Stick 'Em Up! The Haunting Book That Burglarized Your Brain!

[Astrocelot]

Hi there everyone!

This might be a vague request, but I'd like to know what books still give you chills months or years after reading them! I'm a little squeamish about the gory side of horror novels, so I might prefer something more in the genre of psychological horror/thrillers and spooky mysteries. But I will take any suggestions, so don't worry about filtering out your favs if they include some gruesome stuff!

If anyone has read the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French, that's really close to what I'm looking for. In the Woods and Broken Harbor were that beautiful cross between bone-chilling and exciting, the kind that keeps you up at night not because you're afraid, but because it has dark twists and turns you want to explore until morning. But I understand these books aren't wildly popular (at least that I know of), so just hit me with whatever book truly hijacked your whole life/mental space for months with its creepiness.

Thank you all in advance!

[starshipsaga]

I'm a bit of a horror buff, and there are definitely a couple good books I can think off the top of my head that have stayed with me a long time after reading them!

In the realm of psychological thriller/horror, I really enjoyed A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. It's a possession story, but also not really...the vagueness of it was what made it so chilling!

A couple years ago I also really enjoyed a book called The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp. That's a bit of a quirky one, with humor elements mixed in with the horror, but it's no less creepy because of it.

HEX by Thomas Old Heuvelt has also become one of my all time favorites; it was originally published in Dutch but the author adapted and translated the story for the US edition. On the surface, the story kind of sounds ridiculous from the blurb, but don't let that fool you because I was so creeped out by the end of it!

And finally, just last year I read The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn, which is legitimately one of only a handful of books to ever keep me up at night. I still shiver just thinking about it sometimes...

[Astrocelot]

Oh wow, starshipsaga, I didn't expect so many incredible recommendations! Honestly, after reading the summaries of each, my biggest struggle is which one I want to dig into first. A Head Full of Ghosts, apparently even gave Stephen King the chills; how could that not be an insanely cool story? The Last Day of Jack Sparks seems like it has so much potential to be written in a unique way since it was completed with Jack's files (and quirky, sign me up), HEX 1000% sounds like something that could give me nightmares, and...

Holy cow, The Devil Crept In pretty much nails the same eerie vibes I got from my example series. I'm such a sucker for the tension of trying to locate someone who could be in danger, seconds away from death; and that theme of nothing being sacred when the killer is in your own little town. Ugh, so good!

Thank you so much for your reply, this will be keeping me busy for awhile!

[Catia]

I like horror story, the really creepy ones. I am a big fan of Stephen King but the stories that keep popping up in my head are Lovecraft's tales.
Maybe it isn't your kind of creepy but I would recommend to try it. I find that Lovecraft has his own concept of terrifying and he always gives me something to think about.

[Astrocelot]

I like horror story, the really creepy ones. I am a big fan of Stephen King but the stories that keep popping up in my head are Lovecraft's tales.
Maybe it isn't your kind of creepy but I would recommend to try it. I find that Lovecraft has his own concept of terrifying and he always gives me something to think about.

Absolutely, Catia! I have mostly read descriptions of Lovecraft's works since the stories themselves seemed dense. But I don't mind a good, long read if it's worth it! The eeriness of all the otherworldly deities - and the huge amount of mythos tied to them - is exactly my sort of horror preference. I mean, cloudy monsters who devour stars, crystalline creatures with mineral tentacles, or humanoids with vampiric elephant tusks... These creations are just bananas. I love the innovation that goes into it. If you have any suggestions on where to start (I guess The Call of Cthulu would be a pretty standard favorite?) then please let me know!

[Catia]

Well, I fell in love with an old edition (Italian) of a story collection and then I bought another collection called (roughly translated) "Lovecraft. All the novels and the tales", where I discovered the poems and other tidbits like letters and pieces from Lovecraft's notebook.
I was so taken that I read a biography of Lovecraft and, believe me, it's as captivating as his work.
And, most important, Lovecraft had an affinity with cats....like me , so if you like cats too, try The Cats Of Ulthar
I would try with a collection of stories anyway,
https://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Co ... =lovecraft
here is the link of the one I have in mind for myself since I am going to reread them all in English, now that I can
Have fun

[KasieMiehlke]

Any book by P.J. Parrish, especially An Unquiet Grave, A Killing Rain, and Dark of The Moon. Dark of The Moon is the opening book of this series.

[Skplonk]

The Painting Murders by J.S Donovan was so creepy that I had to keep reading so I could find a place to stop before falling asleep. Honestly, all the book's I've read by him are rather creepy and often a crime thriller but The Painting Murders in particular literally kept me up at night, in a good way.