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Books similar to ‘Home Before Dark’ by Riley Sager
Haunted houses take center stage in these terrifying thrillers similar to “Home Before Dark.”
Published on July 13, 2023
His & Hers: A Novel
Alice FeeneyBuckle up for a tale with more twists than a corkscrew. Feeney (“Sometimes I Lie,” “Rock Paper Scissors”) pits detective Jack against investigative journalist Anna when the body of a young woman with connections to both turns up in their quiet British village. What makes it all the more intriguing is that on top of Anna and Jack narrating alternating chapters, the unknown killer also lends their voice throughout the thrilling whodunit murder mystery.
The Overnight Guest
Heather GudenkaufIf you like creepy, secluded settings like the haunted house in “Home Before Dark,” you’ll love Wylie’s isolated farmhouse where she retreats to work on her writing. Gudenkauf’s chilling (literally, there’s a vicious snowstorm that traps Wylie inside) thriller brings together separate storylines that include a double homicide, the unsolved disappearance of a young girl, and Wylie’s hunt for the truth.
The Turn of the Key
Ruth WareThe modern-day Agatha Christie reimagines “The Turn of the Screw” for the tech era in this atmospheric thriller. A young woman lies about her past to land a dream job working as a nanny in a rich family’s high-tech smart house. But the dream disintegrates into a nightmare when one of the children ends up dead and the nanny is arrested for murder.
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona WardWard (“The Girl from Rawblood”) dizzies readers with an eerie story in which no one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems. Ted Bannerman lives in a dark, dilapidated house with his violently angry adopted daughter and a God-fearing cat. Then, a new neighbor arrives, convinced that Ted’s daughter is her kidnapped sister, and things become even more erratic. This unsettling tale won the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel at the 2022 British Fantasy Awards.
The Resting Place
Camilla StenImagine not being able to recognize the faces of those around you, even the faces of your closest friends and family. Then imagine witnessing your grandma’s murder, but the killer gets away because you can’t recall their face. That’s the predicament Eleanor finds herself in. After she inherits her grandmother’s estate located deep in the Swedish woods, she, her boyfriend, aunt, and lawyer gather to uncover the dark secrets buried within the house. The group may get more than they bargained for as disturbing discoveries come to light and the killer circles closer.
Parting the Veil: A Novel
Paulette KennedyAfter inheriting her aunt’s estate, Eliza leaves behind a grievous past for a fresh start in rural England. She arrives at Havenwood Manor and quickly falls for both the formerly beautiful mansion and its mysterious and brooding lord, Malcolm Winfield. A whirlwind marriage sweeps Eliza away, but when the dust settles she soon realizes there’s more to both Havenwood and Malcolm than meets the eye. Terrifying ghosts, tragic family secrets, and her husband’s mercurial moods draw Eliza further and further into a sinister home that might never let her go.
It Will Just Be Us
Jo KaplanLike Sager, Kaplan’s haunted house serves as the main character in her terrifying gothic horror novel. Decaying and filled with the presence of restless spirits, Wakefield is the last place a child should be. But then Sam’s pregnant sister, Elizabeth, moves in after a fight with her husband. Soon after, a disturbing faceless boy appears to terrorize the house and threatens Sam with a knife. An air of uncertainty permeates every page, leading up to a twisted and deeply chilling conclusion.
The Villa: A Novel
Rachel HawkinsHawkins’ gothic thriller will have you screaming “get out!” It’s a loose retelling of the true events that inspired Mary Shelley’s seminal “Frankenstein.” Childhood friends but recently estranged, Emily and Chess plan to reconnect over a vacation at an Italian villa, but the manor’s dark past comes back to haunt them. Moving between the 1970s and modern day, “The Villa” is an eerie story of betrayal and the lengths we go to for our art.
A House With Good Bones
T. KingfisherKingfisher’s dark paranormal thriller mixes Lovecraftian and Southern gothic horror. Beneath the shiny veneer of a picture perfect home lurks a terrifying presence that has vultures circling above. Sam, an archaeoentomologist, uses her skills to dig into the ominous occurrences that has her mother behaving erratically.