We’ve all heard of the classic scary books, the stories by the likes of Stephen King and Shirley Jackson that have haunted us since we read them. But, what about the newer stories? The stalkers, the ghosts, the serial killers, and everything in between that lurks in the shadows that may not have crept into your TBR yet. If you’re looking for the ten scariest books that have come out in the last decade, lock your doors and look no further.

Stalker by Lars Kepler

Stalker by Lars Kepler is one of the most terrifying thrillers I’ve read that will send chills right up your spine. You’ll definitely be looking over your shoulder after this one!  When the Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a woman in her home unaware she’s being stalked, she is brutally murdered before they can identify her. When another video of a woman being stalked makes its way to them, they enlist the help of Joona Linna to help hunt a twisted killer before more women are killed.

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The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

With its eerie and atmospheric setting featuring a strange motel, The Sun Down Motel is sure to make you afraid of the dark and question every little noise you hear. Carly has just moved to the small town of Fell, New York in hopes of finally getting answers regarding her aunt’s disappearance twenty-five-years ago. When she visits the motel her aunt worked at when she went missing, Carly ends up with the same exact job and soon enough, she starts to experience the same things her aunt did right before she vanished into thin air.

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The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup

The Chestnut Man is not only sensationally scary, but a haunting whodunnit that will have you begging for daylight. A serial killer is haunting Copenhagen, leaving behind a small figurine made of matchsticks and two chestnuts with each crime scene. When the police discover a fingerprint from a young killer who was kidnapped and murdered on one of the figurines, they must put the pieces together before the killer can target their next victim.

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The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man features some supernatural elements combined with a serial killer whose calling card is one of the creepiest things you’ll read. Buckle up for this one! Tom Kennedy and his son Jake have just moved to Featherbank for a fresh start following the sudden death of his wife. This small town has quite a dark history, mostly known for a serial killer who abducted and murdered five people and was dubbed “The Whisper Man” as he would lure his victims outside of their homes by whispering through their windows at night. When a young boy vanishes, people wonder if the Whisper Man has returned and two detectives are on the case just as Jake begins to hear whispering at his window.

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When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

When No One is Watching is not only dark and chilling, but a timely story that is sure to stick with you long after it’s jaw-dropping finale. Sydney Green’s Brooklyn neighborhood has changed so much since she was younger. Not only are new condos popping up and homes are going up for sale, but her neighbors are disappearing. Finding an unlikely ally in her neighbor, Theo, the two notice a pattern in the disappearances and are quick to find something sinister is making its way through the neighborhood.

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The Bright Lands by John Fram

Family ties and small town secrets are teaming up in The Bright Lands in this story that is sure to sink its teeth into you. Joel Whitley is returning to his conservative hometown for the first time in a decade when his younger brother, Dylan, goes missing. Upon returning, he is reunited with Starsha Clark who now works as a sheriff deputy. As rumors begin to swirl about Dylan’s disappearance, Joel and Starsha have to take on a group of men who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

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Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen

Clairvoyance and chills fill the pages of this immersive and brutally dark and poignant thriller. In Atlantic City, a young boardwalk psychic named Clara finds herself in an unlikely friendship with a woman named Lily from New York City looking to leave her past behind. Meanwhile, a man is terrorizing the city and leaving bodies in a marshland behind a motel. When Clara begins to have visions she thinks are related to the murders, she and Lily work together to try to protect the women of Atlantic City.

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Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

Chasing the Boogeyman is as sinister as it is spooky in a story that is considered nightmare inducing. In the summer of 1988, teenage girls are being found brutally murdered in a small Maryland town. Recent college graduate, Richard Chizmar, and his friend Carly begin their investigation as rumors swirl of a serial killer lurking in the shadows.

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Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Bleak, beautiful, and brutal, Ask for Andrea is a timely story that will haunt you long after its final chapter. A man named James Carson uses a dating app to stalk and murder women. He may be good looking and charming, but James is a coldblooded killer who has already murdered Brecia, Meghan, and Skye. Although the three women are dead, they find each other and watch as James moves to his next target. Joining forces and using whatever resources they can, the three dead women vow to do whatever it takes to stop James from killing again.

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The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

The Shards is a dark and mesmerizingly horrifying odyssey that is guaranteed to give you a book hangover. In fictional Los Angeles in the 1980s, seventeen-year-old Bret is a prep school student who finds himself equally fascinated with a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory. As Robert infiltrates his way into Bret’s friend group, Bret finds that Robert is hiding a secret and his obsession intensifies. Bret is also finding himself obsessing over an active serial killer in Los Angeles called the Trawler. When the Trawler begins to get closer to Bret and his friends, he wonders if one of them could be the serial killer.

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