5 Spooky page-turners that will give you chills

1. In my dreams I hold a knife

   By Ashley Winstead

   As described on Good Reads:

   “Six friends.

   One college reunion.

   One unsolved murder.

   A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.

   Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent—not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year. Ten years ago, everything fell apart, including the dreams she worked for her whole life—and her relationship with the one person she wasn’t supposed to love.

   But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden”.

   
   This book sucked me in right from the beginning. The character development is so well done, you’ll find yourself constantly questioning who to trust and who not to. It’s very similar to ‘One of us is lying’ - I’ve read both and honestly this is 10 times better in my opinion. I don’t have one bad word to say about this book.

2. The Wicked Deep

By Shea Ernshaw

As described on Good Reads:

“Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself”.

The main thing I loved about this book was the sense of atmosphere; even now, nearly two years on since I read it, I can visualise the characters and the surroundings. The story is almost Disney-like, it’s easy to grasp and not too heavy but at the same time there’s enough depth to keep you engaged. I flew through this book in about 2 days and when I finished it I immediately began searching for another witch themed book that matched this energy but unfortunately came up empty hand.

3. Lock every door

By Riley Sager

As described on Good Reads,

“No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.”

I started reading this completely on a whim and ended up loving it. Again, it’s one of those books that sets the scene so well, you feel transported there as you read it. The plot is so interesting and unique. I love the idea of buildings and locations holding a sense of mystery and this book does that perfectly. Up until the end you’re on edge, never really knowing what’s truly going on or what’s about to happen next. It’s a real page turner and probably my favourite of the Riley Sager book’s I’ve read.

4. The Guest List

By Lucy Foley

As described on Good Reads,

“The bride

The plus one

The best man

The wedding planner

The bridesmaid

The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and once again, a big reason I loved it is because of how effective the descriptions are. You can really tell that Lucy Foley put immense thought into the plot and the issues she discussed, it’s more than just another fictional book to pass the time, there’s substance to it and I really appreciated that. The slow-building tension as the story is told in parts will have you speed reading and make putting it down impossible!

5. The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde

By Eve Chase

As described on Good Reads,

“Four sisters. One summer. A lifetime of secrets.

When fifteen-year-old Margot and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the sisters become divided by new tensions when two handsome neighbors drop by, Margot finds herself drawn into the life Audrey left behind. When the summer takes a deadly turn, the girls must unite behind an unthinkable choice or find themselves torn apart forever.

Fifty years later, Jesse is desperate to move her family out of their London home, where signs of her widower husband’s previous wife are around every corner. Gorgeous Applecote Manor, nestled in the English countryside, seems the perfect solution. But Jesse finds herself increasingly isolated in their new sprawling home, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor”.

This is another book that I sort of accidentally stumbled on and for some reason is one I’ve never heard anyone else speak about. Regardless, of it’s apparent lack of attention, I really enjoyed this. I know I’ve mentioned atmosphere in literally every single review so far but this book is another prime example of setting the scene. I suspect a big reason I loved this book is because of how much it reminded me of The Secret Garden but with a more tragic twist. At large, the book is a mystery and you are taken through all the feelings of the characters who live with the reality of not knowing what happened to Audrey. There’s an eeriness to being at Applecote Manor without her and without knowing where she is and as the reader you will feel an urge to keep going until you find the truth.