20 Chilling Books That’ll Keep You Up All Night Long

If You’re a True Crime Podcast Fan: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

The Golden State Killer left a trail of 50 sexual assaults and 10 murders in his wake, then disappeared without a trace. Crime journalist Michelle McNamara obsessively searched for him, following up on leads, interviewing witnesses, and doggedly pursuing this cold case, until her untimely death two years before law enforcement finally caught up with him.

Her book (finished posthumously by her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt), chronicles her search for the killer in a truly chilling book that will have you obsessed, too.

If You Want to Lean Into Cabin Fever: The Shining, by Stephen King

The Master of Horror Stephen King has a whole slew of top-notch suspense stories—including anthologies of short and scary tales for when you just want a little thrill, But one of his all-time classics is this claustrophobic story of the family snowed into a haunted hotel that sets dad Jack homicidal.

(P.S. There’s much more to the book than you’ve seen in Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror flick.)

If Slasher Movies Are Your Thing: The Final Girl Support Group, by Grady Hendrix

If you’re well-versed in the rules and tropes of serial killer stories, you’ll get a thrill from this clever book about the titular group of “final girl” survivors, who find themselves once again hunted by a psychopath—though even more prepared to battle this time.

If You Love a Strong Heroine With Your Horror: The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukes

A time-traveling serial killer pops in and out of eras with a singular task in mind—murdering the “shining girls,” ultra-talented young women with a lot of promise. But one girl—Kirby Mazrachi—survives, and makes it her mission to track down and stop the murders.

P.S. Once you’re done with the book, check out the series on Apple TV to complete the experience.

If You Want a Cozier Creepy Story: Mother-Daughter Murder Night, by Nina Simon

Three generations of charming (yet contentious) Rubicon women unite to do some amateur sleuthing after a body washes ashore near their tranquil home along the coast—and granddaughter Jack is among the prime suspects. You’ll enjoy the camaraderie between the crew as their digging around uncovers a dark story involving a contentious land battle and puts them all in the crosshairs of a very determined and deadly killer.

If You Want to Freak Out Your Boss: Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide, by Rupert Holmes

A worker with an epically bad boss is tapped for a specialized school that’s like a Hogwarts for assassins, filled with classes in poisons and other specialized skills necessary for “deletion.” (And with murderous fellow students constantly trying to take a literal stab at you.)

Written by Rupert Holmes (of “The Piña Colada Song” fame), this charming faux guide to the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts is a suspenseful book that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

If You’re Ready to Take the Plunge Into Dark Academia: The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

Start your journey through the dark academia genre with one of its foundational tales—and one of its finest.

Donna Tartt’s tragic tale follows a small group of cloistered, cult-like classics students obsessed with bacchanals, their magnetic professor, and each other—and how that eventually leads to murder.

If You Want a Story That’ll Keep You Thinking Long After You’re Finished: Bunny, by Mona Awad

This 21st century take on very dark academia features a Mean Girls-like clique in an elite college’s grad school program. The unreliable narrator is left out in the cold for a time—but when she’s embraced by the group, she uncovers something pretty sinister. Months later, you’ll still be puzzling out what really happened.

You Want a Spooky Summer Camp Story: The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

The Friday the 13th movie series isn’t the only way to make a summer camp creepy. At Camp Emerson two children of the summer camp’s owners disappear more than a decade apart. As people try to hunt for Barbara Van Laar, they uncover some very disturbing secrets about the Van Laars and the community that surrounds the camp.

If You Want to Be Happy With the House You Have: House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

Perhaps it’s best to stop hoping for a little extra room in your home—as evidenced by the unsettling way the house at the heart of this tale becomes bigger on the inside. This twisting and utterly unique read will have you entranced with every map, diagram, and footnote.

If Clowns Are Your Big Fear Factor: It, by Stephen King

Stephen King knows exactly what scares you—and odds are, it pops up in this terrifying tale. The creep-tastic Pennywise the clown is just one face of the evil lurking in Derry, Maine—an evil that can take the face of whatever terrifies you most. Good luck getting to sleep after even a few pages of this horror classic.

If You’re All in on the Classics: The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

Author Shirley Jackson was an early queen of horror, producing both short and long fiction destined to give you major creeps.

This harrowing haunted house tale (one of her finest) follows a group of four unwitting souls who agree to spend a summer in the home looking for proof that ghosts and the supernatural exist. And they find much more than they bargained for.

If You Find Getting Lost in IKEA Terrifying: HorrorStör, by Grady Hendrix

Something bad is happening in a very IKEA-esque furniture store—so a team of employees decides to spend the night inside trying to solve the mystery. But what they discover is way more terrifying than trying to assemble their cost-efficient Kjerring bookshelves.

If You’re a Hunger Games or Squid Game Fan: Hide, by Kiersten White

This creepy competition story has more twists and turns than the roller coaster in the abandoned amusement park where the story takes place. Fourteen competitors start the game to see who can make it through the week in the park—but one by one, they disappear under very sinister circumstances. Be prepared to be horrified.

If You Like a Scary Southern Gothic: A House With Good Bones, by T. Kingfisher

When Sam travels home to check on her mom, she finds the house—and her mother—both spookily altered. So what happens when your childhood home might be haunted by something sinister? That’s the predicament in this top-rated tale.

If You Adore YA Thrillers: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

High school student (and true-crime fan) Pip decides to make her school project an investigation into a murder-suicide in her small town. But as she gets closer to the truth behind the crime, she finds herself in more and more danger. Will she solve the crime and clear the name of the alleged killer—or become a victim herself?

(This one has a Netflix series based on it, too!)

If You Grew Up on Scooby Doo: Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero

This clever thriller winks at a lot of shows that featured teen detectives (including Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, along with the obvious homage to Scooby Doo). The gang gets back together decades after solving a mystery, once they discover they had the wrong guy.

If You’re All About the Brontë Sisters: The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell

Let’s face it: The Brontës wrote some pretty haunting books—ghostly Catherine and vengeful Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and the tower-trapped mad wife in Jane Eyre. Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions has all the makings of a Brontë novel: a newly widowed young wife, surly servants, a locked door inside a crumbling estate—and the potential haunting by something very supernatural.

If Quarantines Are Scarier Than Anything Else: Wilder Girls, by Rory Power

At Raxter School for Girls, “the Tox” kills off the teachers and infects the students—leaving them to fend for themselves in their quarantined school. But when Hetty leaves in search of her missing friend, she uncovers there’s more to the story.

If You Have a Horrifying Workplace: The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Delila Harris

Nella’s dream job in publishing isn’t so stellar, as she deals with the not-so-welcoming vibes of her colleagues as the only Black staffer. But when a new Black colleague joins the team, things take an even more hostile turn—and Nella may be in danger of losing even more than her job.