13 Creepy Books To Read This Fall

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I know it is still August, but I just couldn’t wait to share my list of creepy books to read this fall!

August is one of my least favorite months of the year. The entire month feels like one Monday after another to me. There’s nothing to look forward to and it is insanely hot where I live. So I typically start my countdown to all things fall on August 1.

There’s nothing better than a creepy, chilling book in the fall. Lucky for you, I read creepy books year-round, so I have the ultimate guide for books to read this fall! The books on this list have varying levels of creepiness, so I think you’re sure to find the perfect book for you to read this fall.

Many of these titles can be chosen as add-on books with Book of the Month, a monthly book subscription service. I have been a member of BOTM for years now. You can use my link to sign up for Book of the Month and get your first book for only $5! Add-ons are $9.99 and shipping is always free! If you don’t like the picks one month, you can skip the month and your credit rolls over to the next month. You won’t be charged for another credit!

Related: Is a Book of the Month Subscription Worth It?

Here are my 13 top books to read this fall if you want to get spooky.

For an updated list, see my new post of 13 More Creepy Books To Read This Fall.

1. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Forget the Netflix movie. You need to read Bird Box, preferably at night while you are alone!

This unsettling post-apocalyptic novel follows Malorie and her two children as they attempt to reach a safe place after living in an abandoned house for five years.

The children have never seen the outside world and Malorie hasn’t seen it in five years. Something is outside. Something that, if seen, causes a person to go mad and commit violent, deadly acts. As Malorie and her children travel to safety, someone or something gets closer and closer to the trio.

2. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

If haunted houses are your jam, then Home Before Dark is sure to deliver!

Maggie has been haunted by her past for twenty-five years. For twenty days, she and her parents resided in Baneberry Hall. Then they fled from the house in the middle of the night and never returned for their belongings.

Maggie’s father wrote a book, House of Horrors, sharing his belief that the house is haunted. Maggie has spent her entire life being judged by events she has no memory of. Now Maggie has inherited the house and intends to sell it. But first, she will determine whether her father’s book was a lie or if there was some truth to the haunting.

Bonus: The hardcover edition of Home Before Dark has a glow-in-the-dark cover, making it the ultimate book to read this fall.

Related: Book Review | Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Home Before Dark was an early release pick through Book of the Month and can be added to your box as an add-on.

3. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Similar to Home Before Dark, The Turn of the Key will keep you guessing until the very last page!

Rowan, a full time nanny, finds a listing for the perfect job as a private, line-in nanny for a family in the Scottish Highlands. She was not looking for a new job, but the timing was perfect and the salary was right.

When Rowan arrives at the secluded home, she discovers the owners have installed “smart home” technology in almost every room of the house, including her bedroom. Everything in the home, from the lights to the locks on the doors, can be controlled using the app on Rowan’s phone. As each day passes, more and more unexplainable things begin to happen in the home, and Rowan finds herself accused of the unthinkable.

The Turn of the Key was one of my favorite books last year and it will give you all the thrills and chills as you try to guess what is happening in the house.

Related: Book Review | The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

4. Dead Lake by Darcey Coates

If you are in the mood for a short, supernatural tale, then I recommend checking out Dead Lake by Darcey Coates.

Dead Lake had been on my Goodreads TBR for two years before I finally read it this summer. I really wish I had read it during the fall. Sam goes to her uncle’s cabin to focus on her art without any distractions-no phone, no Internet, and no neighbors.

Strange things begin to happen in the cabin and Sam hears a news report on the radio about a hiker disappearing near the lake. Sam begins to think she is being stalked when she sees a strange man standing at the dock by the lake.

You can read Dead Lake on Kindle Unlimited! You can get a free trial here.

5. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

If you want to read a mystery with a slight paranormal aspect this fall, then The Sun Down Motel is worth checking out.

Carly heads to Fell, New York to investigate the disappearance of her aunt, Viv. Viv disappeared from her shift at the Sun Down Motel when she was about Carly’s age

Carly ends up working the same night shift at the motel that Viv worked and begins to explore the motel to try to find out what happened to Viv. Eventually Carly discovers there have been multiple murders in Fell and begins to investigate them just like Viv did 35 years ago.

The Sun Down Motel can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

6. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

This is a middle grade book, but it is totally adorable and the perfect amount of spooky if you don’t want to lose any sleep!

City of Ghosts follows Cassidy, a young girl who can see ghosts after her near death experience. Her best friend is a ghost named Jacob. Jacob pulled Cassidy from the water the day she drowned, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.

Cassidy’s parents are ghost hunters, and they are taking a trip to Edinburgh to film for the show. Cassidy meets a girl who can also see ghosts and discovers she still has much to learn about her ability.

7. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Very rarely does a book just knock me off my feet because I couldn’t see the ending coming. Behind Her Eyes had me all kinds of shook last fall!

Louise lives mundane life. On a rare evening out, she meets a man at a bar, and they share a kiss. When Louise arrives at work Monday, she discovers this man, David, is her new boss. And he’s a married man. Louise tells herself nothing further will happen with him.

While dropping off her son at school one morning, Louise runs in to David’s wife, Adele. The two women form an unlikely friendship, and Louise begins to suspect something is very wrong with their seemingly perfect marriage.

I can’t recommend Behind Her Eyes enough because you will not see the end coming until it is happening. Brilliant writing with a chilling final chapter.

Behind Her Eyes can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

8. Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

Prepare to be seriously disturbed while reading Theme Music. If you are sensitive to gore and violence, you may want to skip this one.

When Dixie Wheeler was a baby, her father killed her mother and brothers and then slice his own throat. Dixie was the only survivor, called Baby Blue because of the song left play on repeat in the kitchen. As an adult, Dixie finds her family’s home listed for sale and decides to move in, recreating the decor using photographs and her family’s salvaged belongings.

Strange things begin to happen in the house, and Dixie is seeing the ghosts of her family. She begins to question her own sanity and wonders if she is being haunted by the spirit of her father. Dixie reaches out to the detective who investigated her family’s murders to hopefully find closure from her past. As Dixie dig deeper into her family’s tragic history, more bodies begin to pile up, and Dixie is not so sure her father is to blame anymore.

9. The Anomaly by Michael Rutgers

If you want adventure with a side of weird, The Anomaly is a book you should read this fall! I always describe this books as Indiana Jones meets The X-Files.

Nolan is in search of a hidden cavern that he believes the Smithsonian is covering up. He is documenting the journey for his web series, The Anomaly Files, and has brought along a small crew. Just as the crew thinks they’ve made the trip for nothing, they glimpse the opening of the cavern.

Once they enter the cave, they set off a trigger-trap and find themselves trapped inside. As it turns out, this cave was never meant to be found, and now Nolan and his crew must fight against time and some really strange events if they want to escape the cave.

The Anomaly can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

10. You by Caroline Kepnes

If you are a familiar with the Netflix show, you may think you don’t need to read the source material. But I would encourage you to read You because it was way creepier than the show because of how it is written.

Joe meets a beautiful girl, Beck, at the bookstore where he works. He gets her name from her credit card and begins to stalk her online. Beck makes it really easy because none of her social media profiles are private. Joe becomes obsessed with Beck and begins to find ways to insert himself into her life. He is determined to make sure they end up together and will take drastic measures to make sure that happens.

11. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

True crime lovers will love the dark and twisted novel, The Family Upstairs. I found this story completely unsettling because it could (and does!) happen in real life.

Libby, who was adopted when she was a baby, receives a letter on her 25th birthday informing her she has inherited a house from her birth parents. She is excited to finally know who she is and where she comes from, but she is not prepared for what she discovers.

Twenty-five years ago, police arrived at the home LIbby has inherited and found a baby in a crib and three dead bodies in the kitchen. The four children who also lived in the house were nowhere to be found.

You will get glimpses of the past from multiple POVs in The Family Upstairs and there will be some twists and turns along the way as you discover what happened in the house twenty-five years ago.

The Family Upstairs can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

12. The Guest List by Lucy Foley

If you enjoy an isolated setting with a whodunnit mystery, then The Guest List is for you!

A high profile wedding between a reality TV star and online magazine editor is happening on an old island with a chilling history. The guest list is exclusive, and everyone has something to hide-and a reason to commit murder.

This book reminded me of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. The thought of being stuck on an island during a storm is scary enough, but when you throw in a murder, things get even more frightening!

Related: Book Review | The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Guest List can be chosen as an add-on with Book of the Month.

13. A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell

What would you do if your friend asked you to pick up her child from school and then never came to pick him up?

Stephanie is a mommy blogger who has this very dilemma. Her friend, Emily, asked Stephanie to pick up her son from school, and then she never comes to pick him up. Stephanie is panicking, so she calls Emily’s husband, Sean, who does not seem immediately concerned. Stephanie begins to share her story on her blog and asks her readers for help finding Emily.

As Stephanie and Sean begin to lean on one another for support, you are suddenly not sure what to believe about anything. Who knows the truth? Who is hiding a secret? The answer: Everyone. Everyone has a secret, but only one person knows the truth.

I hope you enjoyed this list of creepy books to read this fall! I think there is something for everyone, whether you want to be seriously scared or just a little creeped out.

Remember to check out my updated list of 13 More Creepy Books To Read This Fall!

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