It’s all about the thrill
There’s no better time than now to curl up with thrilling books that will keep you up long after midnight. Whether you’re drawn to twisted minds, unreliable narrators, or dark family secrets, our curated guide of the best thriller books to read this Halloween will satiate any bibliophile’s cravings for suspense, adrenaline and jump scares.
Here are the best thriller books to read for Halloween 2025:
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides
This gripping tale follows Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who shoots her husband and then falls into complete silence, refusing to speak a single word. When psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes obsessed with uncovering her motive, he discovers that some secrets are more dangerous than silence itself.
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn
When Amy Dunne disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary, her husband Nick becomes the prime suspect—but nothing is as it seems.
The Girl on The Train
Paula Hawkins
This book follows Rachel Watson, an alcoholic divorcée who becomes entangled in a missing person case after witnessing something disturbing during her daily commute. The book’s exploration of memory, obsession and the stories we tell ourselves remains as compelling as ever.
The Housemaid
Freida McFadden
This tale of a live-in maid working for a wealthy family delivers twist after jaw-dropping twist, proving that the most terrifying monsters often hide behind picture-perfect facades. It’s the kind of book that makes you question every character’s motives from the very first page.
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
Flynn’s Sharp Objects offers an equally dark journey as journalist Camille Preaker returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two young girls, only to confront the demons of her own troubled past.
The Guest List
Lucy Foley
The Guest List transforms a glamorous wedding on a remote Irish island into a pressure cooker of secrets and resentments. As a storm cuts off the island from the mainland and a body is discovered, everyone becomes a suspect in this clever locked-room mystery that keeps readers guessing until the final pages.
The Woman in The Window
A.J. Finn
The Woman in the Window channels classic Hitchcock vibes as agoraphobic Anna Fox witnesses something shocking in her neighbor’s home—or does she? Confined to her New York City brownstone, Anna’s grip on reality becomes increasingly questionable, making readers wonder if they can trust anything they’re reading.
The Only One Left
Riley Sager
Riley Sager’s The Only One Left brings gothic atmosphere to a crumbling Maine estate where a care aide tends to an elderly woman who may—or may not—have murdered her entire family decades earlier. As secrets emerge from the shadows, the line between caretaker and captive begins to blur in this atmospheric thriller.
The Shining
Stephen King
And of course, no Halloween reading list would be complete without Stephen King’s The Shining. This horror masterpiece follows Jack Torrance and his family as they become winter caretakers of the isolated Overlook Hotel, where malevolent forces prey on Jack’s demons and his son Danny’s psychic abilities.
