Books like 'Scared to Death'
Readers who enjoyed Scared to Death by Alan Gibbons also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy horror gothic dark law-enforcement
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Call of the Crocodile by F. Gardner
Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA dark fantasy horror novel, set during Halloween. After a boy is eaten alive by a crocodile, his family begins a descent into madness and terror in this odyssey of modern horror.Part of a series of interconnected horror novels that can be read in any order. Each book serves as a stand alone story, yet builds a greater picture behind a sinister mystery in Chicago... -
![Owned by Magic by Zara J. Black]()
Owned by Magic by Zara J. Black
Rated: 5.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI'll be safe in the prince's bed, from everyone but him.I stole from a brutal street gang, and now they want me dead. There’s only one place they can’t touch me. The palace. But safety comes at the cost of my freedom. I'll sell myself as a courtesan, serve for five years, and leave with enough money to pay my debt... -
![The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 2 by Edgar Allan Poe]()
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 2 by Edgar Allan Poe
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTHE PURLOINED LETTER THE THOUSAND-AND-SECOND TALE OF SCHEHERAZADE A DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTRÖM. VON KEMPELEN AND HIS DISCOVERY MESMERIC REVELATION THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR THE BLACK CAT. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER SILENCE—A FABLE THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH. THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO... -
![The Paleblood Hunt by Redgrave]()
The Paleblood Hunt by Redgrave
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"The Paleblood Hunt" is an in-depth exploration behind the lore of the popular FromSoftware video game Bloodborne. Redgrave first introduced this document on Reddit and it has since been revised, and finalized. He closely examines the information available to the player in order to build up the hidden story of the game... -
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![The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, Barbara Hambly]()
The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, Barbara Hambly
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsOne of the most influential practitioners of American horror, H.P. Lovecraft inspired the work of Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker. As he perfected his mastery of the macabre, his works developed from seminal fragments into acknowledged masterpieces of terror... -
![Void's Tale: A Schooled In Magic Novella by Christopher G. Nuttall]()
Void's Tale: A Schooled In Magic Novella by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA hundred years before Emily, just after the fall of the Empire and the start of the Necromantic Wars, Void worked for the White Council as an agent of last resort, the sorcerer they called upon when no one else could complete the mission. But this mission may make or break him... -
![Secrets & Curses of Cerithia by Shay Taylor]()
Secrets & Curses of Cerithia by Shay Taylor
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Gods above, I know I am a monster, but I am your monster.” Thea has survived the deadly trials and narrowly escaped heartbreak, but now she faces her greatest challenge—breaking her curse and finding her place in Cerithia. Haunted by Cassius’ betrayal and the loss of her friends in Exile, she struggles to reclaim her identity in a kingdom that feels foreign... -
![Hell Screen by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa]()
Hell Screen by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings"There can be no doubt that Akutagawa had more individuality than any other writer of his time and has left in Japanese literature a mass of artistic work, often grotesque and curious, that, while it undoubtedly angers the proletarian experimenters who now hold the stage and fight with lusty pens and a highly developed class consciousness against all that he stood for, will continue to live as... -
![One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig]()
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsElspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.But nothing comes for free, especially magic.When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn... -
![Copiii întunericului by Lavinia Călina]()
Copiii întunericului by Lavinia Călina
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Tu cât de mult te poți ascunde de magie?”Roxana și Nicol, două adolescente cu personalități aparent diferite, devin cele mai bune prietene după o noapte în care viața li se va schimba complet. Împărtășind același secret, ele vor încerca timp de mai mulți ani să ducă împreună o existență cât mai banală, cotidiană, pentru a se ascunde de cei care le doresc, probabil, moartea... -
![In the River by Jeremy Robert Johnson]()
In the River by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn intensely moving tale of survival and madness along the river's edge. A father and son fishing lesson become a nightmarish voyage to the sea in this visionary testament to the lengths we will go for those we love... -
![Dark Dreams: Daughters of Darkness 2 by Chrissy Peebles]()
Dark Dreams: Daughters of Darkness 2 by Chrissy Peebles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBlair's journey continues with part 2. WARNING: 18+ due to sexual situations and language. This is an adult paranormal romance. Griffin has left her old life as everything crashes down around her. She's leaving the safety of her coven for the first time as bounty hunters chase her down. When she meets a mysterious stranger, she hopes he can hide her from all the immortals chasing her... -
![Deep Web by Chrissy Peebles]()
Deep Web by Chrissy Peebles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe dreaded night, of the first full moon in January, has finally arrived. Will Taylor survive when evil threatens to destroy her life forever? Taylor relocates back to Big Bear Lake not trusting the people who signed a treaty to keep her safe. Being with her family and friends is wonderful, but knowing that she is a sacrifice is beyond unsettling... -
![Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower]()
Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRose McFarland is a trained killer--a Memphis S.W.A.T. sniper with a secret. Her team knows about the burn scars that lurk under her clothes, a legacy of the house fire that killed her father and brother sixteen years before. Her supervisors know that she spent two years in a rehabilitative facility, healing and learning to cope with the emotional trauma of the fire... -
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![Mania by Naomi Loud]()
Mania by Naomi Loud
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI have starved for as long as I have been sentient.Collecting soul after soul, I fed. I gorged. Then he arrived, and suddenly, I understood what it truly meant to feel. Jealousy. Greed. Obsession.It tasted like him. Intoxicating. Addicting. I had to have my fill of him. Control him. Keep him. And I did. And we were happy. Trapped. But happy. Until she arrived. Her soul replete with mortal toil... -
![Night's Favor by Richard Parry]()
Night's Favor by Richard Parry
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsBad hangovers don’t usually come with a pile of bodies.Valentine surfaces after a drunken night to find drug megacorp Biomne has unleashed hired guns to bring Val in: no questions, and no witnesses. A criminally insane Russian's also hungering at his heels. Could one ravening sociopath be worse than an army?Val's newfound strength and speed might not be enough to save him... -
![Best Friends Forever by P.J. Night]()
Best Friends Forever by P.J. Night
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKatie’s getting a new BFF—whether she likes it or not—in this scary You’re Invited to a Creepover tale.Katie Walsh is majorly bummed when her BFF moves away. But her hopes soar when the new girl at school, Whitney, befriends her right away and invites her to spend the night at her house for a sleepover. Katie loved sleepovers with her old BFF, so she’s sure she will have a great time... -
![And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe by Gwendolyn Kiste]()
And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe by Gwendolyn Kiste
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA murdered movie star reaches out to an unlikely fan. An orchard is bewitched with poison apples and would-be princesses. A pair of outcasts fail a questionnaire that measures who in their neighborhood will vanish next. Two sisters keep a grotesque secret hidden in a Victorian bathtub. A dearly departed best friend carries a grudge from beyond the grave... -
![The Laughing Policeman by Elizabeth J. Brown]()
The Laughing Policeman by Elizabeth J. Brown
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA blood debt gone wrong. A demon unleashed.Thirty-four years ago, a supernatural horror was summoned into the world, leaving nothing but mutilated corpses in its wake...Until the day the trail went cold.Now it’s back, and the fate of a young Traveller girl and her mother hang in the balance.Their only hope of survival rests in the hands of cynical ex-detective Charlie Haynes... -
![Soul Gem Collector by Logan Jacobs]()
Soul Gem Collector by Logan Jacobs
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBeing able to rip the soul out of a creature, store it in a precious gem, and use it to cast spells might make me the most powerful student at the Astra Argent Magical Academy. Only I can’t tell anybody about it. Because it's illegal, and they’ll kill me if they find out. But they need me whether they know it yet or not, so I’m going to capture a lot of souls and cast a lot of spells... -
![The King of Shadows by Robert McCammon]()
The King of Shadows by Robert McCammon
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s January of 1704, and Matthew Corbett continues his mission to Italy, accompanied by Hudson Greathouse and former enemy Professor Fell. They seek Brazio Valeriani and information about the mirror created by his father, the sorcerer Ciro. Legend claims the mirror can be used to summon demons from beyond...Categorized as:
law-enforcement dark historical-fiction horror mystery fiction action-adventure historical -
![Great Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe]()
Great Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingss/t: 21 Short Story Masterpieces plus 34 Narrative & Lyric Poems Born to an unfortunate heritage, orphaned, unsympathetically raised, and then abandoned, Edgar Allan Poe struggled for greatness in an adverse social and economic climate -- a setting not improved by his fiery temperament and caustic criticism of others... -
![Grimscribe: His Lives and Works by Thomas Ligotti]()
Grimscribe: His Lives and Works by Thomas Ligotti
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGrimscribe: His Lives and Works is Thomas Ligotti's second collection of short tales... -
![Terrifying Tales by Edgar Allan Poe]()
Terrifying Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe melancholy, brilliance, passionate lyricism, and torment of Edgar Allen Poe are all well represented in this collection... -
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![Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig]()
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIn the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders... -
![The Ravenous Dead by Darcy Coates]()
The Ravenous Dead by Darcy Coates
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsHe'll never let go...Keira, hired as Blighty Graveyard’s new groundskeeper, lives surrounded by the dead. They watch her through the fog. They wordlessly cry out. They’ve been desperately waiting for help moving on—and only Keira can hear them. But not every restless spirit wants to be saved.Sometimes the dead hate the living too much to find peace... -
![Selected Poems & Tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Neil Gaiman]()
Selected Poems & Tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor more than a century-and-a-half, Edgar Allan Poe's poems and tales have thrilled readers with chilling accounts of matters mysterious and macabre... -
![Tales of Horror and the Supernatural by Arthur Machen]()
Tales of Horror and the Supernatural by Arthur Machen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Best of Arthur Machen's short stories: The Novel of the Black Seal, The Novel of the White Powder, The Great God Pan, The White People, The Inmost Light, The Shining Pyramid, The Bowmen, The Great Return, The Happy Children, Out of the Earth, N, The Children of the Pool, The Terror... -
![The Book of the Mad by Tanith Lee]()
The Book of the Mad by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn her darkly dazzling finish to The Secret Books of Paradys, Tanith Lee tempts the reader with a tale of horror, lust and madness that leaves no perversity untouched, no taboo unbroken.This time, the seductive nightmare unfolds in three parallel versions of the City—Paradis, Paradys and Paradise... -
![All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma]()
All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe debut short story collection from acclaimed U.K. writer Priya Sharma, All the Fabulous Beasts collects 16 stunning and monstrous tales of love, rebirth, nature, and sexuality. A heady mix of myth and ontology, horror and the modern macabre... -
![Limbus, Inc. - Book II by Brett J. Talley]()
Limbus, Inc. - Book II by Brett J. Talley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“The world is a stage, life is a play, and we are the puppets. It’s better not to ask who pulls the strings... -
![Necroscope: The Plague-Bearer by Brian Lumley]()
Necroscope: The Plague-Bearer by Brian Lumley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHarry Keogh is moving on. Though the search for his missing wife and child continues, his heart now lies in Edinburgh with Bonnie Jean--a beautiful Scottish werewolf whose friendly pack and flourishing pub have given him a place he can almost call home... -
![The Wavering Knife by Brian Evenson]()
The Wavering Knife by Brian Evenson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBrian Evenson's fifth story collection constructs a human landscape as unearthly as it is mundane. Replete with the brutality, primordial waste, and savage blankness familiar to readers of his earlier works, Evenson's Kafkaesque allegories entice the mind while stubbornly disordering it... -
![The Illustrated Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe]()
The Illustrated Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEdgar Allan Poe is no stranger to the strange. His tales of mystery and macabre have provoked many a nightmare. If you’ve been wondering how the editors of Canterbury Classics could create a new twist, wait nevermore! Your very own telltale hearts will tick-tick-tick oh-so-fast as you read the four terrifying tales presented here. And just when you think you’re safe, something spooky will pop-up... -
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![No Time to Die by Elizabeth Chandler]()
No Time to Die by Elizabeth Chandler
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMessage from a dead girl... It's too late to call back. Jenny will never speak to Liza again. But it seems that even from beyond the grave, Liza is begging her sister for help.... They say it's a serial killer. Is it? Jenny can't afford to trust anyone. Now she's here, in Wisteria, anonymously registered at the Chase College theater camp where her sister died... -
![The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler]()
The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLet Sleeping Ghosts LieTwelve years ago Kate's family left the Westbrook estate on a stormy night, just after young Ashley Westbrook drowned in an icy pond. Now kate, alone in the world, has returned to the estate to tutor another spoiled Westbrook child, Patrick. The seven-year-old says he talks to Ashley by the pond. He does dangerous, deadly things because, he says, "Ashley dared me to... -
![Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell]()
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe ghost of Sherlock Holmes is dead, but who will solve his murder?The Great Detective's ghost has walked London's streets for an age, given shape by people's memories. Now someone's put a ceremonial dagger through his chest. But what's the motive? And who - or what - could kill a ghost?When policing London's supernatural underworld, eliminating the impossible is not an option... -
![Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein]()
Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFour unusually literate horror novellas, by the former editor of "The Twilight Zone" magazine... -
![Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti]()
Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSongs of a Dreamer was Thomas Ligotti’s first collection of supernatural horror stories. When originally published in 1985 by Harry Morris’s Silver Scarab Press, the book was hardly noticed. In 1989, an expanded version appeared that garnered accolades from several quarters... -
![The Children of Cthulhu: Chilling New Tales Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft by John Pelan, Benjamin Adams]()
The Children of Cthulhu: Chilling New Tales Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft by John Pelan, Benjamin Adams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDescend to the depths of primal horror with this chilling collection of original stories drawn from H. P. Lovecraft’s shocking, terrifying, and eerily prescient Cthulhu Mythos. In twenty-one dark visions, a host of outstanding contemporary writers tap into our innermost fears, with tales set in a misbegotten new world that could have been spawned only by the master of the macabre himself, H. P... -
![Malicent by Cassandra M.D.]()
Malicent by Cassandra M.D.
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI was raised in the dark, sharpened into a weapon, and sent into the mortal world to secure my coven’s future. The Southern Kingdom holds secrets, and I will uncover them. But it holds my past—Cage, the man who slaughtered my mother, now stands as the King’s most trusted mage.Stronger. Colder. Alive.She was supposed to be dead. A ghost from an old life... -
![Noctuary by Thomas Ligotti]()
Noctuary by Thomas Ligotti
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis collection of horror stories, many previously unpublished, includes "The Medusa," "Conversations in a Dead Language," and "Mad Night of Atonement." By the author of Grimscribe... -
![Borderlands by Thomas F. Monteleone, David B. Silva]()
Borderlands by Thomas F. Monteleone, David B. Silva
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBorderlands is a horror anthology series not concerned with traditional elements of horror fiction. Borderlands is about breaking the mold and pushing the genre and its finest writers to the edge. Hailed as the anthology series of the 90s, Borderlands will remind you that horror can indeed be horrific. Read about a farmer who disdains his wife for a giant potato.. -
![The Serpent Mage by Greg Bear]()
The Serpent Mage by Greg Bear
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Michael is released from the land of the Sidhe, all he wants is to lead a normal life in L.A. But there are hauntings in the streets, bodies in a hotel, and an ancient creature summoned from a loch. Now Michael must become a Mage to save his country... -
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![Dark and Deadly Things by Kelly Martin]()
Dark and Deadly Things by Kelly Martin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSince Elise Morgan left her father’s reality television show, Dark and Deadly Things, she put the ghost-hunting life behind her, able to comfortably watch from her couch. Her father has resorted to faking the hauntings that thrill America, but he could never fool Elise. She can see the dead. When the Halloween episode airs live on television, something goes horribly wrong... -
![Grave Girl by Amy Cross]()
Grave Girl by Amy Cross
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Sam Marker ran away from her old life, all she needed was a job and somewhere to live. Anything would do. And then, one fateful day, she saw that the town of Rippon was looking for a new gardener...Unfortunately for Sam, the 'garden' is actually a cemetery, and it just so happens to contain the deadliest grave in the world... -
![The Death of Death by K.N. Parker]()
The Death of Death by K.N. Parker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHer death was just the beginning! Death guides usually have rather normal names like John, Mary, Harry, and Jessica. And even ones not quite so normal, like Bartholomew or Ambrosia. They also have the most interesting tales behind their deaths. But one particular death guide has a few problems: she cannot remember her name or the details of her demise, and thus has no story of her own... -
![To Charles Fort, with Love by Caitlín R. Kiernan]()
To Charles Fort, with Love by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo Charles Fort, with Love is award-winning fantasist Caitlín R. Kiernan's third collection of short fiction, a haunting parade of the terrible things which may lie beyond the boundaries of science, the minds which may exist beyond psychology, and the forbidden places which will never be located in any orthodox globe... -
![Blood Claws by John P. Logsdon, Ben Zackheim]()
Blood Claws by John P. Logsdon, Ben Zackheim
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDon't kidnap a weretiger unless you're ready to have your ass kicked... Bethany Black is a rookie cop in the New York Paranormal Police Department (PPD). She's fast as hell, tougher than nails, and she's got no problem with blowing up stuff. She also turns into a ferocious tiger when she gets sufficiently pissed off... -
![The Nameless Dark: A Collection by T.E. Grau, Nathan Ballingrud]()
The Nameless Dark: A Collection by T.E. Grau, Nathan Ballingrud
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Nameless Dark: A Collection is the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated debut of a major new voice in contemporary Weird fiction. Within these pages, you’ll find whispers of the familiar ghosts of the classic pulps - Lovecraft, Bradbury, Smith - blended with Grau’s uniquely macabre, witty storytelling, securing his place at the table amid this current Renaissance of literary horror...
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