Fall has now arrived, and with fall comes pumpkins, spooky tales, and Halloween decorations galore! If you’re looking for some new in-season reads, you can’t go wrong with these books. These are the best thriller books perfect for fall, so you can curl up on the couch or relax at the beach and get lost in one of these incredible stories.
The Whisper Man, Alex North
Tom and his son Jake move to a new town looking for a fresh start. Unbeknownst to them, the town has a dark past with ties to a serial killer. And as new crimes begin that bear an unsettling resemblance to the other killer, Tom and Jake are caught in the middle of an investigation to catch him. Will the detectives be able to find the missing boy? And why is Jake acting strangely? Find out in Alex North’s suspenseful thriller The Whisper Man.
The Institute, Stephen King
Stephen King returns with this chilling novel about “gifted” children. In The Institute, some young kids are gifted with special abilities: telekinesis and telepathy. But The Institute itself has sinister motives, and either you obey or you get brutally punished. One of the children, Luke, is desperate to escape before he gets sent to a part of the facility no one ever returns from. But no one has ever escaped The Institute before. Will Luke be able to get out before it’s too late?
Lock Every Door, Riley Sager
The next on our list of the best thriller books for fall is Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. Jules Larsen accepts a position as an apartment sitter in Manhattan and readily accepts the rules: no visitors, no nights away, and no disturbing the other residents. As Jules settles in for a typical apartment-sitting job, she quickly discovers that the building houses much more than residents: there are secrets woven into its walls. And when another apartment sitter goes missing, Jules has to dig deeper into these secrets to try and save her before she becomes a permanent resident.
The Turn of the Key, Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key is a suspenseful tale of one nanny’s experience gone very wrong. When Rowan first accepted her job as a nanny for seemingly well-behaved children in a beautiful state-of-the-art house, she didn’t expect to be accused of murder. And yet, she is now in prison awaiting her trial. As she writes to her lawyer to clear her name, she explains the strange events that went on in the house, revealing a dark and twisted experience. But if she’s innocent, that means someone else committed the crime–and they’re still out there.
The Stranger Inside, Lisa Unger
Rain Winter’s two best friends were abducted as they walked to a friend’s house one afternoon. Rain Winter was 12 years old, and barely escaped the abduction herself. The abductor was sent to prison, and after he was released, someone delivered vigilante justice–killing him in cold blood. But Rain has put this dark past behind her and moved on. Now she’s a stay at home mom, caring for her infant daughter. But when another criminal is murdered after escaping justice, Rain is forced to revisit these memories. The eerie similarities between the two cases are too much for Rain to ignore. This book blurs the lines between right and wrong and crime and justice, giving you a read you’ll stay up all night to finish.
Imaginary Friend, Stephen Chbosky
From the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower comes Imaginary Friend. However, the two books couldn’t be more different. Far from the teenage coming-of-age novel in Wallflower, Imaginary Friends is about seven-year-old Christopher and his mother, Kate. The two of them have fled to a small town in rural Pennsylvania, and at first everything seems perfect. But then Christopher vanishes. And he’s missing for six days–and when he returns he’s a very different person. There’s something strange about him, and soon Christopher and Kate find themselves trapped in the middle of a battle between good and evil. The tension and suspense in this story is why it makes our list of best thriller books for fall, and you won’t want to put it down.
Still Mine, Amy Stuart
Clare is on the run, and no one knows why–including the reader. She arrives in Blackmore, a remote mining town, asking about the recently missing girl: Shayna Fowles. As Clare dives deep into the mysteries surrounding Shayna’s disappearance, the community wants to know more about who Clare is and what exactly she’s hiding. The two mysteries unravel together, revealing secrets and lies that will make you question everything.
Which books are on your fall reading list?
As fall creeps onward and the temperature changes, the lighthearted summer beach reads change to thrilling and suspenseful novels. So check out a few of the stories from our best thriller books that are perfect for fall, and enjoy the spine tingles you’ll get from each one. Sit on the beach near Crown City Inn and dive into one of these stories–and if it gets too intense, all you have to do is look up to be reminded of the peaceful southern California beauty you’re surrounded by.