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New and recommended scary books
Updated February 8, 2024
RPL Staff
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Take it back
Abdullah, Kia
Paper Book
From author Kia Abdullah, Take It Back is a harrowing and twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned. One victim. Four accused. Who is telling the truth? Zara Kaleel, one of London's...
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The whispers
Audrain, Ashley
Paper Book
"Expertly, subtly and powerfully rendered....[The Whispers] delivers a sucker-punch ending you'll have to read twice to believe."--The New York Times Book Review "[An] electrifying...razor-sharp page-turner." --Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling...
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Good rich people
Brazier, Eliza Jane
Paper Book
Lyla has always believed that life is a game she is destined to win, but her husband, Graham, takes the game to dangerous levels. The wealthy couple invites self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspires to ruin their lives. After all, there is nothing worse than a...
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The queen of the cicadas = la reina de las chicharras
Castro, V.
Paper Book
NOMINATED FOR A BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL 2018 - Belinda Alvarez has returned to Texas for the wedding of her best friend Veronica. The farm is the site of the urban legend, La Reina de Las Chicharras - The Queen of The Cicadas. In 1950s south Texas a...
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Birnam Wood
Catton, Eleanor
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, Financial Times, Slate, The Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, The TelegraphA...
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Vampires of El Norte
Cañas, Isabel
Paper Book
As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters - her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead....
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Dead of winter
Coates, Darcy
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER JULY 2023 LIBRARYREADS SELECTION From bestselling author Darcy Coates comes Dead of Winter, a remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will teach you to trust no one. There are eight strangers. One killer. Nowhere left to run.
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The spite house
Compton, Johnny
Paper Book
A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire)! * A Bram Stoker Award Nominee! * A 2024 Legacy Awards Nominee! * A Finalist for the Reading the West Book Awards! A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and...
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The senator's wife : a novel
Constantine, Liv
Paper Book
A D.C. philanthropist suspects that her seemingly perfect employee is secretly plotting to steal her husband, her reputation-even her life-in this seductive novel of psychological suspense from the internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish. "Adeadly...
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The ferryman : a novel
Cronin, Justin
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where...
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The block party : a novel
Day, Jamie
Paper Book
Raves for the hottest thriller of 2023! "This is wicked fun." --Publishers Weekly "Absolutely amazing. Readers are going to flip!" --Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of ONE STEP TOO FAR "Like a firecracker on a hot summer...
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The reformatory : a novel
Due, Tananarive
Paper Book
*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award * "You're in for a treat...one of those books you can't put down...Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King ...
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Shutter
Emerson, Ramona
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico's Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation. "A haunting thriller, written with exquisite...
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Leech
Ennes, Hiron
Paper Book
"[Leech] is The Thing meets The Alienist . . . beautifully written and so strangely humane . . . I will follow this writer anywhere going forward." --Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl A surreal and horrifying debut, Hiron...
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Our share of night : a novel
Enriquez, Mariana
Paper Book
"A masterpiece of supernatural horror."--The Washington Post "An enchanting, shattering, once-in-a-lifetime reading experience."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice) ONE OF TIME AND THE ATLANTIC'S TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR * ONE OF THE NEW...
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Greenwich Park
Faulkner, Katherine
Paper Book
"A twisty, fast-paced" (The Sunday Times, London) debut thriller, as electrifying as the #1 New York Times bestseller The Girl on the Train, about impending motherhood, unreliable friendship, and the high price of keeping secrets. In this "gloriously tangled...
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Manhunt
Felker-Martin, Gretchen
Paper Book
"By far the best book I've read this year." --Roxane Gay #1 Best Book of 2022 (Vulture) * A Best Horror Novel of All Time (Cosmopolitan) * One of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 (Esquire, Library Journal, Paste, and CrimeReads...
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What have we done
Finlay, Alex
Paper Book
In this "top-notch mystery thriller" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) from Alex Finlay, What Have We Done is a tale about the lives we leave behind and the secrets we carry with us forever. One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2023:* BookPage...
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Red rabbit
Grecian, Alex
Paper Book
"Impossible to put down." --Kelly Link, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Get In Trouble A ragtag posse must hunt down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts--where death is always just around the bend--in this new supernatural horror by...
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Black sheep
Harrison, Rachel
Paper Book
Nobody has a 'normal family', but Vesper Wright's is truly... something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back - mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she could never return. But then the envelope arrives on her doorstep....
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Starling house
Harrow, Alix E.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "This book has everything you could possibly want this fall...a cursed town, a haunted house, a vivid & eerie setting--plus, characters willing to risk everything." --Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club October '23 Pick)...
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The Villa
Hawkins, Rachel
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "Hawkins weaves an engrossing tale about betrayal, sisterhood, and the power of telling your own story. Captivating!" --People "Hawkins is the reigning queen of suspense." --Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times<...
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My best friend's exorcism
Hendrix, Grady
Paper Book
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, this unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller. The year is 1988....
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The soulmate
Hepworth, Sally
Paper Book
"One of the best thrillers of the year"--The New York Times "The book is many things: a crime story, a psychological study, a blueprint for how and when to mete out information in a thriller. But most of all it is an inquiry into the mysteries of marriage and commitment,...
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Little secrets
Hillier, Jennifer
Paper Book
National Bestseller! "Unflinching and unforgettable. Little Secrets has everything you want in a thriller" --Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Lock Every Door Overwhelmed by tragedy, a woman desperately tries to save her...
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Bad Cree : a novel
Johns, Jessica
Paper Book
In this gripping, horror-laced debut, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home. "A mystery and a horror story about...
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The angel of Indian Lake
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A National Bestseller The final installment in the most lauded trilogy in the history of horror novels picks up four years after Don't Fear the Reaper as Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice--only to find the Lake Witch is...
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Nothing but blackened teeth
Khaw, Cassandra
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER * A Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award Finalist! * An Indie Next Pick! * An October LibraryReads Pick! * 2022 RUSA Reading List: Horror Winner! Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a...
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Holly : a novel
King, Stephen
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book * An NPR Best Book of the Year Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King's most compelling and resourceful characters, returns in this chilling "exploration of grief and delusion, just pure undistilled evil" (...
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A house with good bones
Kingfisher, T.
Paper Book
A Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2023 A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family. "Mom seems off."<...
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Bright young women
Knoll, Jessica
Paper Book
Don't miss this "breakneck thriller" examining "our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime" (Harper's Bazaar) following two women on the pursuit of justice against all odds. "A fascinating look at true crime and tabloid culture that's as thoughtful as it is gripping" (...
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She's not sorry
Kubica, Mary
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller that BookTok is calling "absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G" (@hollylovesbooks1519) and "impossible to put down" (@kurryreads), from the author of Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple Everyone has secrets, but not everyone has...
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Everyone here is lying
Lapena, Shari
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door "The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant." -...
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Lone women : a novel
LaValle, Victor
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Blue skies, empty land--and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an "absorbing, powerful" (BuzzFeed) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of...
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The quarry girls a thriller
Lourey, Jess 1970-
Audiobook
Killers hiding in plain sight. Small-town secrets. A girl who knows too much. From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline comes a nerve-twisting novel inspired by a shocking true crime. Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit...
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The housemaid
McFadden, Freida
Paper Book
Over 1 Million Copies Sold! Don't miss the New York Times and USA Today bestseller and addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that's burning up Instagram and TikTok--Freida McFadden's The Housemaid is perfect for fans of...
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Our hideous progeny : a novel
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
"A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue." -- Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship "An immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women's rights within the field of science....
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The invited
McMahon, Jennifer
Paper Book
A chilling ghost story with a twist: the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People returns to the woods of Vermont to tell the story of a husband and wife who don't simply move into a haunted house--they build one . . . In a quest for a simpler life,...
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Indian burial ground
Medina, Nick
Paper Book
A man lunges in front of a car. An elderly woman silently drowns herself. A corpse sits up in its coffin and speaks. On this reservation, not all is what it seems, in this new spine-chilling mythological horror from the author of Sisters of the Lost Nation. All...
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The maidens
Michaelides, Alex 1977-
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides's long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." --The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly...
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The quiet tenant
Michallon, Cle?mence
Paper Book
NATIONAL BEST SELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR * GMA BUZZ PICK * "A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying." --James Patterson, #1 best-selling author A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE...
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The militia house : a novel
Milas, John
Paper Book
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize Nominated for the 2023 Shirley Jackson Award "An extraordinary novel about the quiet and not so quiet horrors of war." --Roxane Gay Stephen King meets Tim O'Brien in John Milas's...
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The only survivors : a novel
Miranda, Megan
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick They were nine survivors. Now, a decade later, only seven remain...how long can they keep the promise made that night? Don't miss this "gripping thriller" (CrimeReads) from the Reese...
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Silver nitrate
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers. ...
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The bone orchard
Mueller, Sara A.
Paper Book
Sara A. Mueller's The Bone Orchard is a fascinating whodunit set in a lush, gothic world of secrets and magic--where a dying emperor charges his favorite concubine with solving his own murder, and preventing the culprit, which undoubtedly is one of his three terrible sons, from...
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Drowning : the rescue of Flight 1421 : a novel
Newman, T. J.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES * "Reads like Apollo 13 underwater." --Don Winslow * "Masterful." --Patricia Cornwell * "A stunningly vivid tour de force!" Gripping. Shocking." --Brad Thor Flight...
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Strange Sally Diamond
Nugent, Liz
Paper Book
"Shocking, disturbing, and utterly original." --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author This "haunting and poignant tale, one that won't be easy to forget any time soon" (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting...
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The devil's playground : a novel
Russell, Craig
Paper Book
A riveting 1920s Hollywood thriller about the making of the most terrifying silent film ever made, and a deadly search for the single copy rumored still to exist, from the internationally acclaimed author of The Devil Aspect. "An excellent, engrossing historical...
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The only one left : a novel
Sager, Riley
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Named a summer book to watch by The Washington Post, Boston Globe, USA Today, Oprah, Paste, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, and Nerd Daily "Propulsive ... a dizzying Gothic whodunit." --...
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Loyalty
Scottoline, Lisa
Paper Book
#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline presents Loyalty, an emotional, action-packed epic of love and justice, set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily. Loyalty can save a soul--or destroy one. Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome...
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The violin conspiracy
Slocumb, Brendan
Paper Book
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! * Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise--undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world--when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather's heirloom violin...
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The resting place
Sten, Camilla
Paper Book
One of Goodreads Most Popular Horror of 2022 "Engrossing, character-rich, powerful. Sten is on a roll."--Publishers Weekly(starred review) Crimson Peak meets The Sanatorium in The Resting Place, a heart-thumping,...
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The kind worth saving : a novel
Swanson, Peter
Paper Book
"The inventive Mr. Swanson never lets the willing reader down. With The Kind Worth Saving, he surpasses his own high standard." -- Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal In this spectacularly devious novel by New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson, a private...
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Lute
Thorne, Jennifer
Paper Book
Wicker Man meets Final Destination in Jennifer Thorne's atmospheric, unsettling folk horror novel about love, duty, and community. On the idyllic island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people die. No more, no less. Lute and its inhabitants are...
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The cherry robbers
Walker, Sarai
Paper Book
"Sarai Walker has done it again. With The Cherry Robbers she upends the Gothic ghost story with a fiery feminist zeal." --Maria Semple The highly anticipated second novel from Sarai Walker, following her "slyly subversive" (EW) cult-hit Dietland--a feminist gothic about the lone...
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Looking glass sound
Ward, Catriona
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER * A 2023 World Fantasy Award nominee * Best Book of 2023(Vulture) * A Best Horror Book of All Time (Cosmopolitan) * A Best Horror Book of 2023 (Esquire) * An Indie Next Pick * A LibraryReads...
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Black river orchard : a novel
Wendig, Chuck
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents. "This masterful outing should continue to earn Wendig comparisons to...
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Mister Magic : a novel
White, Kiersten
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show--and discover the secret of its enigmatic host--in this "skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and '90s nostalgia" (Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Woods) from...
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Where the dead wait
Wilkes, Ally
Paper Book
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All the dangerous things
Willingham, Stacy
Paper Book
Following up her instant New York Times bestseller, A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham delivers a totally gripping thriller about a desperate mother with a troubled past in All the Dangerous Things. One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever:...
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Midnight is the darkest hour : a novel
Winstead, Ashley
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes Midnight is the Darkest Hour, a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts--the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks--hold...
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