4 spooky books that are perfect for autumn reading

Autumn is the perfect time of year to curl up under a blanket by the fire with a good book.

As the nights draw in and Halloween approaches, there’s nothing quite like a story that sends a delicious shiver down your spine and adrenaline pumping through your veins.

Whether you’re a fearless horror fan, a lover of gentle psychological thrillers, or you prefer haunting tales with a healthy dose of humour, we’ve got you covered.

Read on to discover four wonderfully spooky books to add to your reading list this autumn.

1. Classic horror – The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This timeless supernatural thriller was first published in 1959, and it received wide critical acclaim upon release. Author Stephen King, the “King of Horror”, called it “one of the finest horror novels of the twentieth century”.

Rather than jump scares and gory descriptions of violence, Jackson uses sharp prose to build a deep, unsettling psychological tension.

The story opens with Dr John Montague renting a spooky old mansion for the summer to study ghosts and find evidence of a haunting. He’s joined by the young, shy Eleanor Vance, an artistic psychic called Theodora, and Luke Sanderson, the heir to Hill House.

All four experience strange events, noises, and chilling sensations, but as the book progresses, it’s Eleanor who becomes increasingly terrorised by the house. The others begin to suspect she is the cause of all the unsettling happenings, and Eleanor’s mental state deteriorates, leading to a tragic ending.

If you enjoy this book, you might like to settle in for a few spooky evenings watching the 2018 10-episode TV adaptation.

2. Modern psychological thriller – The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This book was published in 2019, and it quickly became a global bestseller.

It’s a psychological thriller about Alicia Berenson, a celebrated painter who shoots her husband five times and then never speaks another word. Her only communication with the world is a self-portrait she paints immediately after the crime.

Alicia is convicted of murder and sent to a secure psychiatric unit in London called The Grove, where she becomes a notorious enigma, known only as “the silent patient”.

Six years later, when the media furore has died down and most people have forgotten about Alicia, forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes obsessed with her case. He takes a job at The Grove, determined to treat her and discover her motive.

It’s a clever story with a fantastic twist that will keep you guessing to the end.

3. Award-winning gothic fiction – The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters OBE is a Welsh novelist who is best known for her novels set in the Victorian era.

The Little Stranger was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2009. It’s an international bestseller, translated into numerous languages, and was adapted into a film in 2018 starring Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.

The story is set in post-war England and opens with a doctor being summoned to a patient at Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family for generations. The once grand, now crumbling and lonely house is occupied by Mrs Ayres (Angela), her daughter Caroline, and son Roderick.

As Dr Faraday becomes increasingly involved with the family, strange and unsettling events begin to occur, suggesting the house may be haunted by a malevolent presence.

This atmospheric story offers an interesting twist on the haunted house trope used in classics such as The Haunting of Hill House. Waters not only creates an engrossing, bone-chilling read, but also weaves in weightier topics, most notably the role of class in society.

It’s a meticulously well-researched and beautifully written book.

4. Comedy with a pinch of spookiness – A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

If you’re after something a little lighter and less nerve-wracking than a classic horror or thriller, but still with a spooky theme, A Dirty Job could be an ideal choice.

This is a darkly comic novel about Charlie Asher, a neurotic “beta male” who runs a second-hand store in San Francisco. His life is devastated when his wife dies giving birth to their first child.

As Charlie is leaving the hospital to go home, he sees a mysterious man in a mint-green suit who claims no one else can see him. When people start dying around him, Charlie realises he’s been recruited as a “Death Merchant”, who is responsible for collecting the souls of the dying and recently deceased.

Hence the title, it’s “A Dirty Job”, but someone’s got to do it.

This is comic noir fantasy at its best: an original concept, brilliantly drawn characters, and laugh-out-loud humour.