Hot for horror? The 10 scariest new books perfect for summer reading
One way to beat the heat of summer: a good, page-turning chiller.
Don’t wait till Halloween to dive into a bunch of scary reads. Whether you’re hitting the beach or need some ghost stories by the campfire, now’s a good time to get a list together of horror novels to read the next few months. You could tuck into a classic read – maybe take a bite out of Stephen King’s vampire epic “Salem’s Lot” before the new movie adaptation this fall – or choose from a bunch of fresh creepy options heading your way.
Here are 10 new horror titles to check out this summer:
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'The Hacienda,' by Isabel Cañas
Out now.
In a Latina twist on Daphne du Maurier's “Rebecca,” Beatriz watched her father executed and her home destroyed after the Mexican War of Independence. After getting engaged to a widower whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances, Beatriz feels a haunting presence around her new country home.
'Hidden Pictures,' by Jason Rekulak
Out now.
After a stint in rehab, Mallory gets a job as babysitter for sweet 5-year-old Teddy. He loves to draw in his sketchbook, but when his latest pictures take a turn toward the sinister – of a man dragging a lifeless woman through a forest – Mallory believes they might be supernaturally tied to an unsolved murder.
'Friend of the Devil,' by Stephen Lloyd
Out now.
In a demonic spin on the noir detective novel, a war veteran is called to a New England prep school to find a stolen rare book. Students start dying mysteriously and in very gory fashion, and he teams with a teen reporter at the school to solve the supernatural mystery.
'Just Like Mother,' by Anne Heltzel
Out now.
Two decades after escaping the cult she was raised in, Maeve reconnects with her cousin Andrea, who has become wealthy working in the fertility industry. Maeve feels the pressures of motherhood from her relative’s social circle and has to deal with nightmares of the past and present in this modern gothic tale.
'Hide,' by Kiersten White
Release date: May 24.
In the supernatural thriller, Mack is one of 14 people who sign on for a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition at an abandoned amusement park. All she has to do to win the hefty cash prize is to not get caught for seven days. But when her competitors disappear one by one, Mack realizes a dangerous game’s afoot.
'Black Tide,' by KC Jones
Release date: May 31.
The sci-fi horror stor centers on a couple of strangers who have a drunken one-night stand during a meteor shower. They wake up to an apocalyptic scenario courtesy of the cosmic event, stranded on the Pacific coast and having to deal with a wave of terrifying monsters.
'Summer’s Edge,' by Dana Mele
Release date: May 31.
Teen horror fiends will dig this paranormal thriller about an estranged group of youngsters who convene at a rebuilt lake house a year after it burned down with their friend inside. Now haunted by their deceased pal, they have one night to solve the mystery and out a killer.
'The Pallbearers Club,' by Paul Tremblay
Release date: July 5.
The psychological thriller tells the tale of a high school loner who founded an extracurricular club for volunteer pallbearers and now has written a memoir as an adult. And it turns out the girl he used to know who took pictures of corpses and was a magnet for the strange and unusual has some edits.
'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Release date: July 19.
The “Mexican Gothic” author reimagines “The Island of Doctor Moreau” in 19th-century Mexico, where the daughter of the infamous researcher with the human-animal experiments and the island’s overseer have their world upended with the arrival of an unwanted outsider.
'Mary: An Awakening of Terror,' by Nat Cassidy
Release date: July 19.
Mary is a middle-aged women dealing with not only hot flashes but weird voices in her head. After she’s fired from her New York City job, she moves back home yet is overwhelmed by strange visions and inner thoughts that happen to be reminiscent of an infamous serial killer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Horror books: 10 scary new books perfect for summer reading
