror, Adult
Days before visiting his best friend, Eddie, in his new life as a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, Andrew receives news of Eddie’s death by apparent suicide. With a phantom now following Andrew everywhere he goes, he must reconcile the Eddie he knew with the Eddie who hid his horrible family history. The one who suffered the cutthroat academic world in which he lived, and whose nights were filled with fast cars and hard drugs. - Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
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Genre: Fantasy, Rom-Com, Adult
Wanting to forge her own path in life, Emmy hasn’t visited her hometown of Thistle Grove in years. But on this particular visit, however, Emmy discovers that the boy who broke her heart years ago is still playing the same tricks. With the help of her best friend and the girl she can’t stop thinking about, Emmy might have her revenge on the heartless playboy.