Classic Reads + 2025 Must-Reads according to Goodreads.com, TIME Magazine, CrimeReads.com, and PEOPLE Magazine.
Awe, feel that cool breeze in the morning…
Those who are a fan of pumpkin spice…well-anything, cozy blankets, and murder — what more could you want? I am chomping at the bit for spooky season and if you’re anything like me, you want books that make you question creaky noises in your house and side-eye your partner just a little.
That’s why I’ve pulled together a killer list (pun absolutely intended) of the best thriller books to devour this fall. Some are stone-cold classics that never go out of style, while others are fresh 2025 releases that those who are a fan of the things that hide in the dark can’t stop buzzing about.
So light your candles, grab your fuzzy socks, and get ready — these thrillers are dying to be read.
The 12 Best Thriller Books for Spooky Season
1. The Shining — Stephen King (1977)
Grab this bestselling book here.
Let’s start with the king himself — literally. The Shining is Stephen King at his creepiest serving up this classic thriller. We all wanted to go to the Overlook Hotel after reading this oldie-but-goodie. Jack Torrance’s slow descent into madness, Danny’s terrifying psychic visions, and the hotel’s “room service” (aka blood-filled elevators and ghostly bartenders) make this a fall essential.
Why is this book a recommendation for getting ready for spooky-season? For one…it’s iconic. Also, nothing says “I am so ready for October” like an isolated hotel where the walls might be whispering your name.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Stieg Larssonn (2011)
Start reading this gem today here.
Cold weather, colder crimes. This book is a hit or miss for most people. Some say that you can see all the spook coming from a mile away and other’s say it is a must-read classic. From the book to the movie, you may know that Lisbeth Salander is the hacker heroine that -at the time that this book came out- we didn’t know we needed. Lisbeth teams up with disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist to solve a decades-old disappearance. Family secrets, corporate corruption, and Scandinavian gloom? Yes, please.
This book is dark, gritty, and the kind of story that makes you forget inspires thousands of thrillers that came after this read.
3. Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn (2012)
Add this page-turner to your cart.
I am sure we have all seen the movie with Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck but the book version, in my opinion is totally better. This book is pure psychological warfare being used in marriage. Gillian Flynn basically birthed the modern domestic thriller with Gone Girl. Amy Dunne vanishes, Nick looks shady, and every chapter makes you mutter “WHAT is happening?” under your breath.
This one’s not supernatural, but trust me — it’ll still leave you sleeping with one eye open.
4. And Then There Were None — Agatha Christie (1939)
Find Then There Were None at the best price on Amazon.
Queen Agatha, even with the VERY VERY questionable title of the book when it was released in 1939, still slayed this book’s plot. This book walked so every “locked-in thriller” could run after being renamed in 1940. Ten strangers. One island. A mysterious host who doesn’t exist. And murders that follow a creepy nursery rhyme. The riddle starts with “Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.”
Common! How can you not read that in the voice of a little British boy talking very low and cheerful while more and more of his friends die off? This book is proof that you don’t need gore to be terrified — just paranoia, clever plotting, and the slow realization that you might be next.
5. Count to Three — T.R. Ragan (2021)
If you love thrillers with tough female leads add this to your October stack.
Let’s get dark for a second with one of my favorite thriller books. This is a pulse-pounding thriller that follows Dani Callahan, a private investigator still haunted by the disappearance of her own daughter and seriously has PTSD moments throughout the book. When a new case involving missing teens hits too close to home and further plunges her into her trauma fueled vengeance, the lines between personal and professional blur — and the danger ramps up.
This one is gritty, raw, and unafraid to dive into the darkest corners of human nature. Perfect for spooky season, because what’s scarier than the monsters that walk among us in broad daylight?
6. Glass Girls — Danie Shokoohi (2025)
Don’t ghost this book and pick it up today.
New release alert 🚨 and this one is totally on my TBR list. The way that I have seen this book suggested to me…it’s giving haunting family curse realness. In Glass Girls, grief and magic intertwine with a creepy-as-heck sibling dynamic. I read that there is a beautiful mixture of witches, poltergeist, and family trauma drama. Think gothic vibes, eerie imagery, and the kind of prose that makes you feel like something’s standing behind you.
This book is already getting “can’t miss” buzz for 2025, and honestly, I am here for it.
7. The Bewitching — Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2025)
Become bewitched with this book now.
Yet another book that is on my TBR list due to adoring Mexican Gothic. This book came out in July of 2025 and I am salivating to read it next. This book is about Minerva researching her thesis for college on horror literature and falls into a black hole of horror of three generations of witches. Come on! That is a dope serving of witchcraft, gothic dread, and unreliable narrators because it is three different women’s views of witches.
If you love lush atmosphere, witches who aren’t your whimsical cottage-core TikTok variety, and stories that make you question reality, this one’s going to be your new obsession.
8. The Library at Hellebore — Cassandra Khaw (2025)
Go ahead and start questioning if books are secretly plotting your demise — grab this one.
Spooky season isn’t complete without some dark academia. This book kidnaps you like Alessa Li and offers a library that eats you alive (figuratively… or maybe literally, who knows). Expect cosmic dread, grotesque imagery, and academic politics that make your grad school experience look like a walk in the park.
9. You Weren’t Meant to Be Human — Andrew Joseph White (2025)
Let this book worm it’s way into your hands here.
This one? Not for the faint of heart. It just came out in the beginning of September of 2025 and this book is slithered onto my TBR list. This is alien invasion meets body horror and bugs. Yes, bugs. If the idea of crawling things makes your skin itch, you’re welcome. All while roaming the curvy hidden roads of West Virgina.
It’s grotesque, it’s experimental, and it’s already making waves as one of the most disturbing books of 2025. Basically: don’t read this while eating.
10. The Possession of Alba Díaz — Isabel Cañas (2025)
Read it if you want your thrills with a side of lush writing and demonic vibes.
A TikTok girlie I chat with told me to pick up The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas, and wow—this book gave me chills I wasn’t ready for. Set in 1765 Mexico, it’s a haunting mix of demonic possession, forbidden romance, and historical tension that will leave you breathless long after the last page.
11. Tourist Season — Brynne Weaver (2025)
It’s twisty, it’s funny in a wicked way, and pick it up here.
Okay, so this one doesn’t even hit shelves until the end of September, but I had to shout about it early. I’ve been craving another serial-killer rom-com ever since Leather and Lark, and when a favorite author of mine, Ali Hazelwood suggested this book. Picture this: a tour guide with a dark, murderous past collides with a detective new in town, and suddenly every stop on the tour feels like a game of cat and mouse. The banter is razor-sharp, the tension is delicious, and honestly, this might be one of the most addictive dark rom-coms yet.
12. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (2025)
Pick up this Scottish thriller here and find out who the mystery girl is.
A psychological thriller set on a remote Scottish island- Yes please! Grady wife vanishes after a strange roadside accident and is presumed dead—except a year later, someone who looks exactly like her shows up. There is grief, guilt, and identity, layering atmosphere with unsettling mystery. Perfect for readers who love creepy vibes + big emotional stakes.
Which Thriller Should You Pick?
Whether you’re craving a gothic witch tale, a classic Christie puzzle, or the kind of horror that makes you never want to turn off the lights again, this list has your spooky-season TBR handled.
So pour yourself something cozy (or strong, depending on your nerves), turn down the lights, and dive into these thrillers. Just… maybe don’t read them when you’re home alone.
Leave a Reply