Top new horror books in October 2021
Last updated:
October 31, 2021
October 2021 featuring new releases by Margaret Rogerson, Alice Hoffman, Christina Dalcher, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Natasha Pulley, David Wong, Jason Pargin, Tamron Hall, Sophie Lark, Alison Rumfitt, Jaymin Eve, Everly Frost, Rebecca Netley and many more.
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Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
The dead of Loraille do not rest.Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past...action-adventure · audiobook · book · dark · dark-fantasy · demons · disability · epic · female-author · female-mc -
![The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman]()
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change...adult · audiobook · book · british-isles · england · europe · family · female-author · fiction · france -
![Femlandia by Christina Dalcher]()
Femlandia by Christina Dalcher
A chilling look into an alternate near future where a woman and her daughter seek refuge in a women-only colony, only to find that the safe haven they were hoping for is the most dangerous place they could be.Miranda Reynolds always thought she would rather die than live in Femlandia...adult · alternate-history · anthologies · audiobook · contemporary · crime · dark · dystopia · family · female-mc -
![The Haunting Season: Eight Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Natasha Pulley, Andrew Michael Hurley, Bridget Collins]()
The Haunting Season: Eight Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Natasha Pulley, Andrew Michael Hurley, Bridget Collins
Eight bestselling, award-winning writers return to the time-honored tradition of the seasonal ghost story in this spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales...adult · anthologies · audiobook · dark · dark-academia · fiction · ghosts · gothic · historical · historical-fiction -
![John Dies at the End by David Wong, Jason Pargin]()
John Dies at the End by David Wong, Jason Pargin
John Dies at the End is a genre-bending, humorous account of two college drop-outs inadvertently charged with saving their small town—and the world—from a host of supernatural and paranormal invasions...adult · book · contemporary · cosmic-horror · dark-humor · fiction · horror · humor · supernatural · sci-fi -
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![As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall]()
As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall
The first in a thrilling new series from Emmy Award-winning TV Host and Journalist Tamron Hall, As The Wicked Watch follows a reporter as she unravels the disturbing mystery around the deaths of two young Black women, the work of a serial killer terrorizing Chicago... -
![There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark]()
There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
I loathe Alastor Shaw. The city of San Francisco thinks we’re rival artists.In truth, we’re predators battling for hunting ground.We never chased the same prey. Until the night we both laid eyes on Mara Eldritch.Shaw wants to use her as a pawn in his twisted game.I’m fixated on her for a different reason…She makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. Want things I never wanted... -
![Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt]()
Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends, Ila and Hannah. Since then, Alice’s life has spiraled. She lives a haunted existence, selling videos of herself for money, going to parties she hates, drinking herself to sleep... -
![Demon Pack by Jaymin Eve, Everly Frost]()
Demon Pack by Jaymin Eve, Everly Frost
I’m no stranger to the dark. The shadows belong to me. But the dark can’t hide me forever...I run with my own pack—my four demon wolves and the two friends I would kill to protect.We might be the rejected shifters of the Vegas supernaturals, different and unwanted, but our pack is strong. Feared. Think of us as your local supernatural vigilantes...action-adventure · adult · alpha-mc · angels · book · dark · demons · enemies-to-lovers · europe · female-mc -
![The Whistling by Rebecca Netley]()
The Whistling by Rebecca Netley
Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. Her charge, Mary, is a troubled child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn't uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William—just days after their former nanny disappeared.With Mary defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders...horror · gothic · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · paranormal · historical · ghosts · supernatural · audiobook -
![Reprieve: A Novel by James Han Mattson]()
Reprieve: A Novel by James Han Mattson
“An eventual American classic that is unrelenting in its beauty and incisive cultural critique.” – KIESE LAYMON A chilling and blisteringly relevant literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a full-contact haunted escape room—a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment...adult · audiobook · black-mc · book · crime · dark · fiction · gothic · historical · historical-fiction -
![The Other Husband by Kathryn Croft]()
The Other Husband by Kathryn Croft
One dinner party will destroy everything.It’s a perfect evening on the night that throws a wrecking ball into Abby’s life. There’s still a hint of summer sun in the purple-streaked sky. Abby and her best friend, Sienna, look on fondly as their two husbands laugh under the garden gazebo. None of them know it’s the last time the four of them will be together again...adult · amateur-sleuth · audiobook · book · breakup · british-isles · cheating · crime · domestic-drama · england -
![This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno]()
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
It was Vera's idea to buy the Itza. The "world's most advanced smart speaker!" didn't interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · cosmic-horror · dark · death · existentialism · family · fiction -
![Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson, Clifford Samuel]()
Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson, Clifford Samuel
The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake.Answering Campion’s distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths...action-adventure · adult · afrofuturism · afterlife · ai · aliens · audiobook · book · colonization · crime -
![Her Soul for Revenge by Harley Laroux]()
Her Soul for Revenge by Harley Laroux
JuniperAfter a cult tried to sacrifice me to their wicked God, I went on the run, doing whatever was necessary to survive. Until a demon offered me a deal: give him my soul and he'll help me claim the vengeance I seek. Blood will be spilled, and the monsters I once ran from will soon be running from me. But damning my soul was just the beginning - it's my heart the demon wants next... -
![Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson]()
Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson
When a teenage girl thinks she may be the only person left alive in her town—maybe in the whole world—she must rely on hope, trust, and her own resilience.Paige Miller is determined to take her basketball team to the state championship, maybe even beyond. But as March Madness heats up, Paige falls deathly ill. Days later, she wakes up attached to an IV and learns that the whole world has perished...action-adventure · aliens · animals · apocalyptic · audiobook · book · contemporary · dark · dystopia · epic -
![I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad]()
I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad
One secret.Eight cryptic words.Lifetimes of ruin.Wayland Maynard is just eight years old when he sees his father kill himself, finds a note that reads I am not who you think I am, and is left reeling with grief and shock. Who was his father if not the loving man Wayland knew? Terrified, Wayland keeps the note a secret, but his reasons for being afraid are just beginning... -
![The House of Tongues by James Dashner]()
The House of Tongues by James Dashner
David Player has spent 30 years trying to forget the traumas of his childhood. The threats, the kidnappings, the murders. The imagined curses of a people born centuries earlier, passed from father to son, mother to daughter, generation to generation. Its climax came in human form, a monster of a man, one of the most notorious serial killers the nation has ever seen: Pee Wee Gaskins...abuse · adult · audiobook · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · crime · dark · fiction · graphic-violence -
![Scream For Us by Molly Doyle]()
Scream For Us by Molly Doyle
After wandering into an alluring Halloween party that is said to go down in history, Quinn finds herself captivated by three masked men. As she immerses herself in a night of both pleasure and pain, she finally has the perfect opportunity to bring her darkest fantasies to life.Or death.-This is a Dark Romance/Suspense, Reverse Harem Novella...adult · alpha-mc · anti-hero · audiobook · book · contemporary · crime · dark · fiction · graphic-violence -
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![Into the Dark by Dana Isaly]()
Into the Dark by Dana Isaly
HimI am the monster that lurks in your nightmares.Evil incarnate. A sociopath. A murderer.I kill women who are guilty of nothing other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.Women like Lyra.Her yellow raincoat flapped in the cool breeze when she walked by, that blonde hair making her look like a drowned rat as she stopped to taste the rain... -
![The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling]()
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work...21st-century · adult · alternate-history · audiobook · book · british-isles · dark · dark-academia · dark-fantasy · england -
![Litani by Jess Lourey]()
Litani by Jess Lourey
The Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline explores the darkness at the heart of the rural Midwest in a novel inspired by a chilling true crime.In the summer of ’84, fourteen-year-old Frankie Jubilee is shuttled off to Litani, Minnesota, to live with her estranged mother, a county prosecutor she barely knows...north-america · usa · minnesota · mystery · fiction · audiobook · suspense · horror · historical-fiction · drama -
![The Watchers by A.M. Shine]()
The Watchers by A.M. Shine
This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams... -
![Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher]()
Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher
Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard's investigations. It's a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he's called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane...action-adventure · adult · book · crime · female-author · fiction · high-fantasy · historical · horror · humor -
![Spell Bond: More Tales From the Old World by Melissa F. Olson]()
Spell Bond: More Tales From the Old World by Melissa F. Olson
The ties that bind are even stronger when magic is involved. These eight all-new tales run in between and alongside the main Old World novels, allowing fan favorites to take center stage and exploring the deep bonds between allies and frenemies.Ride along with vampire ranch hand Wyatt for a night in "The Cowboy," and join Lily as she experiments with forbidden magic in "The Witching Hour...action-adventure · adult · anthologies · fiction · horror · magic · paranormal · psychological · shapeshifters · urban -
![The Blood That Binds by Claire C. Riley, Madeline Sheehan]()
The Blood That Binds by Claire C. Riley, Madeline Sheehan
- Please note. The original book 3 is now being moved to later in the series. The Blood that Binds is now the NEW book 3 in the series - * Book 3 in the Thicker than Blood series *Tᴡᴏ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀs. A ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ.Life has never been easy for this trio, and especially not after the end of civilization as they knew it...post-apocalyptic · horror · dystopia · action-adventure · zombies · enemies-to-lovers · angst · apocalyptic · multi-pov · love-triangle -
![Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day]()
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day
From the award-winning author of The Day I Died and The Lucky One, a captivating suspense novel about nurses during World War II who come to Agatha Christie’s holiday estate to care for evacuated children, but when a body is discovered nearby, the idyllic setting becomes host to a deadly mystery.Bridey Kelly has come to Greenway House—the beloved holiday home of Agatha Christie—in disgrace...20th-century · adult · amateur-sleuth · audiobook · book · children · cozy · crime · espionage · family -
![The Spirit Engineer by A.J. West]()
The Spirit Engineer by A.J. West
Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism in the form of seances that attempt to contact the spirits of loved ones lost at sea.William is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sat around the circle something happens that places doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind...historical-fiction · horror · gothic · historical · fantasy · mystery · fiction · paranormal · supernatural · audiobook -
![Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse by Melissa Lozada-Oliva]()
Dreaming of You: A Novel in Verse by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
A feverish story of young adulthood, exploring how fandom and obsession shape how we relate to the world . . . Dreaming of You navigates the complexities of Latinx identity, self-loathing, love, and the loneliness of drifting into adulthood...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · death · female-author · fiction · hispanic · horror · latinx-mc -
![Ski Weekend by Rektok Ross]()
Ski Weekend by Rektok Ross
Six teens, one dog, a ski trip gone wrong . . .Sam is dreading senior ski weekend and having to watch after her brother and his best friend, Gavin, to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. Again. Gavin may be gorgeous, but he and Sam have never gotten along. Now they’re crammed into an SUV with three other classmates and Gavin’s dog, heading on a road trip that can’t go by fast enough...young-adult · fiction · survival · mystery · audiobook · contemporary · action-adventure · realistic · season-winter · suspense -
![The Violent Season by Sara Walters]()
The Violent Season by Sara Walters
There is something terribly wrong in Wolf Ridge. Every November, every teen is overwhelmed with a hunger for violence…at least, that’s the urban legend.After Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered last Fall, she’s convinced that the November sickness plaguing Wolf Ridge isn’t just a town rumor that everyone ignores…it’s a palpable force infecting her neighbors...romance · young-adult · horror · mystery · contemporary · fiction · audiobook · crime · mental-illness · spooky -
![The Every by Dave Eggers]()
The Every by Dave Eggers
From the award-winning, bestselling author of The Circle comes an exciting new follow-up. When the world's largest search engine/social media company, the Circle, merges with the planet's dominant ecommerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous--and, oddly enough, most beloved--monopoly ever known: the Every.Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire at the Every...21st-century · action-adventure · adult · apocalyptic · audiobook · book · contemporary · dystopia · fiction · futuristic -
![Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest]()
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
“Delightful.” —The New York Times Book Review A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series.Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic...action-adventure · adult · amateur-sleuth · audiobook · book · comedy · contemporary · cozy · crime · death -
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![Burntcoat by Sarah Hall]()
Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINEEAn extraordinary work that will stand as blazing witness to the age that bore it." -- Sarah PerryA masterpiece (Daisy Johnson) of mortality, passion, and human connection, set against the backdrop of a deadly global virus--from the Booker-nominated writerYou were the last one here, before I closed the door of Burntcoat. Before we all closed our doors . .21st-century · adult · anthologies · audiobook · contemporary · drama · dystopia · epic · epidemy · family -
![Where They Wait by Scott Carson]()
Where They Wait by Scott Carson
Recently laid-off from his newspaper and desperate for work, war correspondent Nick Bishop takes a humbling job: writing a profile of a new mindfulness app called Clarity. It’s easy money, and a chance to return to his hometown for his first visit in years. The app itself seems like a retread of old ideas—relaxing white noise and guided meditations. But then there are the “Sleep Songs...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · fiction · ghosts · historical-fiction · horror · mystery · myths -
![Rebel's Creed by Daniel B. Greene]()
Rebel's Creed by Daniel B. Greene
With one simple myth, nations burned. Under the Almighty, an empire has been forged, bringing peace to the once-divided continent. But now, a spark of truth threatens to ignite the religion of lies. Chapman unknowingly brought the Seventh Precinct to their demise... -
![Another Name For the Devil by Mason Deaver]()
Another Name For the Devil by Mason Deaver
Sweet evil, come deliver us.Gabriel has spent the last decade trying to forget their best friend, the first boy they ever loved: Jacob. Ripped away from each other in the midst of a family tragedy, Gabriel grieved for Jacob alone, surviving in their small, religious town before finally breaking free to attend college, where they found new friends and relationships to pursue...horror · audiobook · lgbtq · fiction · trans-mc · supernatural · contemporary · paranormal · fantasy · sci-fi -
![Untamed Fate by Veronica Douglas]()
Untamed Fate by Veronica Douglas
Last week I was a waitress. Now I’m turning into a monster.No one knows the truth, except the faceless man—a twisted sorcerer who’s hellbent on stealing my soul.With secrets and danger close on my heels, the only one who can help me tame my inner beast is Jaxson Laurent—the Chicago alpha. Our chemistry is explosive, but the rift between our families runs too deep...action-adventure · adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · crime · dark · demons · enemies-to-lovers · fated-mates -
![The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski]()
The Mother Next Door by Tara Laskowski
GOOD MOTHERS…Never show their feelings.Never spill their secrets.Never admit to murder.The annual Halloween block party is the pinnacle of the year on idyllic suburban cul-de-sac Ivy Woods Drive. An influential group of neighborhood moms—known as the Ivy Five—plans the event for months.Except the Ivy Five has been four for a long time...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · crime · domestic-drama · drama · family · female-author · female-mc -
![The Devil's Den by Irina Shapiro]()
The Devil's Den by Irina Shapiro
In 1540, newly married and pregnant Isobel Devlin vanished from a tiny island in Lancashire, never to be seen again.In 2020, leaving London for the first time since the pandemic began, Nicole Rayburn and Kyle Walsh head to a guesthouse in the Lake District for a much-needed holiday...historical-fiction · mystery · historical · fiction · paranormal · 21st-century · early-modern · industrial-era · victorian · gothic
