If dressing up, eating a bucket of chocolate, and doing the Monster Mash aren’t enough to scratch your Halloween itch every year, then a good spooky story is just what you need. Sure, a trip to Halloweentown or a night riding on brooms with the Sanderson sisters may satisfy your craving for a good haunting on a chilly night in. But if you’re looking for even more haunts to sink your pointy teeth into, we have a list of books to read that are perfect for your season of the witch. From Halloween spooks to stories of vampires, ghosts, haunted houses, mad scientists, and more, these terrifying tales will have you lighting your black flame candle and slinking into your couch like a black cat in the night.
When Patricia Campbell is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor one night after book club, she soon encounters her neighbor’s nephew James Harris. But even if the new neighbor is sweep-you-off-your-feet handsome, Patricia can’t ignore the children gone missing or the number of deaths reported at the police office, making her wonder if James is the center of the problem—and if there is a much more sinister reason for his appearance in Charleston.
Cassie Greenberg, a Chicago artist desperate for a cheap place to live, comes across a roommate listing that seems a little too good to be true. Gorgeous apartment in a top neighborhood in the city? And a male roommate that kind of makes you swoon? Something definitely doesn’t feel right—especially when Cassie finds mysterious bags of blood in the fridge…
When the lord and lady of Totleigh Hall are staying at their manor during a time when they usually aren’t in residence, the entire village of Nether Monkslip wonders if things are about to go back to the good old days, when the lord of the manor benefited the town greatly. But when local vicar Max Tudor is invited to a night at Totleigh Hall, a suspicious death intervenes, and the investigator is once again put to work during the most haunted time of the year.
What would you do if you found out your family home is actually haunted? Louise is forced to head home after the passing of her parents, and on top of all the stresses of trying to make it to Charleston—including leaving her daughter with her ex—she doesn’t want to have to see or deal with her brother Max as they get ready to close up the house for sale. That’s if the haunted house even lets them sell it at all.
There’s a lot on the line for Immanuelle Moore, whose mere existence is considered blasphemy. Immanuelle makes every effort to do the right thing in the eyes of the public like every other woman in her settlement. But a walk in the woods and encounter with the spirits of witches may change her fate, and an old diary will spin the tale of truth that could shatter everything she knows about the settlement she’s from.
A cozy mystery set during the time of year full of tricks and treats, this story follows Lucy Stone and the residents of Tinker Cove. As the town prepares for its annual Halloween festival, news of the town’s oldest house catching fire spreads, and Lucy makes a shocking discovery that could send the arsonist’s plans up in smoke.
A haunted castle… a masquerade ball… a local girl that goes missing. One Haunted Evening spins a number of spooky tales of a night full of haunts and romance as the Regency era meets the paranormal. If you’ve ever dreamed of having Bridgerton set with ghosts and haunts of all kinds, then this is probably right up your alley.
A local 170-year-old mansion is transformed for the opening of Acutis Society’s Fairy Tales and Frights, the perfect haunted house for the event. Especially after an article was published about a real ghost in the mansion, causing ticket sales to go through the roof. When Father Tom decides to do some investigating of his own, he witnesses someone interacting with a ghost and is called upon to solve the brutal stabbing of one of the haunted house participants. Could these things be connected?
At the stroke of midnight, a spooky carnival rolls into Green Town, Illinois a week before Halloween—but the haunts don’t wait for the big event. When a shadow show threatens to destroy life in a mysterious way, two boys discover the secret behind the smoke-and-mirrors performance.
A fall-time romance full of spooky haunts, Happily Haunted Afters follows the story of Emma as she pursues her dream of owning a hotel, and in the process, hopes to fix her friendship with ex-best friend Jack Colson. Emma gets more than she’s bargained for with the property and becomes convinced it’s haunted by things more sinister than the raccoons Jack blames the mysterious noises on. Along the way, Emma also works through her own phantoms of problems past.
From the same genius woman who wrote Princess Diaries comes a new adult romantic comedy featuring—you guessed it—witches. Enchanted to Meet You follows the story of Jessica Gold who, after a spell went horribly wrong in her teens, has been officially banned from the World Council of Witches (WCW). So it doesn’t exactly make sense when tall and handsome Derrick Winters from the WCW comes to her fifteen years later to let her know she’s “the chosen one” and is destined to save West Harbor herself.
Although this story isn’t exactly set during the official spooky season, Assistant to the Villain has the kind of dark vibes you’re looking for during the spookiest time of the year. Evie Sage decides to pursue a job offer as an assistant to her kingdom’s most infamous villain. Severed heads might be normal, but what Evie discovers during her time as an assistant is anything but, and she finds herself trying to right the wrongs of the man she is now employed to—and the one that has seemed to capture her heart.
The queen of mystery brings back her beloved investigator Hercule Poirot in an attempt to solve the murder of a thirteen-year-old who stormed off during a Halloween party. But as Poirot works to discover the murderer, he soon questions if this “evil presence” isn’t just one killer at work—but two.
one for every night of the month
