Spooky Halloween Books for Adults

By Ruth Ware

I loved this book! It's so perfectly suspenseful and the old British mansion in it gave me all the spooky autumn vibes.

When Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance, she realizes right away that it's probably a case of mistaken identity. However, she's in a pretty tricky financial bind, so she decides to go to the funeral of the deceased and see if there's a way for her to claim any money. But it doesn't take long before she realizes that there's something mysterious happening and she's all tied up in a very strange situation.

By Frances Hardinge

Set in Victorian England, this gothic tale is completely captivating. Faith Sunderly is convinced that her father's death was no accident, but when she goes searching for answers she discovers a strange and perhaps malevolent tree that only bears fruit when you whisper a lie to it.

I couldn't put this one down!

By David Mitchell

This one is a lot of fun to read . . . well, creepy fun. Down the road from a British pub, along a brick wall of a narrow alley, but only if the conditions are just so, you might find the entrance to Slade House. Every hapless guest first feels as though they never want to leave . . . and then they realize that they can't escape. It's a weird and wonderful book.

By Mary Stewart

This one is perfect for fans of Rebecca and Jane Eyre. After years in an English orphanage, Linda Martin accepts a governess job for a nine-year-old orphan and heir to the Chateau Valmy in the French Alps. It seems like a dream job, but Linda soon realizes that there is something amiss and her young charge's life may be in great danger.

The suspense and pacing in this novel are so good! Plus, it's a Halloween romance, which is always fun.

By Diane Setterfield

I read this one when it first came out and then again last year for book club and I loved it both times. It's an excellent October read, eerie and enchanting.

Vida Winters is a famous but reclusive author. In her old age and nearing death, she calls a young biographer to come and listen to the secrets of her haunted past that she's held onto for decades.

By Wilkie Collins

I love this book! It's one of only a handful of books that I've read more than twice. This classic from 1859 is considered one of the first mystery books. It opens with a spooky encounter on a moonlit road in London and immediately sucks the reader into a tale of madness and intrigue, with all the best elements of a Gothic horror story and psychological realism. It may be an old Victorian novel, but it's a real page turner.

By Dorothy Macardle

I read this 1941 Irish ghost story last year and really enjoyed it. A brother and sister buy a house together on a cliff that overlooks the sea. She plans to relax and improve her health, he plans to write a book. But the perfect house turns out to be haunted and they're determined to figure out what happened there. (There's an old b&w movie version of this that I plan to watch too).

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I really enjoyed this book, It's a new book, but it reads like a spooky old gothic classic. When she receives a mysterious letter from her cousin pleading for help, Noemi Taboada heads to High Place in the remote Mexican countryside to see if she can help. When she arrives her cousin seems confused and unwell, her cousin's husband is menacing, and her cousins father-in-law is downright creepy. In fact, the whole house and its staff is off-putting, but Noemi can't just leave her cousin without figuring out what is going on at High Place.

By Shirley Jackson

This book is very creepy and will give you all the shivers. Nothing outright scary happens, but every page leaves you with the sinister feeling that something just isn't right.

Eighteen-year-old Merricat is the disturbed (and disturbing) narrator. She was twelve when her family was poisoned with arsenic in the sugar bowl. Only she and her sister, who doesn't eat sugar, and her Uncle, who only had a small teaspoon, survived. Now, Merricat has a series of elaborate routines that she must complete everyday to keep the darkness from getting back in.

P.S. The movie version of this on Netflix is superb.

By Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson really is the master of building tension. The tension mounts on every page of this 1950's classic making it a fast and creepy read, even if it is more nuanced than directly scary. It follows a small group of people invited by the occult scholar Dr. Montague to stay the summer at Hill House so he can document its haunting.

While the book is only spooky not scary, the Netflix mini-series of this is downright terrifying and if you watch it you probably won't sleep for weeks. Be warned.

By Henry James

I haven't read this book since college, but I can still remember all the details that spooked me. This is one of the most famous ghost stories of all time, so if you haven't read it already, now's a great time! There's a governess, two odd children, and a very creepy manor house.

By Daphne Du Maurier

This famous classic just begs to be read in October. And when you've finished with the Manderley house and it's unfortunate inhabitants, you can watch the old Alfred Hitchcock adaptation and the new Netflix adaptation coming out this month!

By Elizabeth Kostova

This one is equal parts romance + historical fiction + spookiness. It's a compelling modern take on the Dracula story. This one is also a delightful audiobook.

By Agatha Christie

You can't go wrong with an Agatha Christie book and this is one of my favorites (Halloween Party is also a good October pick). I especially enjoyed this one as a full cast audio production.

By Leigh Bardugo

This collection of re-imagined fairy tales with a feminist slant is perfect October reading. They are dark, but also illuminating and the writing is spectacular. Rumor has it the Grishaverse is coming to Netflix soon too!

By Edgar Allen Poe

You can't write a list of Halloween books for adults without Poe. No one does spooky better than Edgar Allen Poe. It's been years since I read it, but sometimes at night I still recall lines from The Tell Tale Heart and I have to turn on the light and make sure all is well before I can go back to sleep.

By Emily Bronte

If you really don't like anything scary at all, this is a great pick. It's dark and definitely a bit chilling, which makes it a good seasonal pick, but it's not scary at all. A gothic romance set on the isolated Yorkshire moors is best read on a dark Autumn day.

By Alice Hoffman

Read the book that inspired the beloved movie!

Gillian and Sally come from a long line of witches, but the women in their family have always been outcasts. As children, Gillian and Sally decide they want to escape the life they inherited and as they get older they do - one through marriage, and one through travel. But both women are destined to return to home and embrace their witchcraft.

By Alice Hoffman

This is the backstory for the two beloved aunts in Practical Magic. They are my favorite part of the movie version, so I'm looking forward to the book.

By Alice Hoffman

This prequel takes you back to the 1600's and tells the story of the Owens witch that started it all.