When I was ten or eleven years old I came across an entire shelf of Agatha Christie books in my grandpa’s basement. He graciously allowed me to borrow one and I devoured it, eventually moving through the whole collection over the course of the next few months. And I’ve been a sucker for a good mystery ever since. This past month I re-read Murder on the Orient Express in one of my book clubs and was reminded of why she’s a master.
With colder weather and Halloween right around the corner it’s the perfect time to curl up with a spooky story or mystery and forget everything else happening in the world outside. So I wanted to share a few of my favorites for all ages. My tastes now run the gamut from the cozy mysteries to thrillers (but I have to take the stronger stuff in smaller doses–I can only take so much of the blood, guts, and truly twisted characters) so there should be something for everyone! Have a favorite I missed or you think I would like? Let me know in the comments below!
(Most of these authors have written multiple books that could fit on this list. Be sure to check out their complete works for more options.)
Adult–
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones
In the Woods by Tana French
Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart
Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier
Love Talker by Elizabeth Peters
Young Adult–
House of Furies by Madeleine Roux
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
Jackaby by William Ritter
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
Scary Stories by Barry Moser
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Middle Grade–
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
Ghoulia by Barbara Cantini
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
Doll Bones by Holly Black
The Book of Elsewhere: The Shadows by Jacqueline West
Juniper Berry by MP Kozlowsky
Bunnicula by James Howe
The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
Beginning Reader–
The Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain
In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz
Picture Book–
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Inside a House That Is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
Black Dog by Levi Pinfold
Skeleton Cat by Kristyn Crow
Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Nightlights by Lorena Alverez Gomez
Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
Wolves by Emily Gravett
The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
And check back to these posts for a few other ideas.