Normally I’m neck-deep in scary stuff all October long. This year is very different. While I still love all the spooky vibes, this particular season of life requires focus elsewhere.
That being said, I don’t have as many scary tales to recommend as in the past. I But you can check out my list of Halloween books and some great Halloween podcasts.
The September House by Carissa Orlando • 🎧 • ★★★★☆
FINALLY. A GHOST STORY WITH LOTS OF GHOSTS (AND NOT JUST THE IDEA OF GHOSTS).
This is not a spoiler. In the first chapter of The September House, you learn that each September, Margaret and Hal’s house is haunted by a coterie of noisy ghosts, regularly drips blood down the walls and absolutely rumbles with rattles and moans.
The mystery here is why does Margaret stay? Why did her husband decide to suddenly leave even though the house is perfect 11 months out of the year? Why has her daughter never bothered to visit until this September?
The September House layers on the ghosts and mysteries chapter after chapter, and then does a great job peeling them all back. I highly recommend this one—particularly in audiobook form!
Read if you like: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, The Family Plot by Cherie Priest
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy • ★★★★☆
This is my third Paulette Kennedy book. Every time I pick up one of her novels, I don’t recognize I’ve read her before. I think that’s because while her writing is consistently good, she doesn’t tie herself to a single genre or setting. With that in mind, The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is very different from The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil. It also might be Kennedy’s best work yet.
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is set in 1950s Missouri. Loretta is a stay-at-home mom to two children. Her husband teaches theology at a nearby college. After a severe fever, Loretta finds that she has a second sense about certain events and people—in particular a recent murder in town. Essentially, she’s discovered she’s a medium of sorts.
Her husband, being extremely religious, finds this to be blasphemous. Loretta explains that she thought her visions were a gift from God. Of course he says that’s wrong and she should repent.
This dynamic sets up the tension for the rest of the novel. I don’t want to spoil it too much because the way it builds and falls apart is really a wonder.
I will say, this book might not be a good fit for everyone. As noted in the book itself, there is mention of domestic abuse and violence. So be aware as you go in.
Read if you like: Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Let Him In by William Friend • ★★☆☆☆
I find movies like The Babadook pretty scary. Essentially anything that has to do with imaginary friends or terrifying childhood visions creeps me out. That’s why I thought Let Him In would be a good fit when I saw it at the library. (It wasn’t.)
After the death of his wife, Alfie’s twin daughters start to play with an imaginary friend called Black Mamba. Black Mamba is sometimes a man but he can take animal form too. The twins are obsessed with their friend, so much so that Alfie consults his sister-in-law Julie (his dead wife’s twin)/psychologist to counsel them.
I was 90% through this book and debated putting it down. I wasn’t getting any heebie-jeebies. The plot was going in circles with no chill factor whatsoever.
Keep up with what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.
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