13 Days of Halloween DAY 3--Scary books

10/29/2018 07:43

 

 

I've been sharing all of my non-author-ish Halloween favorites, so I thought it was time to talk books!

 

I apologize for missing Day 4--I was out of town, but if you check out my Instagram page, you'll find plenty of pics of my Indy trip!

 

I'm not into horror, so this isn't that kind of list.  I'm much more into suspense and heart-pounding action and psychological chills.

 

Zombie, Ohio:  A Tale of the Undead

 

By Scott Kenemore

 

Get it HERE

 

I wouldn't normally pick up a book about zombies, because of my non-interest in horror.  And to be honest, I don't remember how I even stumbled across this book, or when I did, why I decided to read it.  Maybe it was the description, which told me this wasn't your normal zombie tale.  Peter Mellor, the main character, dies at the beginning and slowly comes to realize he has unfortunately become a zombie.  Told from his perspective, it's a tale of his descent into the abyss of becoming undead.  It's funny, sometimes gross, but always interesting.  And I'm excited to note that there are two other books in the series, including Zombie Indiana, which is set in my Hoosier stomping grounds.

 

The Angela Panther Mystery Series

 

By Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

 
Get it HERE
 
A good ghost story always rounds out Halloween.  This series is mainly mystery, but with a hilarious ghost named Fran thrown in, who is the mom of the main character (who's a new-to-the-game psychic medium).  Together with Angela's BFF Mel and Detective Aaron Banner, the team solves a bunch of who-dun-its.  Super fun, and not really scary, but there's some great action sequences and a bunch of suspense.
 
 

The Ghost Dusters Mysteries

 

By Wendy Roberts

 
Get it HERE
 
Wendy Roberts was one of my first favorites when I started devouring mysteries several years ago.  Her writing is snarky and is a good fit for someone like me who likes their mysteries in the gray area between a too-sweet cozy and a hard-boiled cop drama.  Sadie Novak is a crime scene cleaner who often finds that she's speaking to the spirits of the dearly departed while she's cleaning blood and brains off the wall.
 
 

Stillhouse Lake

 

By Rachel Caine

 
Get it HERE
 
I've become a huge fan of psychological suspense lately, and as for edge-of-your-seat action, Rachel Caine delivers.  I actually had to put the book down several times and remind myself that the main character's kids weren't my kids and that I didn't have to worry about them.  Like I mentioned in my "13 Days of Halloween" post about movies (read it HERE if you haven't already), if you really want to scare me, show me something scary that could happen in real life to my family.  Not that I think my husband could ever be a serial killer like in this book--I'm talking more about how the main character lives in fear that there's a real chance someone would purposely hurt her children, and it's up to her to protect them at all costs.
 
 

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe

 
Get them HERE
 
You can't talk horror or suspense without paying homage to the father of it all, or at least the author who did it best.  Talk about heart pounding (literally, The Tell-Tale Heart)!  Many have cited Poe as an inspiration--even my favorite TV series, The Following, had its murder cult lifting him and his works up as their drive to kill.  Pretty much anything by Poe will get you to a dark place.
 
 

The Harry Potter Series

 

By JK Rowling

 
Get it HERE
 
 
I'd be remiss without listing the world's most famous wizard and his adventures at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  The books have an overall spooky feel, with the characters casting spells, all kinds of magical creatures--some scary, some not, and of course the embodiment of evil, Lord Voldemort.
 
 

That Old Black Magic

 

By Caroline Fardig

 
Get it HERE
 
And of course I'm going to add my own title to the list!  That Old Black Magic is part of The Lizzie Hart Mysteries Series, and is set at Halloween.  It's all kinds of spooky fun as Lizzie gets mixed up with a Wiccan coven, participates in her town's Halloween fest, and finally gets in over her head at a Samhain ritual.  It's only 99c through October 31st.
 
 

Happy Reading!