Today is Friday 13th . . . it’s time to get spooky!
That’s why I’ve put together my top 10 books that will make you want to sleep with the light on!
I read my first scary book when I was 10 (it was Stephen King’s “The Shining”) and I’ve never looked back.
It was very difficult to choose just one Stephen King book for my list, but I’ve started off with one of his earlier offerings.
The top five
- “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King. Writer Ben Mears returns to the sleepy town he grew up in, only to discover strange cases of anaemia that result in death. It’s like there are vampires on the loose . . .
- “Thin Air” by Michelle Paver. This story is set in The Himalayas in 1935, where five Englishmen are determined to reach the summit of Kanchenjunga. The mountain is not the most dangerous part of their journey, though. There’s a feeling that they’re not alone on the ascent . . .
- “The Craftsman” by Sharon Bolton. A series of murders were solved and a coffin-maker convicted 30 years before, but was the wrong man locked up?
- “I Let You Go” by Clare Mackintosh. A taughtly written thriller about a hit and run gives us one of the best mid-book plot twists ever!
- “The Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris. We’re so familiar with the chilling “Silence Of The Lambs”, but Harris’s previous book is a masterclass in creepiness and crime. And yes, Hannibal Lecter’s in it.
The runners-up
- “The Ice Twins” by S.K. Tremayne. Angus and Sarah Moorcroft decide to move to a tiny Scottish island after the tragic death of one of their twin daughters, Lydia. When their surviving daughter, Kirstie, tells them that they have mistakenly mourned the wrong twin, things take a sinister turn.
- “Post Mortem” by Patricia Cornwell. The crime book that started it all back in 1991! We’re introduced to Doctor Kay Scarpetta in the forensically detailed story that set the bar very high for this genre.
- “Birdman” by Mo Hayder. We meet DI Jack Caffrey for the first time in this brilliantly creepy book. It will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up!
- “The Chalk Man” by C.J. Tudor. A blistering debut from an author who takes her cue from the master himself, Stephen King. Mysterious chalk markings once appeared after a terrible accident at a funfair in a sleepy English town . . . why are they appearing again, over 30 years later?
- “The Way Of All Flesh” by Ambrose Parry. Set in Edinburgh in 1847 and filled with murky atmosphere and menace, the story starts with a series of gruesome deaths. Young medical student Will Raven finds himself embroiled in a macabre mystery, thanks to his job as apprentice to the brilliant surgeon, George Simpson.
Have you read any of these?
And if you haven’t, would you choose to on Friday 13th?
Let us know what you think. And remember we have lots of book reviews here.
Tracey Steel Having worked on a number of magazines over the years, I have found my perfect place on the “Friend” as I’m obsessed with reading and never go anywhere without a book! I read all of our stories with a mug of tea close by and usually a bit of strong cheese too!
