There's something about the season of pumpkin spice lattes, spooky movies, and dress-up costumes that makes us want to curl up with a good thriller and mystery novel. A book that keeps us guessing, so much so that one chapter somehow turns into ten and we're left with our jaw open because we can't believe what we just read. You in?
If you're looking for a new suspenseful read to add to your TBR, we've put together a list of some of our favorites. From a book about a struggling suspense novelist to a thriller told from multiple perspectives, we hope you find something that excites you!
PS, some of these books might leave you with sleepless nights! If that's not your thing, here are some other book recommendations to check out. :)
8 Spooky Books to Celebrate Halloween All Month Long: Thrillers, Mysteries & Suspenseful Reads
1. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
Favorite quote: My Google search history alone was probably enough to put me on a government watch list. I wrote suspense novels about murders like this. I’d searched every possible way to kill someone. With every conceivable kind of weapon.
Buy the book: Finlay Donavan Is Killing It.
2. Mexican Gothic
Set in the 1950s, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia centers on a woman rescuing her cousin who believes she is being poisoned by her new husband. But this novel shows that things aren't always what they seem.
Favorite quote: One could construct a hundred different narratives, it didn’t make them true.
Buy the book: Mexican Gothic.
3. The Wife Between Us
Marriage, mystery, and so much more comes together in this page-turning thriller by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
Favorite quote: I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship. Well, I’ve never feared bad weather, either.
Buy the book: The Wife Between Us.
4. The Girl on the Train
If you haven't already read this thriller by Paula Hawkins, I'm a bit jealous! The premise: a woman watches a seemingly perfect couple on her commute and sees something that sets her out on her own missing person's investigation. (I also highly recommend the audio version!)
Favorite quote: Hollowness: that I understand. I'm starting to believe that there isn't anything you can do to fix it. That's what I've taken from the therapy sessions: the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mold yourself through the gaps.
Buy the book: The Girl on the Train.
5. Gone Girl
Another incredible must-read. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is one of those books you will forever remember where you are when you finish it. After you do, check out the movie starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck.
Favorite quote: There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.
Buy the book: Gone Girl.
6. Verity
From the very first sentence, Verity by Colleen Hoover sucks you in. The story centers on a woman who accepts a job as a ghostwriter that turns out to be (so much) more than she anticipated. What happens from there, you'll have to read it to find out!
Favorite quote: Most people come to New York to be discovered. The rest of us come here to hide.
Buy the book: Verity.
7. Lakewood
A new job that seems "perfect" on paper turns out to involve incredible sacrifice and horror. It's beautifully written and offers profound commentary on the experiments performed on Black bodies in the past.
Favorite quote: If you think too much about how things should be, you forget how they are.
Buy the book: Lakewood.
8. Amity
Just the cover of this book gives us the creeps! Wait til you start reading it. There are haunted houses, teens, and horrible nightmares. Need we say more?