Spookums You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
I’m sure a lot of you like to read something a little monstrous, or murderous, or spine tingling out there for the spooky season, but you’re caught up on King and Koontz. You’ve worn out Lovecraft and Shelley and Stoker. And Rice and Barker and Poe are all old hat for you now. Hopefully there’s something on this list that’s new to you. I’ve tried to cover a wide range, including hauntings, monsters, weird fantasy, killers, and non-fiction and some of these fall into many of those themes. So, if you’re brave enough, dive in and maybe add one (or more) to your ghastly lineup.
The Joe Pitt Books
By Charlie Huston
At their heart, the Joe Pitt books are full on crime noir books. Joe Pitt is a detective in a modern-day Manhattan that has been covertly distributed into gang territories. There is a very tenuous peace among the gangs. Joe operates as a lone PI with a long history with the gangs which give him a small amount of leeway to move among the territories unscathed as long as he doesn’t stir up any trouble. Oh, and did I mention that Joe and all the gang members are vampires? When a highly dangerous and addictive blood additive shows up on the streets, war threatens the shaky peace between the factions and Joe finds himself in the middle. Each book has its own standalone case, but it’s the overall narrative that makes these books compelling.
Books in Series:
Already Dead
No Dominion
Half the Blood of Brooklyn
Every Last Drop
My Dead Body
My Best Friend’s Exorcism and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
By Grady Hendrix
I’ve paired these books because they take place in the same South Carolina suburb a few years apart. Otherwise, they’re not really related. My Best Friend’s Exorcism takes place in the late 80s and tells the story of Abby and her best friend since grade school, Gretchen, as they enter their sophomore year of high school. After a wild party, Abby begins to suspect Gretchen may be inhabited by a demon and must figure out a way to get rid of the demon while not destroying her bestie in the process. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is basically the movie The Lost Boys, but with the cast of Steel Magnolias. Both books are violent and have a dark sense of humor. The thing I like about Grady Hendrix is his ability to show that even the happiest of endings comes at a high cost.
The Pine Deep Trilogy
By Jonathan Maberry
One of my favorite sub genres in horror is the classic ancient evil is unleashed on a house/town/derelict ship/prison/retail furniture store and the family/community/crew/inmates and guards/front line associates must find a way to seal it away… this time for good! Jonathan Maberry has been in the industry for a long time, and I feel doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. His Joe Ledger books about a paramilitary team that fights extinction level terror threats, usually with a paranormal or supernatural twist are great, but don’t fall under horror. That’s why I’ve chosen to go back to his first novel, which spawned a trilogy. Pine Deep is a town that thrives on Halloween. It’s the biggest celebration of the year. When an evil from the town’s past returns, townsfolk must band together and try to figure out which of their friends and neighbors may have been compromised. If you’re looking for something reminiscent of early King or Simmons or McCammon, this is what you want.
Books in series:
Ghost Road Blues
Dead Man’s Song
Bad Moon Rising
Usher’s Passing
By Robert McCammon
You may be familiar with Robert MaCammon as an influential horror author of the 80s and 90s, but you may not know that he wrote a sequel to one of Edgar Allen Poe’s most famous stories: The Fall of the House of Usher. The descendants of the original Usher family return to the family estate, now in rural North Carolina, to gather around their estranged and dying patriarch. What follows is a murder mystery wrapped in a psychological thriller wrapped in a Gothic horror yarn. You don’t really have had to read the Poe short story to enjoy this one.
The Changeling
By Victor LaValle
This one is very hard to categorize. Is it a psychological modern fairy tale mystery? Without spoiling any of the weird twists and turns, a rare book dealer and his wife have a child. The wife becomes increasingly disconnected. He writes it off as postpartum depression until his wife commits a horrifying act of violence and vanishes. This sets the man on a quest to find his wife and child and unravel the strange mystery of their disappearance. Perhaps not traditional horror, but it does get more unsettling as the book progresses. This one kept me guessing until the end.
The Brotherhood of the Wheel Books
By R. S. Belcher
Sometimes all it takes is a simple and somewhat ridiculous premise to get me to read a book. The gist? An ancient and secret society of truckers, bikers, cabbies, loners, and nomads protect American roads and rails from dangers and evils natural and unnatural. The whole truckers vs. demons thing rules! I like these books a lot. I’m a sucker for secret societies protecting us normies from unseen and unknown threats. Fun fact: the author lives in Roanoke, Virginia and has worked with the Occult Crime Taskforce.
Books in series:
Brotherhood of the Wheel
King of the Road
Final Girls
By Riley Sager
This is a book about a trope. The final girl. The lone survivor of a brutal serial killer. The one that brought down the serial killer. Quincy Carpenter is one of a handful of well-known Final Girls. When a killer starts hunting Final Girls, they must band together to stop an unstoppable killer once again. One of the things I like about this book is the tongue in cheek media reactions. All of their stories are similar to current slasher movie narratives but have been made into similar movies with different titles. Kind of a Scream vibe.
The Wolf’s Hour
By Robert McCammon
I know I said McCammon was well known, but there are so few werewolf books that aren’t sexy urban fantasy books with dark haired, leather clad, hot magical girls on the cover. This one takes place in WWII. And the werewolf is a spy. I’m going to let that wash over you for a second. The werewolf… is a spy. Fighting Nazis. And there’s a death train with a sadistic bird trainer. It’s goofy, but kinda fun. There is a book of short stories related to this book, but I can’t speak to them as I have not read them yet.
The Ex-Heroes Books
By Peter Clines
Take your zombie fad from the late 2000s and mix it with the superhero fad of… well, now, and you get this delicious candy cup. Blah, blah, blah, zombie apocalypse. But during this apocalypse people with superpowers have banded together and build a community in a Los Angeles stadium that is under their protection. Throughout the series, they’ll experience myriad setbacks. What if a supe got turned? How will the government interfere? Can their interpersonal relationships survive the strain of protecting a pocket of humanity for the overwhelming force that ended most of it?
Books in series:
Ex-Heroes
Ex-Patriots
Ex-Communication
Ex-Purgatory
Ex-Isle
The Underwater Welder
By Jeff Lemire
A great graphic novel with not a lot of dialog. A great, light ghost story that’s a perfect low stakes spooker for reading in one or two sittings.
Gideon Falls Series
By Jeff Lemire
A very dark and violent book about a cursed barn, the people inextricably linked to it, and how it affects their fates as they try to stop the evil that seeks to escape into the real world. A story that spans times, dimensions, space, and generations. Incredibly cool art and a story that will make you question your own place in space and time… as well as your mental well-being.
The Empty Man Series
By Cullen Bunn
This one may hit too close to home for some. A global pandemic occurs, and its cause is unknown. Those infected spiral into insanity and violence, and they speak of The Empty Man. When the children of an infected mother disappear without a trace, it’s up to police officers, one a veteran with a terminal condition, the other his new partner who fears she may be infected, to unravel the mystery behind the source of the sickness and locate the children before everything spirals out of control. This is a very weird one.
The Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano Books
By Richard Montanari
I love me a good murder book. This series is one of my favorites. No ghosts. Nothing supernatural. No monsters besides the human ones. Truly one of the darkest procedural series I’ve read. Byrne and Balzano are Philadelphia Homicide. Catholic schoolgirls murdered and left with their hands bolted together in prayer, people being murdered in the manner of classic films, only to have those murders cut over the same scenes at a video rental store, children being murdered and posed in public as human dolls… these are a few of the glimpses into the dark of the human soul that you can expect from this series. Not for the faint of heart.
Books in series:
• The Rosary Girls
• The Skin Gods
• Merciless
• Badlands
• The Echo Man
• The Killing Room
• The Stolen Ones
• The Doll Maker
• Shutter Man
The Butcher
By Jennifer Hillier
Matt, an up-and-coming chef ready to open his own restaurant, has inherited his childhood home from the grandfather that raised him. His grandfather is well known as the officer that hunted down and eliminated Seattle’s worst serial killer, The Beacon Hill Butcher and rode that notoriety to the role of chief of police. During a renovation of the house, Matt uncovers a secret that will force him to choose between family and his girlfriend Sam, who has always believed her mother was killed by The Butcher. This one is hard to describe without spoiling. It’s tense.
Non-Fiction
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick
By Mallory O’ Meara
A fascinating look at the unsung heroine of early Hollywood special effects. Milicent Patrick created the look of The Creature From the Black Lagoon but didn’t receive credit until decades later. Her story is incredible and her determination and talent overcoming sexism and adversity resonates as loudly now as it did when she was fighting her way through the Hollywood system. Well researched and told from a strong female voice. O’Meara went above and beyond to make sure this incredible talent is never forgotten.
Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark
By Cassandra Peterson
Anyone who loves old cheesy horror flicks knows Elvira. But the story of the woman behind the makeup is far more interesting than the character she created. From a devastating childhood accident to go-go dancer to showgirl to failed actress to horror icon and beyond. It is impossible not to fall under the spell of Elvira and fall in love with Cassandra. A real story of a true icon.
Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction
By Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson
Another story of the women behind a male dominated world. This book is nothing more than a timeline of women in horror fiction and a wealth of fantastic recommendations throughout the ages. This book added at least two dozen books to my “to read” list.
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction
By Grady Hendrix
Ever wondered why so many horror books come in paperback? This book gives you the history of the paperback from the early pulps to the modern mass market book. Broken into categories, each section has toms of recommendations spanning science fiction to fantasy to cyber horror. This one added probably four dozen books to my list. Sigh.
I hope one (or more) of these books can entertain you… or scare you this season. Feel free to add your own spoilers in the comments below. Oh, and… look behind you.
