Nine Spooky Books To Celebrate Halloween

This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday, which means we get a full day – as well as the full weekend, if we’re being honest – to celebrate Spooky Season. If you, like me, lack the social energy this week to dress in your best costume and find a Halloween party, have no fear: I have a list of recent scary books here! There are cozy genre fiction mysteries and romances, as well as hardcore horror in a range of fear-inducing forms – though the political nonfiction is the scariest of all. Take a look at these nine books and see if any piques your interests for Halloweekend. Let me know, in the comments, if you like any of these titles.

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (July 14, 2026, Del Ray)
I saved this book for Spooky Season, because Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows how to craft a spooky, atmospheric novel. Her earlier novel, Mexican Gothic – released appropriately during the pandemic – is an all-time horror pick for me. But she changes her tone a bit in The Intrigue, which tells the story of a handsome con artist in 1940s Mexico. The novel is a syrupy noir, almost soap opera-like in its tension. It is one of my favorite stories of the year, and I hope you check it out.

A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker (August 4, 2026, Crooked Lane Books)
I am legally obligated to include a cozy murder mystery, and author Matt Baker delivers the best one I have read this year (and I read a lot of murder). The novel swaps the English countryside of Agatha Christie and takes readers to the Italian island of Capri, where a murder detective tries to reconnect with his teenage daughter. He does do that, but only until a body turns up! A Taste for Murder was released in the UK in early 2026, and has already been adapted into a TV series for BritBox – and rightly so. Baker writes this twisty mystery and deeply strained family relationships with equal sincerity. I had a great time reading this.

Blood Is Dripping onto the Courtyard by Elvira Navarro, Translated from Spanish by Christina MacSweeney, Introduced by Sarah Rose Etter (September 22, 2026, Two Lines Press)
A pro-tip for translated literature: if it has Christina MacSweeney’s name on it, you’re in for a ride. And this collection of short stories does not disappoint. Author Elvira Navarro, of Spain, was shortlisted for the National Book Award in 2021 for good reason: her particular blend of horror, comedy, and cultural criticism is killer. Crack this one open this Halloweekend if you’re looking to be transported.

Spellstruck by Martha Waters (September 29, 2026, Atria)
If you’ve read any of my book round-ups before, you will already know two things: I love a good romance, and I love a good romance written by Martha Waters. Author of The Regency Vows series, Waters always delivers a delightful, cozy love story with strong characters and a lot of banter. Spellstruck is no different: the story takes place in an alternative 1920s London where speakeasies are for magic instead of booze (but also a little booze). When a feisty club owner and cop that hates magic meet in this enemies-to-lovers romance, sparks fly. Let the spooky vibes abound with this spirited romance if you need a little love this weekend.

Trad Wife by Sarah Langan (September 29, 2026, Atria)
If you read the uber popular Yesteryear this summer and wished it was an actual horror novel, have I got the book for you. In Trad Wife, a journalist sets out to write a scathing exposé of a trad influencer’s 300-acre farm, but what she finds is an old fashioned house of horrors. I’m talking children singing ancient nursery rhymes at night, as the journalist starts to lose time – and hair. The horror GOAT Stephen King blurbed the novel as “[t]he best horror novel of 2026. Hands down.” So take his word for it and spend your Halloween with author Sarah Langan.

Phantom Limb by Brian Evenson
(October 13, 2026, Coffee House Press)
Author Brian Evenson has released his first novel in a decade, the highly anticipated follow-up to Last Days (though you can read one without the other). His first novel introduces readers to his protagonist, Kline, and a bizarro cult predicated on religious doctrine and limb amputation, which we meet again in Phantom Limb. What initially drew me to these novels and their author is his wild backstory, including his excommunication from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But I stayed for the body horror and totally engrossing world he delivers.

On Un/Certainty: The Uses of Doubt in Dangerous Times by Natasha Lennard (October 13, 2026, Verso Books)
No fiction could be quite as scary as the US’ political landscape right now. So please accept my cheeky inclusion of this recent Verso book, On Un/Certainty, which teases apart the COVID-era moniker of “these uncertain times” and offers a treatise of “radical intervention.” With examples from immigration, racism, climate change, and others, author Natasha Lennard shares her analysis and conceptual tools to guide our actions. Ahead of next week’s elections, I am turning to her work for a little bit of hope and some inspiration for where and how to use it.

When the Night Comes Knocking by Katherine Daniel
(October 20, 2026, Berkley)
I haven’t gotten to read this one yet, but I am seeing it everywhere. The recently published novel, described as “Appalachian horror,” has immediately blown up on social media and was chosen as a Book of the Month for October. Author Katherine Daniel’s debut novel tells the story of estranged siblings, who become trapped in a convenience store that is under attack by a monster. That’s scary enough, but to add insult to injury (and a delicious metaphorical twist), the monster feeds on guilty hearts. I know this book and I will be spending Halloween weekend together.

Death Writ Large by Susie Dent
(February 16, 2027, Sourcebooks Landmark)
This one doesn’t come out until 2027, but it is a worthy pre-order. Author Susie Dent is a lexicographer and etymologist by trade and worked behind the scenes at the Oxford English Dictionary before setting out to write and appear on TV . Her adult fiction debut, Guilty by Definition, was one of my favorite books of 2024, delivering a wholly original murder plot. Her follow-up is no different: expect a seriously engrossing mystery and a refresher on some SAT words.