It’s spooky season friends which means cooler temps (finally!), pumpkin spice, ghost tours, and my personal favorite fall books. In this review I break down my top reads to get you in the Halloween spirit. From true crime to Harry Potter there is something for everyone.
Real Life Tales of Horror: True Crime
For me there is literally nothing that creeps me out more than tales of real crime. Especially told from the perspective of people who actually knew or interacted with the killers themselves.
The Stranger Beside Me Ann Rule
Ann Rule worked with Ted Bundy, notorious serial killer, at a suicide hotline back in the 1970s. Rule like most of the people who knew him personally was completely shocked when he was arrested for his crimes. She does a wonderful job of giving an inside perspective on the man that was able to kidnap and kill numerous women. All while he was attending college and having a career. She tells not only a historical account of the crimes but also the stories of the women he killed. She makes sure to tell the stories of each woman so that they could live on even after death. Read if you want an inside look at what happens when pure evil walks the streets.
Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi
This is the story of the crime that everyone things they know. And if you are like me you will read this and realize you knew nothing! Vincent was the prosecuting attorney who put Charles Manson and his family in prison for the infamous “Tate-LaBianca” murders. He walks you through what led up to the crimes, the connections that Manson made in Hollywood, and how he could convince a group of young men and women to kill. And while the crime and the Manson Family cult might seem like the real story. The most haunting part to me was how close so many other people came to being victims. Read if you like cults, true crime, or want the real story of what happened that night.
Suspense/Mystery and Cop Dramas
I am not really a big “cop drama” or suspense type girl, except in the fall. For some reason reading about suspenseful crimes just works in October.
Cop Town Karin Slaughter
This cop drama set in Atlanta in the mid-1970s is perfect. I have read other Karin Slaughter novels and this is by far the best one. Slaughter does a great job of creating twists and turns that leave you guessing till the end. It is told from the perspective of the first female officers to work for the Atlanta PD which I loved. It is very rare that cop dramas have female voices that are not victims. Read if you like period cop dramas ad bad-ass women solving crimes.
The Laughing Policeman Maj Sidwall and Per Wahloo
Wow, this book is creepy! I actually read it several years ago for a “Detective Novel Perspective” class at UGA. And it was the first time I read a book that really scared me. Set in Stockholm, Sweden it follows Martin Beck as he tries to find a mass murder. When a young detective on Beck’s team is among those killed on a bus in the city he most figure out why. Was the detective just in the wrong place at the wrong time or is there a much more twisted tale here? Read if you like old school style detective novels.
The Last Time I Lied Riley Sager
I’ll admit when I read suspense/mystery books I can typically figure out “who dunnit” half way through. And no matter how hard a tried I never saw the ending of this one coming. Emma’s friend Vivian went missing at Camp Nightingale years ago. Now in present day Emma is asked to return for the re-opening of the camp. All these years later she is forced to relive the events that led to Vivian’s disappearance. Can she figure out what really happen to her friend before the same thing happens to her? Read if you like suspense and don’t want to see the ending coming.
Classic Spooky Reads
‘Salem’s Lot Stephen King
He is not called the “Master of Horror” for nothing. King’s second novel was my first read of his. ‘Salem’s Lot tells the tale of what happens when evil comes to a small town and starts to destroy. This is a good first read if you are wanting to get into King. And is amazingly written. Read if you want a classic scary tale.
And Then There Was None Agatha Christie
Christie is classic and literally everything she has written is gold. I could have picked any of her books to put here. This novel to me is a little different than the others which is why I like it. It has a “Clue” vibe which is probably why I like it so much. I mean 10 strangers, each with a secret, invited to a creepy island by a mystery host. Need I say more? Read if you want to fall in love with the Queen of Suspense. Be warned once you start reading Agatha Christie you will never be able to stop!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J.K. Rowling
Yes, I am considering this a classic. Why? Because Rowling is nothing short of modern day classic perfection. Now I could have picked any of the books in the Harry Potter series but this one to me is the “spookiest”. It was the first of the series that truly felt like it jumped into the realm of dark magic. Gone are the days of young wizards on their shiny path through Hogwarts. This book puts them right in the path of evil and murder. And after this book nothing will ever be the same. Warning: if you have never read any of the books in the series (what have you been doing with your life?) start at the beginning no skipping! Read if you want to fall in love with Harry Potter all over again.
YA: Creepy Picks for Teens
I have a soft spot in my heart for YA Books. They are some of my favorite to read and in my opinion some of the best out there. Because of this I wanted to make sure I included some picks for teens and young adults.
The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
While at first this may seem like I random pick for October trust me on this one. A story set in a future dystopian society where children are drawn at random to fight each other to the death. Is there anything more horrific than that? This story of survival makes you question your own life and what you would be willing to do for the ones you love. And I think that scary factor is imaging how far we are as a society from this becoming real life. Could this actually happen one day? Read if you want to look at the world differently and really keep yourself up at night.
The Host Stephenie Meyer
An alien race comes to Earth, takes over our bodies, and live out our lives. What happens when the person whose body is being taken over fights back? This novel by Meyer, of Twilight fame, was better than I expected. It is an original tale that mixes teen romance with alien invasion. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers for the modern world. Read if you liked Twilight but really wanted to read something better.
My 2019 Halloween Read
IT Stephen King
So, I decided to give King another chance this year. I picked the one book that honestly is already scaring me and I have not even started reading. Here is hoping that after 1,153 pages, yes you read that correctly, I will be officially sacred. I’ll let you know how it goes.
What books help you get into the spooky Halloween spirit?