Thirty-nine novels that will truly give you a fright

"Thirty-nine suspenseful literary works certain to send chills down your spine"

Top 20 Horror Novels to Keep You Up at Night

From chilling mysteries to spine-tingling supernatural tales, here are 20 horror novels that will send a shiver down your spine.

You by Caroline Kepnes: This psychological thriller is narrated from the perspective of a stalker who insinuates himself into the life of his victim.
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman: This horror novel follows Frank Nichols, a man who writes the history of his family's old plantation. However, the townspeople are afraid of the woods across the river, where the ruins of the plantation are located.
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K. Rowling's pseudonym): The third installment in a crime fiction series, this novel sees private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott investigating a case involving a package containing a woman's severed leg.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: This classic novel is one of the first true mystery novels, featuring mistaken identities, asylums, amnesia, and family secrets.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill: This novel follows an aging rock star who purchases a dead man's suit, only to find that the ghost attached to it is out to kill him.
The Call by Peadar O'Guilin: This YA read combines folklore and horror, set in an alternate Ireland where teens are called to the "Grey Land" among the fairies, having to run for their lives.
Afraid by Jack Kilborn: In this horror novel, a helicopter crashes in a small Wisconsin town, carrying a weapon that terrorizes, tortures, and kills anything in its path.
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: This novel follows a 15-year-old boy named Oscar, who encounters the titular Marina and is led to a ritual in a cemetery.
In The Woods by Tana French: This novel is set in an Irish town where three children went missing in 1984, one of whom was found holding a tree with sneakers filled with blood and no memory of the day.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh: This novel begins as a mysterious and tragic hit and run, but has a chilling twist.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule: This book describes Ann Rule's astonishing relationship with her coworker, Ted Bundy, and her slow realization of his true, murderous nature.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King: This horror novel centres on a family who moves to rural Maine and discovers a pet cemetery and an old Indian burial ground, where some things might not stay buried.
The Troop by Nick Cutter: This novel tells the story of a boy scout troop that goes camping on a deserted Canadian island, but they encounter a bioengineered horror they didn't expect.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston: This book tells the true story of the first Ebola outbreak and how the disease shockingly appeared in the D.C. suburbs, killing 90% of people infected.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon: Set in West Hall, Vermont, this novel is about a town known for many mysterious and supernatural disappearances.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: This dystopian novel is set in a near-future where women have no reproductive autonomy, cannot have jobs, have money, or read, and women who are able to have children are given to upper-class couples who cannot.
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach: This novel is about a man who tries to piece together the horrible and strange events that have popped up throughout his childhood and adult life.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: This classic mystery novel centers on 10 strangers who are lured to a remote mansion on an island, where one dies on the first night, and the rest keep getting picked off, one by one.
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist: This novel details the friendship between a bullied boy and his mysterious new neighbor, who has a connection to a series of recent and bloody local murders.
The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren by Gerald Brittle: This book reveals the stories of the Warrens, who claim to be experts on demonology and exorcism, and were featured in The Conjuring.

These novels will keep you on the edge of your seat, with their gripping plots, eerie settings, and unforgettable characters. So, grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and dive into one of these spine-tingling reads!