Best horror books to read in 2024

Reading lists

The best horror books to read this spooky season

The Caretaker

Praise for Marcus Kliewer's WE USED TO LIVE HERE:

One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!

FREIDA McFADDEN, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid

Inventive and genuinely scary, We Used to Live Here is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.

ALMA KATSU, bestselling author of The Hunger

There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until you almost wish you could stop reading—but of course, it’s too late. You’re in its grip. We Used to Live Here is one of those rare books.

NICK CUTTER, bestselling author of The Troop

Full of unease and stomach-churning dread, We Used to Live Here creeps up to you like a sly shadow. I wanted to look away. I absolutely could not. Marcus Kliewer is destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling. Read this with every single light on.

ERIN A. CRAIG, No. 1 bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

This book is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by the spiral of terror that takes over you when you know nothing seems what it is . . . Is a family really a family? Can a house be something else? We Used to Live Here is going to haunt you even after you have finished it. This is what I call a great book.

AGUSTINA BAZTERRICA, bestselling author of Tender Is the Flesh

Chilling and filled with a permeating sense of dread from the very first chapter... This is the kind of story that leaves your head spinning for days.

What begins as a Tremblay-ian exercise in ratcheting tension soon peels away to reveal a mind-bendingly fractal horror story that would make even Danielewski sweat. We Used to Iive Here is an expertly paced and structured nightmare, full of surprises; a thrillingly, chillingly participatory anxiety attack of a book.

NAT CASSIDY, bestselling author of Mary and Nestlings

We Used to Live Here is a gem of contemporary horror that explores the places we call home with deft and terrifying command that will leave you shaken long after turning the final page.

MATT and HARRISON QUERY, authors of Reddit hit Old Country

Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won the Scariest Story of 2021 Award on the NoSleep forum (eighteen million members). Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. His second novel, The Caretaker, is coming in Spring 2026. Marcus Kliewer lives in Vancouver, Canada.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caregiver for elderly husband urgently needed. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY. If interested, please contact: carnswel54@aol.com 
 
As a down on her luck college grad saddled with a disturbing amount of debt, Macy Mullins can’t say why the Craigslist posting grabbed her attention—it had all the flare of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all. 
But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay and a younger sister to provide for. Unable to turn down a paycheck, she takes the job. 
She quickly discovers that her responsibilities have stakes far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined. 
 
Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… 
 
Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

Marcus Kliewer

Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid

There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until you almost wish you could stop reading—but of course, it’s too late. You’re in its grip. We Used to Live Here is one of those rare books.

Nick Cutter, bestselling author of The Troop

Full of unease and stomach-churning dread, We Used to Live Here creeps up to you like a sly shadow. I wanted to look away. I absolutely could not. Marcus Kliewer is destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling. Read this with every single light on.

Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

This book is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by the spiral of terror that takes over you when you know nothing seems what it is... Is a family really a family? Can a house be something else? We Used to Live Here is going to haunt you even after you have finished it. This is what I call a great book.

Agustina Bazterrica, internationally bestselling author of Tender Is the Flesh

What begins as a Tremblay-ian exercise in ratcheting tension soon peels away to reveal a mind-bendingly fractal horror story that would make even Danielewski sweat. We Used to Iive Here is an expertly paced and structured nightmare, full of surprises; a thrillingly, chillingly participatory anxiety attack of a book.

Nat Cassidy, Bestselling author of Mary and Nestlings

We Used to Live Here is a gem of contemporary horror that explores the places we call home with deft and terrifying command that will leave you shaken long after turning the final page.

Matt and Harrison Query, authors of Reddit hit Old Country

Kliewer&rsquo;s debut is an atmospheric nightmare in all the best ways. The pace is pulse-pounding, but the horror aspects are deliciously dragged out. This is recommended for fans of intricately plotted psychological novels, such as those by Stephen King, Ruth Ware and Sarah Pinborough.

A devilish debut. What begins as mildly uncomfortable grows full-tilt terrifying. Stringing the whole thing together is Kliewer&rsquo;s gift for atmosphere and wicked sense of humor. This is a winner.

Mysterious guests overstay their welcome in this fresh take on the haunted house trope. Fans of the surging horror genre will think twice about opening the door when somebody knocks. Original and extremely scary&hellip; A frighteningly good debut.

The story is absolutely gripping and reminds readers of the dread from Get Out.

You let them back in. 
You shouldn't have... 
 
Young couple Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they got on an old house deep in the mountains. One day, a man knocks on the door. He says he lived there years before and asks if he can show his family around. 
 
As soon as they enter, strange things start to happen, and Eve is desperate for them to leave and never come back. But they can’t – or won’t – take the hint that they are no longer welcome. 
 
Then, Charlie vanishes, and Eve begins to lose her grip on reality. She’s convinced there’s something terribly wrong with the house and its past inhabitants . . . or is it all in her head? 
 
The Turn of the Key meets Parasite in this gripping, eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit – soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively – that will keep you up into the early hours. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Leave the World Behind.

Marcus Kliewer

Praise for We Used to Live Here

One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!

Inventive and genuinely scary, We Used to Live Here is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.

There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until ...

One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!

Inventive and genuinely scary, We Used to Live Here is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.

There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until ...

One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!

Inventive and genuinely scary, We Used to Live Here is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.

There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until ...

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