Oct. 17, 2024 – Spooky season is upon us, so here is a collection of creepy YA thrillers just in time for Halloween. In these novels, sometimes the monsters are ghosts and ghouls ... and sometimes they're the people living next door.
"A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" by Holly Jackson
Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer? Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent ... and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
"One of Us is Lying" by Karen M. McManus
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
"Drop Dead Gorgeous" ("Return to Fear Street" series) by R.L. Stine
Morgan Marks, a newcomer to Shadyside High, confounds her new friends and boyfriend with her mysterious past until events surrounding the school's homecoming dance unearth a violent curse.
"Their Vicious Games" by Joelle Wellington
Eighteen-year-old Adina Walker, a scholarship student at a prestigious academy, faces the consequences of a single mistake and competes in a high-stakes contest hosted by the wealthy Remington family, where she uncovers unsettling truths about the sponsors and the contest's high stakes.
"Frightmares" by Eva V. Gibson
A summer acting job at a House of Horrors turns into a real-life nightmare when a cast member turns up dead – and then disappears.
"Out of Body" by N.E. Davenport
When 17-year-old Megan Allen is betrayed by her best friend, LC, and targeted by LC's enemies, she is plunged into a waking nightmare and must claim what makes her uniquely herself to get her life back – or die trying.
"Lock the Doors" by Vincent Ralph
Sixteen-year-old Tom Cavanagh – a survivor of past trauma who suffers from anxiety – befriends Alice, a new girl at his school and the former inhabitant of his home, hoping to rescue her from the secrets she seem seems to be concealing.
"Missing Dead Girls" by Sara Walters
It wasn't Tillie's choice to leave Philadelphia. But after everything that happened junior year, her mom insisted the quiet suburb of Willow Creek was the perfect place to get a fresh start, to put the trauma and rumors behind them. Madison Frank is the perfect distraction. Beautiful, fun, and from the wealthy side of town, Madison is the kind of girl who has a pull stronger than gravity. She commands attention, even inspires obsession. And by the end of summer, Tillie's forgotten everything – everyone – she left in Philadelphia. Almost. Then Madison goes missing. A photo of her bloody body is texted to the whole student body … from an account with Tillie's name on it. Tillie's caught in a tangled web of secrets that will destroy her if they surface … and will destroy everyone she loves if they don't.
"The Bad Ones" by Melissa Albert
Teenage Nora uncovers dangerous secrets and eerie local lore surrounding disappearances in her small town, where a teacher and three high school students, including her best friend, go missing.
"Where Sleeping Girls Lie" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school after being home-schooled all her life. Misfortune has been a constant companion all her life, but even Sade doesn't expect her new roommate, Elizabeth, to disappear after Sade's first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it. With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the girls collectively known as the 'Unholy Trinity,' and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them – especially Persephone, who Sade is inexplicably drawn to – and playing catchup in class, Sade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don't care enough about what happened to Elizabeth to really investigate, it's up to she and Elizabeth's best friend to solve it. And then a student is found dead. As they keep trying to figure out whats going on, Sade realizes there's more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface ... secrets that rival even her own.
"The Summer She Went Missing" by Chelsea Ichaso
One year after her best friend, Audrey, went missing, Paige enters a world far darker than she ever could’ve imagined to find the truth after discovering a burner phone hidden in Audrey’s old room that links her disappearance to that of another girl.
"The One that Got Away with Murder" by Trish Lundy
Lauren O'Brian might be the new girl, but she's never been a good girl. With a dark past that she hopes will never come to light, she's looking forward to a fresh start in Happy Valley. Things might just be looking up after she meets her new broodingly handsome no-strings-attached hookup, Robbie Crestmont. Except Robbie's got a body count – the murderous kind. Actually, it might just run in the family. Lauren's entire town believes the Crestmont brothers are responsible for the deaths of their respective ex-girlfriends. And when Lauren is invited to the Crestmonts' lake house, she finds evidence enough to prove their guilt. But Lauren starts to think Robbie's not the only suspect. There's a town full of possibilities. Will she be able to let her guard down to find the real killer? Or is the murderer just waiting for her to get vulnerable?
"Liar's Beach" by Katie Cotugno
Michael Linden – or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals – doesn't belong in wealthy, storied Martha's Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn't call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars. Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper's pool, and everyone has something to hide – Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that – an accident – but Linden begins to wonder. Enter: Holiday Proctor. Linden's childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There's nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery, and she's convinced there's a potential killer on the Vineyard.
"The Counselors" by Jessica Goodman
After a traumatic school year, camp counselor Goldie Easton is excited to reunite with her two best friends at an elite summer camp, but when a local boy is found dead on the grounds, all three must reveal a dark secret to find the murderer.