7 books for spooky season and beyond (2024)

Thrillers, chillers, spine-tingling mysteries — they’re good for a scare all year long, but even better during spooky season.

If you're in the mood for a scary romance, a comedic slasher, a thriller that makes your heart race or a good old fashioned horror story, we have a book for you to read or listen to. Here are 7 books we suggest checking out this season:

A WITCHY ROMANCE

‘The Familiar’

By Leigh Bardugo. Narrated by Lauren Fortgang.

Published by Macmillan Audio

12 hours, 57 minutes

$26.99

Luzia Cotado has not had the easiest life. She is a scullion, working in a shabby house, on a shabby street for a lord who has fallen out of favor.

Her parents are dead. Her only family is an aunt who has, luckily, taught her scraps of a language that make her everyday misery a little more bearable. With these magic words, she weaves spells through song — candles are lit on command, ripped seams repaired, burned bread turned edible.

But, in 16th-century Spain, simple charms and spells could spell doom should the Catholic Church get wind of such powers. Still, Luzia takes her chances, and unwittingly exposes her talents to the lady of the house. Her mistress, Dona Valentina, believes Luzia will be her ticket to a more upscale life: better clothes, food, guests and invitations. Valentina’s ambition attracts the attention of Victor de Paredes, a wealthy trader known for his astonishing luck.

Like recognizes like. Paredes, a social climber himself, can smell Valentina’s desire to move up the social ladder. His companion, Guillén Santángel, a thin sliver of a man who lives in the shadows, can sense the power hidden within Luzia. Despite his appearance, Santángel is no mere servant. Known as the Scorpion, he is a deadly foe to those who cross his master. He is a familiar, bound to the Paredes family for the last three generations and perhaps forever forward.

Santángel is tasked with teaching Luzia how to control her powers, as Paredes has decided to enter the young girl into the torneo of magic at La Casilla. Luzia is his “holy champion” — set to battle others who possess powers that may be helpful to the king. The winner’s patron will gain the king’s favor.

Luzia and Santángel soon realize their fates are tied to one another. Should Luzia win the tournament, Santángel’s time as a familiar is promised to end. But it would bind the young girl to his ruthless masters. And a failure to perform each night could end with Luzia in the hands of the Inquisitors. Can love and magic save these two?

Leigh Bardugo’s lush prose rolls off the tongue of narrator Lauren Fortgang in a most magical way, making the listener want to stay ensconced in the fantastical world of Luzia and Santángel. You’ll want to linger to learn what comes next in this Gothic fantasy filled with peril, personality and passion.

Fortgang’s ease with Bardugo’s text is perhaps the most enchanting part of this audiobook, as she deftly slips between characters. “The Familiar” is a compelling listen that will leave you wanting more.

AN ALLIANCE OF DEMONS

‘When Among Crows’

By Veronica Roth. Narrated by Helen Laser, James Fouhey and Tim Campbell.

Macmillan Audio

4 hours, 30 minutes

$10.99

Veronica Roth’s latest novella takes its name from the Polish proverb, “When among crows, you must caw as they do” which encourages blending in when in unfamiliar territory.

Dymitr must do just that if he is to complete his mission. Hailing from a long line of hunters, Dymitr is a knight who has sacrificed his soul to slay the demons that lurk in the shadows. His mission? Find the legendary witch, Baba Jaga, who makes her home in the criminal underworld of present-day Chicago.

To find Baba Jaga, Dymitr must fit in among the demons that proliferate Chicago’s seedy underbelly, which in this fantasy world, is populated by creatures of Slavish mythology — woodland leszy, wraiths, vampire-like strzyga and zmora — fear-eating night demons. He enlists the aid of Ala, a zmora with a generational curse, and Niko, a charming vampire. Dymitr promises to find the cure for her curse, should she help him find Baba Jaga. But time is not on their side — the magical flower that can cure Ala is set to bloom and fade in a single day. And Dymitr also has a secret that threatens the entire alliance...

A beautiful blend of the modern day and mythology, Roth (author of the ‘Divergent’ series) builds several worlds — seen and unseen, real and mythological —in a short amount of time.

The audiobook surely benefits from having three different narrators, as the characters all have rich, Slavic accents that enhance the mystery and mythology of this world.

A THRILLING ADVENTURE

‘The Nature of Disappearing’

By Kimi Cunningham Grant. Narrated by Emily Pike Stewart.

Macmillan Audio

9 hours, 41 minutes

$26.99

Emlyn leads a simple life. She lives in an Airstream trailer and works as a hunting and fishing guide in the backwoods of Idaho.

Her life is simple and safe. She has a community of people who love her, keep her safe. Not like Tyler, the love of her life, who abandoned her three years ago. Left her half dead on the side of the road. And then her former best friend, Janessa, who introduced her to Tyler, goes missing.

Suddenly, Tyler is back in her life, pleading for her to hit the road to help him find Janessa. Emlyn's former BFF has become a travel influencer, traveling the country with her survivalist influencer boyfriend, promoting Tyler's company along the way. Suddenly the #vanlife social media posts have stopped and Janessa has dropped off the map. Emlyn doesn't want to go, but she feels she "owes" Janessa for saving her in college. As she and Tyler head off into the woods, memories of their relationship overwhelm her — the good and the bad, including Tyler's drug addiction.

But as they get closer to finding Janessa, not everything is making sense. Something sinister is afoot and now, Emlyn is in the wild backcountry with Tyler, a man she knows she can't trust.

Sometimes, you just need to read a good thriller and this is the perfect season for it. While this one doesn't have any metaphysical ghosts or demons, "The Nature of Disappearing" has plenty of demons and ghosts manifesting in Emlyn's mind.

Emily Pike Stewart's narration brings the entire story to life. I sometimes had to remind myself that this wasn't a great true crime or wilderness podcast, but a novel.

SLASHER WITH A SIDE OF ROMANCE

‘Love Letters To A Serial Killer’

By Tasha Coryell

Berkley

320 pages

$29

Have you ever wondered what motivates women who fall in love with serial killers?

Is it potential fame? Boredom? Curiosity? A need to be seen?

Thirtysomething Hannah checks all the boxes. She's been ghosted by her latest boyfriend. Her friends are getting married. She's in a dead-end job that she should be thriving at but isn't. Underpaid, unloved and needy, Hannah finds a community in an online true crime forum bent on solving the murders of four women in Atlanta. When a handsome lawyer named William is arrested for the killings, Hannah begins writing him letters. She doesn't expect him to write back.

Hannah's obsession soon costs her her job and the last of her friends. So she packs up her belongings and heads to Atlanta for a ringside seat in the courtroom where she can be near her beloved boyfriend, William. When another murder happens, the jury has no choice but to find William not guilty. Hannah is the first person he calls upon his release. She's soon living with him and engaged. Everything seems to good to be true.

Suddenly, small clues seem to point to William being the killer. Hannah starts her own investigation and soon finds herself the next victim on the killer's list.

This book is a hoot. The self-deprecating Hannah narrates this fun look at true-crime groupies — her first-person point of view is a brilliant choice, making it all the more enjoyable to read.

ANTHOLOGY OF SCARES

‘The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power’

Edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker. Narrated by Terry J. Benton-Walker with eight additional narrators.

Macmillan Audio

12 hours, 12 minutes

$26.99

The concept is simple. Thirteen horror stories written by 13 BIPOC authors. Loosely bound together by the overarching premise that each story is one of 13 films by a master director who has mysteriously disappeared, the stories are rolled out one by one for the listener. There are killer clowns, a hungry hedge maze, an old house that wants a forever family, ancient terrors and more modern villains.

This Young Adult audiobook is a scream to listen to. It's been a long time since I've found a horror anthology where the entire collection holds up. While some of these stories are weaker than others, they all clap back at the horror genre. Instead of the white heroine running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door, we have a cast of smart, inclusive characters fighting for their lives.

ICELANDIC HORROR

‘The Night Guest’

By Hildur Knútsdóttir. Translated by Mary Robinett Kowal.

Tor Nightfire

208 pages

$19.99

Iðunn is plagued by fatigue. She awakes with unexplained cuts and bruises. Doctors offer no explanation, no remedy for her ailments.

Her friends offer suggestions — exercise, a different diet, vitamins, a new nighttime routine. Nothing seems to work. All she wants is an answer to what is happening to her.

Then one night, she falls asleep with her fitness watch on — her step count jumps from just below 10,000 to over 40,000. Is she sleep walking? And if so, where is she going?

As she seeks answers,Iðunn's world is turned upside down by an unseen force that only comes at night. Figuring out just what who or what this force is could be the answer to all her questions and bring her relief from her nightly journeys. Or it could be her worst nightmare.

The ending is abrupt, ambiguous, and yet, somehow satisfying. It will leave you with more questions than answers. "The Night Guest" will be one of those books that I will think about for years to come.

SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH A SERIAL KILLER

‘You Better Watch Out’

By James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth. Narrated by Barrie Kreinik.

Macmillan Audio

6 hours, 35 minutes

$19.99

Eddie Parker is going to turn his life around. But first he has to make rent.

His credit card is maxed out. He has $40 in his wallet — his entire fortune. Then he spots the elderly couple and their wallets, brimming with cash. One last easy score and then he'll go straight, he thinks, as he heads out of the small town convenience store, tailing the unsuspecting couple who stopped in to pick up a few items ahead of Christmas dinner.

Hours later he awakes in a replica of Old Forge, N.Y. He's been injected with something, abducted. And he's not alone. There's also a woman named Jessica, a gash in her head and blood running down her face, who was abducted while running. They are joined by a few others — Tank, Trinity and Greg — all victims of similar abductions. Soon, the group learns that if they can survive the next 48 hours — until sunrise on Christmas Day — they'll be free to go. The only hitch? They're being picked off one at a time by an unknown assailant.

As day turns to night and day again, the group learns they all have a past of some sort — crimes ranging from drug deals to serial rape. And it turns out the person stalking them isn't an amatuer but a seasoned serial killer with dossiers on each member of their party. The hunt is on as the group struggles to survive and best the mysterious killer.

A short and sweet slasher for anyone who's already counting down the days until Christmas.Barrie Kreinik's narration takes this story to the next level, deftly switching between characters and points of view as the story picks up pace, rushing toward its spectacular surprising conclusion.