When you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit, a book can be a fantastic way to do it. Whether it’s a gothic tale, a suspenseful mystery, a chilling thriller, or a dark historical fiction story, a Halloween novel can get you into the atmosphere of the season instantly.
We’ve selected ten Halloween books to add to your autumn reading list, with stories full of secrets, suspense, and unexpected twists. Whether you prefer a dark historical mystery or a gripping crime novel, you’re sure to find your next seasonal read below.
What Makes a Good Halloween Book?
The perfect Halloween novel should be the right fit for you. For some readers, unsettling, dark and horrific stories can be the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. For others, it may be the perfect time to indulge in a mystery novel or something atmospheric.
Of course, we’d always recommend enjoying your seasonal read with a Halloween treat – whether it’s a spooky chocolate treat, another seasonal delicacy or simply enjoying the scent of a spiced candle.
Whether you prefer genuinely chilling stories or simply want a book that captures the atmosphere of autumn, there’s a Halloween read to suit your tastes…
10 Halloween Novels
1. C V Chauhan – The Dance of Death
The city is being stalked by a ruthless killer…
When a young Asian woman is found murdered in a particularly brutal fashion, the Leicestershire police force are put on high alert to find the killer.
The body was positioned in the shape of a swastika and instantly points to racist motivations.
Newly promoted homicide detective Rohan Sharma is given the case – a surprise both to Sharma himself and his more experienced colleagues.
Desperate to prove himself, Sharma works around the clock – and soon discovers connections to the death of a young Somali woman that occurred the previous year.
But with his resentful colleagues working against him and his private life falling apart, Sharma struggles to keep his head in the game.
And when he starts to receive strange anonymous messages, he realises the killer may now be tracking his every move…
Can Detective Sharma stop the killer before he strikes again?
Or will he find himself trapped in a vicious dance of death…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
2. Clare Hawkins – The Secrets of Brooks House
1865
When her mother dies, Catherine Forster finds herself orphaned and penniless.
Her only hope lies with some distant relatives she has never met, the Buchanans of Ardmore.
With no income or prospects in London, Catherine decides to journey to Scotland to seek out her remaining family.
But on arrival at Brooks House, Catherine is met with a hostile reception from the bailiff, Leach, who informs her that the laird, his sister and the laird’s firstborn son are all dead. There is only one remaining Buchanan in the house: Isobel, the laird’s daughter.
Isobel allows Catherine to remain in the house, but as a servant, not a family member and Catherine finds herself lodged in the attic, next to a room filled with curious possessions.
And below her are four locked chambers, which have been sealed since the family’s untimely deaths.
When Catherine hears strange noises from one of the locked rooms and realises someone has rifled through her possessions, she becomes suspicious of Leach and Isobel’s intentions.
What really caused the deaths of the laird and his family? What dark secrets are haunting Brooks House?
Can Catherine uncover them before she, too, falls victim to its curse…?
Pre-order from Amazon for 0.99
3. David Field – The Gaslight Stalker
London, 1888
Whitechapel is full of the noise of August Bank Holiday celebrations. Everyone is in high spirits until a woman — Martha Turner — is discovered brutally murdered.
Her friend, Esther, a seamstress turned sleuth, is determined to find the killer.
A young police officer, Jack Enright, takes the lead on the case, and he and Esther soon embark on a professional — and personal — relationship.
When another murder is committed and whispers of a slasher calling himself Jack the Ripper start flowing through the London streets, the search becomes even more desperate.
The police are on the wrong track, so the young couple take matters into their own hands and soon find themselves navigating through London’s dark underbelly.
Can Esther and Jack find the murderer before he kills again? Will anyone listen to their suspicions?
Or will this dark presence continue to haunt Whitechapel…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
4. Donna Gowland – The Missing Wife
1814, London
It isn’t easy being the daughter of the great Mary Wollstonecraft, harder still to navigate life without her. Sixteen-year-old Mary Godwin is desperate for excitement and trapped in a family she feels stifled by. Under the watchful, disapproving glare of her stepmother Mary, she is constantly battling for her father’s attention and approval.
So when a young Romantic poet, Percy Shelley, comes blazing into her life, she quickly falls deeply in love with him. But Percy has plenty of demons. He is already married with a second child on the way, and he turns up at the Godwin family home with a bottle of laudanum, declaring he will end his life if he cannot be with Mary.
William Godwin forbids contact between them, but Mary’s heart aches for the man she believes to be her soulmate. And so she agrees to elope to Paris.
The excitement of the journey soon wears off and they arrive in the city weary, travel-sick and penniless, though luck finally seems to be on their side when they meet a man who offers them money to find his missing wife.
But with Mary becoming increasingly homesick and concerned for her future, will her love affair with Percy be all she had hoped for? Could the search for the missing wife set her on a new course of self-discovery?
Or will her first daring adventure prove to be her downfall…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
5. J C Briggs – The Legacy of Foulstone Manor
Westmorland, England, 1970
Dark and imposing in a bleak landscape, Foulstone Manor stands abandoned on the edges of the Lake District.
Reclusive Joan Goss inherited Foulstone, but her fragmented memories of her childhood there still disturb her and she keeps her distance in a cottage on the outskirts of the land.
Joan was brought up by adoptive parents after her mother died and her father abandoned her.
And she has spent her adult life haunted by the dark rumours of her past.
When Joan’s goddaughter Amanda comes to stay with her, she is finally forced to confront the secrets behind Foulstone Manor.
Records show that Joan’s father committed suicide. But what happened to her mother? And why was Joan never told the truth about her childhood?
As Joan uncovers her mother’s diary, the full truth of her parents’ marriage is revealed.
Did his traumatic experiences in the First World War force her father into an early grave? What caused Joan’s mother’s untimely death?
Can Joan come to accept the inheritance that she has always rejected…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
6. Jean Stubbs – The Witching Time
Northern England, 1994
Newly widowed and emotionally fragile, Imogen Lacey feels smothered by her bossy friend Alice when she visits her home in the Northern Dales.
But intrigue draws her towards the nearby village of Haraldstone. Whispers of witchcraft surround its ancient stone circle, yet it exerts an irresistible pull on Imogen.
Tired of letting others control her, she sets up a hat shop in Haraldstone — and scandalises Alice by befriending the local coven of white witches.
Meanwhile, charming Philip Gregory is keen to stake a claim on Imogen … but can she trust him?
Soon Imogen is branded a witch herself, and as tensions in the community start to reach boiling point, the locals are about to discover that true evil walks among them…
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
7. Keith Moray – The Gathering Murders
The Scottish Hebrides
The annual West Uist literary festival – The Gathering – always attracts the best in the business. But with the tiny island population suddenly doubling, the local police force is stretched to breaking point. And this year they have to deal with more than just drunken fights and rowdy behaviour…
Ranald Buchanan, the local poet, is found dead, with his head brutally caved in, and Inspector Torquil McKinnon is brought in to investigate. Did Ranald trip and fall, as suggested? Or is something more sinister happening?
Before Torquil can find out more, another victim is found. The island is on lockdown. There is a serial killer in their midst. And this time the victim is someone very close to him.
Now finding justice is personal. Torquil is out for revenge.
Can he solve the mystery before the killer strikes again?
Or will more bodies fall victim to The Gathering Murders…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
8. Linda Stratmann – An Unquiet Ghost
Brighton, 1871
Mina Scarletti is becoming well known for unmasking fraudulent psychics. So it is no surprise to her when a young couple write to her, seeking her advice.
George Fernwood and Mary Clifton, betrothed distant cousins, have a family secret that is preventing them from getting married. Twenty years ago, their alcoholic grandfather died in his bed, and since then rumours have been circulating that someone in the family murdered him.
Desperate to find out the truth, they have decided to seek out a medium to communicate with their grandfather, and they want Mina to help them find one who is genuine.
Though she is not a believer in ghosts, Mina is intrigued by the family mystery and decides to help them in any way she can.
Could one of the new mediums advertising in Brighton really be genuine? Will they help George and Mary find the answers they are looking for?
Or will this Unquiet Ghost ruin the chance of happiness for future generations…?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
9. Marilyn Todd – Bad Blood
1895, England
When Austin Forbes is shot dead, Julia McAllister is called upon in her unofficial role as police photographer to capture the crime scene before the evidence can be contaminated, lost or destroyed.
The dead man is a wealthy factory owner whose baby son, Thomas, was abducted eight years previously. The ransom was left untouched and the boy never seen again.
When Julia befriends the man’s distraught widow, Cara Forbes, she determines to uncover the truth behind the two family tragedies.
With Detective Inspector Collingwood on the trail of a jewel thief, Julia’s own investigation leads her down a shadowy path of secrets and lies, betrayal and deception.
Will Julia discover what happened to Thomas Forbes? Can she unmask Austin Forbes’ murderer?
And can Julia finally put her own dark past behind her?
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
10. Simon Michael – The Waxwork Corpse
London, 1965
Charles Holborne, maverick barrister, will never fit in at the Bar; he is too working-class, too Jewish and too dangerous.
But that makes him the perfect outsider to prosecute a shocking murder case which has already made its way to the press.
By chance, a body was found, dumped in a lake. It had clearly been there for some time, but the conditions in the water have meant that it was nearly perfectly preserved.
The police have managed to match this ‘waxwork corpse’ to a missing woman and if her husband — a senior judge — was the one who killed her, the scandal threatens to rock the British justice to its foundations.
The waxwork corpse is not the only thing to be raised from the past. The investigation also dredges up a violent mistake made by Charles in his youth which, if revealed, could put his own life at stake…
Buy from Amazon for 0.99
Find New Novels With Sapere Books
Looking for more books to add to your autumn reading list? Explore the Sapere Books catalogue to discover historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, action and adventure, and more.
If you’re always on the lookout for a new novel or book to read, subscribe to the Sapere Books mailing list today and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
