12 Must-Read Horror Books Coming Out This Month

This middle grade horror novel is set in 1980s Oregon. Maybe Archie Coomes has been watching too many horror movies, but it feels like even the most ordinary things in the sleepy seaside town of Seaham have become dark and sinister. But as more and more of the adults in town start acting strangely, Archie and his friends have to admit something is seriously wrong. An ancient, long-buried evil has been unleashed upon the community, and the kids will have to stop it before it’s too late.

Direwood is a gothic horror novel set in the 1990s. Even after a string of strange events in 16-year-old Aja’s idyllic suburban town, the adults remain in denial that anything sinister is at play. Then Aja’s sister Fiona goes missing. And other teens start to go missing too. When Aja meets Padraic, the vampire responsible for all the strange occurrences, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. But he tells Aja everything she wants to hear. And following him into the woods might be the only way to find Fiona.

In The Getaway, Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got good friends, a great family, and a job he loves, working after school at the property’s main theme park. Outside, the world might be falling apart, but inside the resort, people can escape from their problems. But behind this perfect community are dark secrets. When the richest and most powerful families arrive and don’t leave, employees discover that the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The world may be ending, but the most powerful people will remain safe. Now Jay and the rest of the resort’s employees will be the ones to care for them, whether they like it or not.

Ghost Eaters is an exciting new horror novel from Clay McLeod Chapman. Erin and Silas have been in a tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship for years. Erin knows that her relationship with Silas is toxic, so she decides to break up with him for good. After their breakup, Erin learns that Silas has died of an overdose. What’s more, Silas had discovered a drug that would allow him to see the dead. Erin doesn’t believe in ghosts, but in her grief and guilt for abandoning Silas, she agrees to a pill-popping “séance” to ease her pain. But the drug is very real, and as Erin attempts to return to the real world, her visions of the dead refuse to let her go. Maybe the bloody and brutal visions are all after-effects of the drug, but maybe something much more dangerous is happening.

Marion Shaw was raised in poverty and longs to escape the difficulties of city life. But she sees no way out. That is, until she comes across a strange newspaper ad: “WANTED — Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life’s finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.“ Although she knows little about the position or the far north where she will have to travel, she applies, hoping this could be the opportunity for change she’s been hoping for. Soon, Marion becomes the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger, where Countess Lisavet who presides over a court of hedonism. Marion is eager to please her mistress, who is both charismatic and terrifying. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing, Marion realizes she must learn the rules of House of Hunger or her own life will soon be at risk.

Penny is an artist who has lived in the same apartment for decades. Now her longterm partner is dead, and caring for herself alone in her home is becoming more of a struggle. Thankfully (or perhaps not so thankfully), unbeknownst to her, arrangements have been made. So, Penny is moved to an assisted living facility, where at first things seem to be going well. She quickly finds a place for herself in the small community, and she even starts to paint again. But something…just seems off. As the days start to blur, Penny loses track of time and feels uncertain of everything (and everyone) around her. Is she experiencing the destructive effects of aging, or is something more unsettling going on at the facility?

The Butcher is being described as Shirley Jackson meets Never Let Me Go meets West World. Pretty wild combination, but it works! After Lady Mae turns 18, she’ll inherit her mother’s job as the Butcher, dismembering Settlement Five’s residents who commit petty crimes. But one Lady Mae’s mother is called upon to butcher a 6-year-old boy, and when she refuses to do it, she is murdered for for refusing her duties. Now alone in the world, Lady Mae must take her mother’s place.