Entertainment Books Our Halloween Book List: For a Creepy Night In From murder and mental breakdowns to paranormal villains, these books promise to keep you up at night By People Staff Published on October 30, 2017 08:04PM EDT Close 01 of 16 The Child by Fiona Barton Amazon "The discovery of a skeleton changes three women's lives in this satisfying mystery. The three—a reporter, a troubled editor and the mother of a newborn kidnapped years earlier—narrate alternately, keeping the tension humming. But it's not all suspense: Long after their secrets are revealed, the author's compassion for her wounded characters lingers." - PEOPLE review Buy It! The Child, $26; amazon.com 02 of 16 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill Amazon This classic ghost story follows London lawyer Arthur Kipps as he makes a seemingly routine trip to a small English village. When he visits the house of the late Mrs. Alice Drablow to settle her affairs, he is caught up in eerie paranormal noises and sights that have transformed the house into a living nightmare. This thriller is so engrossing that it was adapted into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe. Buy It! The Woman in Black, $14; amazon.com 03 of 16 Into the Water by Paula Hawkins Amazon "Hawkins (The Girl on the Train) follows her 2015 megahit with a captivating, contemporary whodunit about women who, over centuries, have met mysterious deaths at a treacherous bend of the river running through the small English town of Beckford. Gothic suspense churns and the plot keeps you guessing, making this a worthy—if slightly lesser—successor." - PEOPLE review Buy It! Into the Water, $28; amazon.com 04 of 16 The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe Amazon No story is more classically creepy than Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Can you prove your sanity while confessing to murder? That's what the unnamed narrator attempts to do in this short story. He describes killing and dismembering an old man and hiding the body parts under his floor boards. In the end, the reader is left with more questions than answers. Buy It! The Tell-Tale Heart, $5; amazon.com 05 of 16 The Shining by Stephen King Amazon Nobody does horror quite like Stephen King. The Shining is one of his crowning achievements and follows Jack Torrance, who just took over the position of off-season caretaker of an old hotel. He quickly realizes that something sinister lurks in the halls -- as does a 5-year-old boy. Buy It! The Shining, $9; amazon.com 06 of 16 Origin by Dan Brown Amazon "Fans of The Da Vinci Code, rejoice! Prof. Robert Langdon is again solving the mysteries of the universe with a beautiful woman and a cold-blooded killer close at hand. Set among Barcelona's fantabulous Gaudi buildings, Brown's latest features a WikiLeaks-type website, trending hashtags and 'Winston'—a brilliant co-conspirator who's an AI computer." - PEOPLE review Buy It! Origin, $30; amazon.com 07 of 16 The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux Amazon Nothing seems to mix as well with horror as a bit of romance. The Paris Opera House is haunted by a Phantom, but the lovely singer Christine Daaé is unafraid. He teaches her to sing better than she ever has before — but their relationship takes a terrifying turn when a viscount starts to court her. Filled with jealous fury, the Phantom seeks revenge. Buy It! The Phantom of the Opera, $12; amazon.com 08 of 16 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Amazon Esther Greenwood is beautiful and brilliant — but she's also undergoing a breakdown. In this disturbing novel, Plath makes the inner workings of the protagonist's insanity so real that it's as if her thoughts are converted into music that the reader can hear and feel. Buy It! The Bell Jar, $16; amazon.com 09 of 16 Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King Amazon "Women fall into comas and grow gauzy cocoons—while their menfolk freak out—in this creepy King-family fairy tale. Mayhem central is the Appalachian town of Dooling, West Virginia, where King and his novelist son bring more than 70 characters to life. It's a violent, dystopian thrill ride that will leave you horrified—and hooked." - PEOPLE review Buy It! Sleeping Beauties, $33; amazon.com 10 of 16 Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties by Dianne Lake Amazon "For the first time the youngest of Charles Manson's 'girls' opens up about life in his '60s cult—and her slow realization that she was in thrall to evil." - PEOPLE review Buy It! Member of the Family, $28; amazon.com 11 of 16 Macbeth by William Shakespeare Amazon You don't have to watch the play to be transported by this story of a man who murders to take the crown. After the King of Scotland dies, Macbeth is tortured by guilt and paranoia — and becomes a tyrant. The result? More death and madness. Buy It! Macbeth, $6; amazon.com 12 of 16 Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane Amazon This psychological novel is all about breakdowns. First, journalist Rachel Childs loses it on national television. Then her idyllic marriage falls apart. But her nightmare is only beginning: Childs soon finds herself caught in a web of conspiracy that is spun with deceit and violence. Can she face her fears long enough to untangle herself? Buy It! Since We Fell, $28; amazon.com 13 of 16 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Amazon While all of the Harry Potter books are darkened by the threat of Voldemort, the second book specializes in terror of the monster variety. Something is turning students at Hogwarts into stone and Harry can't identify the culprit. Is it Harry himself? Buy It! Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $11; amazon.com 14 of 16 After the Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search by Sarah Perry "Just 12 when her mother was murdered, Perry grew up terrified of violence and loss. This brave, gorgeous reconstruction of her mom's heartbreaking life feels like redemption." - PEOPLE review Buy It! After the Eclipse, $27; amazon.com 15 of 16 Dracula by Bram Stoker Amazon A visit to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania leads to terrifying occurrences for Jonathan Harker. There are violent phantom women, bite marks on his neck and he witnesses a transformation from man to bat. Then comes a frantic hunt for vampires in this horror romance. Buy It! Dracula, $7; amazon.com 16 of 16 Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer Amazon "Think serial killers are always male? This creepy, darkly humorous compendium of real-life tales will show you otherwise—and keep you up at night." - PEOPLE review Buy It! Lady Killers, $16; amazon.com