Top new horror books in April 2025
Last updated:
April 30, 2025
April 2025 featuring new releases by Sarah Penner, Matthew J. Sullivan, Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell, Owen King, Abigail Dean, Grady Hendrix, Noelle W. Ihli, Julie Mae Cohen, Nghi Vo, Zee Carlstrom and many more.
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The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast... -
![Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew J. Sullivan]()
Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew J. Sullivan
A lake with mysterious properties. A town haunted by urban legend. Two women whose lives intersect in terrifying ways. Welcome to Soap Lake, a town to rival Twin Peaks and Stephen King’s Castle Rock.When Abigail agreed to move to Soap Lake, Washington, for her husband’s research, she expected old-growth forests and craft beer, folksy neighbors and the world’s largest lava lamp...mystery · fiction · suspense · audiobook · contemporary · horror · small-town · murder · fantasy · literary-fiction -
![Good and Evil and Other Stories by Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell]()
Good and Evil and Other Stories by Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell
A haunting, unforgettable collection of tales from the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature winner and three-time Booker finalist, Samanta Schweblin.Once a decade a story collection rips a hole in the sky and we remember how it feels to have a spell cast upon us...horror · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · anthologies · terror · female-author · psychological · thriller · adult -
![Letter Slot by Owen King]()
Letter Slot by Owen King
A helping hand, a fateful cost. In this ominous short story, the cost of living keeps rising—and it collects payment from the soul.Sensing his mother’s failing health, a struggling teenager pours out his worries in a letter and drops it through the mail slot of an abandoned show house. He’s surprised when a response arrives, promising good fortune for the price of just one someone he hates...horror · audiobook · fiction · supernatural · fantasy · mystery · contemporary · paranormal · ghosts · magical-realism -
![The Death of Us by Abigail Dean]()
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Bringing together the slow-burn simmer of psychological suspense and the propulsive drive of crime thrillers, The Death of Us is the story of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter that sets fire to the hairline faults that were there from the start.Late on a summer’s evening when they are thirty years old, husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer...fiction · mystery · crime · audiobook · suspense · contemporary · psychological · thriller · mental-illness · serial-killers -
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![The Blanks by Grady Hendrix]()
The Blanks by Grady Hendrix
Residents have an unspoken pact with the island’s unnatural ignore them, live happily. But in New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix’s thrilling short story, one boy can’t look away—and pays the price.Jeckle Island offers Rachel’s children the chance to spend summers roaming wild and free, as long as they follow the rules...horror · audiobook · fiction · fantasy · supernatural · mystery · paranormal · suspense · dark · season-summer -
![Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli]()
Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli
Ten children, abducted in broad daylight—and buried alive. Sage and her sister won’t make it home from school today. Neither will the other children on Bus 315. But that’s only the beginning of the nightmare.New bus driver Jessa blames herself for what happened. She couldn’t protect the kids she was supposed to deliver to daycare, just like she couldn’t protect her own daughter three years ago...mystery · audiobook · fiction · horror · suspense · crime · psychological · thriller · true-crime · survival -
![Eat, Slay, Love by Julie Mae Cohen]()
Eat, Slay, Love by Julie Mae Cohen
International bestselling author Julie Mae Cohen returns with a delicious new novel about three very different women and what unites the man they’re holding hostageMaking new friends can be murder... Marina gave up her career as a chef to raise her children, but her divorce has left her harried, lonely, and the black sheep of her family. It’s also left her in dire financial straits...mystery · fiction · audiobook · crime · contemporary · humor · suspense · horror · thriller · womens-fiction -
![Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo]()
Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo
From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes Don't Sleep with the Dead, a standalone companion novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful, her acclaimed reimagining of The Great Gatsby.“A vibrant and queer reinvention of F. Scott Fitzgerald's jazz age classic. . . . I was captivated from the first sentence...fantasy · lgbtq · retellings · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · horror · dark · romantic-love · literary-fiction -
![Make Sure You Die Screaming by Zee Carlstrom]()
Make Sure You Die Screaming by Zee Carlstrom
An electrifying debut about a nonbinary corporate burnout embarking on a road trip from Chicago to Arkansas to find their conspiracy-theorist father, who has gone missing—for fans of Detransition Baby and Chain-Gang All-StarsThe newly nameless narrator of Make Sure You Die Screaming has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain...fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · mystery · audiobook · literary-fiction · horror · thriller · journey · trans-mc -
![The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum]()
The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum
From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis, a boy in search of meaning, and Walt, a spirit with unfinished business, collide when Walt takes possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas!Hollis Brown is stuck...romance · horror · young-adult · lgbtq · fantasy · paranormal · fiction · audiobook · ghosts · poc-mc -
![Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward]()
Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward
In the gloom of her hotel, a mother readies to rejoin her past. Feverish nightmares meet the chilling light of day in this haunting short story from USA Today bestselling author Catriona Ward.Room 17 was the last stop on her husband and son’s journey. Eight years after their deaths, Stella books the same room, hoping to commune with their memories...horror · fiction · audiobook · supernatural · paranormal · ghosts · mystery · crime · grief · spooky -
![Descendant of Victory by M. Sinclair]()
Descendant of Victory by M. Sinclair
Chaos, magic, and love collide in the explosive conclusion to the Descendants series by M. Sinclair.The end has come.The stars cry out in warning as the world eaters approach, and tensions rise as chaos reigns across every realm. Ancient primordial gods drain magic from weaker beings, and war knocks on the door of every kingdom.But no one could have predicted the key to ending it all…me...romance · reverse-harem · fantasy · paranormal · magic · abuse · polyamory · gods · royalty · steamy -
![Nocturne by Karina Halle]()
Nocturne by Karina Halle
A vampire romance so dark it’ll bite.He’s not just dangerous—he’s designed to destroy you.Blood. Obsession. Murder.And a love story twisted enough to hurt so good.Los Angeles, 1947.The city is drowning in secrets and blood—and Lena Reid just lost her best friend to the shadows.Elizabeth Short is dead. The press calls her the Black Dahlia.Lena wants answers. Closure. Revenge...romance · vampires · fantasy · dark · paranormal · mystery · stalking · forced-proximity · fiction · horror -
![Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino]()
Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino
Twelve delightfully strange, haunting stories from the acclaimed, oracular author of Beautyland. Death-shaped entities—with all of their humor and strangeness— haunt the twelve stories in Exit Zero...fiction · horror · literary-fiction · fantasy · anthologies · audiobook · sci-fi · magical-realism · lgbtq · 21st-century -
![The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig]()
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what. Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere...horror · fiction · mystery · fantasy · paranormal · supernatural · family · spooky · grief · friendship -
![Puppet by Ryan J. Powell]()
Puppet by Ryan J. Powell
Miss Teacher hates children, but loves them all the same. Especially boys. Especially Charlie.Until Puppet is ready to play.***Other works by the Author include Madness in Tandem, Thrice the Madness, Dollface, Puppet, Eight Cases of Jane, Vasectomy, and her newest palate cleanser, Feeler Deep... -
![The Thorns by Dawn Kurtagich]()
The Thorns by Dawn Kurtagich
In this hauntingly twisted tale, an author reconnects with an old boarding school friend, forcing her to reckon with their shared past and the imaginary creature she thought they left behind.Touch a line, you break your spine.Stacey is the dusty air, the cracked soil, the drought. To thirteen-year-old Bethany Sloane, she’s everything...horror · fiction · contemporary · mystery · dark-academia · audiobook · thriller · boarding-school · psychological · spooky -
![Sugarland by Tom Fontana, Dean Winters, Mark Ryder, Fern Cozine]()
Sugarland by Tom Fontana, Dean Winters, Mark Ryder, Fern Cozine
From three-time Emmy-winning legend Tom Fontana, Sugarland is a hypnotic story about obsession, murder, and the serpentine bonds between siblings.Sometimes the darkest mysteries are homegrown.When Zephyr Nelson returns home to look after her ailing mother, she discovers that her younger brother, Cotter, has become obsessed with a malevolent influencer on a mysterious voice app... -
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![Spellbound by Georgia Leighton]()
Spellbound by Georgia Leighton
In this “Beautifully written and atmospheric” feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, there’s no prince to save the day and the women at the heart of the story are their own saviors (Sophie Keetch, author of Morgan Is My Name). In a remote castle perched atop a windswept island, a long-awaited royal heir is born...romance · fantasy · retellings · fiction · magic · myths · fairy-tale · high-fantasy · feminism · epic -
![Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore]()
Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore
Rear Window meets The Ring in this sinister YA thriller, in which a teen girl witnesses the livestreamed murder of a popular online streamer by a paranormal entity . . . and could be its next victim.After surviving a car accident that claimed the life of her best friend, Teresa is now terrified to leave the safety of her bedroom...horror · young-adult · mystery · paranormal · lgbtq · contemporary · audiobook · fiction · suspense · sci-fi -
![Hansel et Gretel by Yvan Godbout]()
Hansel et Gretel by Yvan Godbout
Les contes de notre enfance revisités... pour nourrir tous nos cauchemars !Une mère désespérée surprenant l'innommable dans le quatre pièces et demie miteux qu'elle partage avec son mari et leur couple de jumeaux. Un frère et une sœur télépathes ayant sauvagement perdu leur innocence, avidement convoités par les serviteurs de Satan... -
![The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite]()
The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite
Just add lemon, garlic, and a dash of the one percent.This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain.Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn’t exactly a realistic career path...horror · young-adult · fantasy · contemporary · zombies · fiction · spooky · season-summer · monsters · book -
![El amor es un monstruo de Dios by Luciana De Luca, Lisa Ivory]()
El amor es un monstruo de Dios by Luciana De Luca, Lisa Ivory
Una novela que retrata la complejidad y lo siniestro del alma humana.Antes de las moscas, del calor agobiante y la huelga en el cementerio, parece haber tranquilidad. Nadie ve que el pueblo ya está encerrado en su propio polvo de linajes feroces. Esperan un milagro. En medio del sofoco, la protagonista de esta historia está decidida a esquivar esa herencia... -
![Made A Monster: A Splatterpunk Novel by Rob Nelson]()
Made A Monster: A Splatterpunk Novel by Rob Nelson
Adrian and Kendra are a match made in Hell.Adrian's dark past left him with a twisted imagination that takes him deep into the forest where he does unspeakable things.Kendra is new to town. She has a dark secret of her own and an unhealthy obsession with a boy she hasn't even met yet.Until Adrian met Kendra, he had his deviant urges under control...horror · splatterpunk · graphic-violence · dark · survival · fiction · humor · comedy · action-adventure · book -
![Bad Nature by Ariel Courage]()
Bad Nature by Ariel Courage
Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge, and a rental car, Hester sets out to fulfill her lifelong dream of killing her father in this brilliantly subversive and bleakly funny novel.When Hester is diagnosed with terminal cancer on her fortieth birthday, she knows immediately what she must do: abandon her possessions and drive to California to kill her estranged father...north-america · usa · pennsylvania · urban · indiana · illinois · missouri · arkansas · oklahoma · texas -
![Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake]()
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.Where there’s a will, there’s a war...fantasy · contemporary · fiction · urban-fantasy · magic · magical-realism · paranormal · dark-academia · dark · horror -
![Enigma by RuNyx]()
Enigma by RuNyx
A new breathtaking tale of unforgettable romance, set in a dark academia world of secret societies, lush suspense and sizzling sensuality, from RuNyx, the New York Times bestselling author of Gothikana.Salem Salazar comes to Mortimer University to get to the bottom of her sister's mysterious death... -
![Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin]()
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin
A twisted, tangled story about workplace love-affairs, and plants with a taste for human fleshDuring a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a ‘HELP NEEDED’ sign in a flower shop window. She’s just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents’ house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance... -
![Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes]()
Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes
Cold Eternity, the newest space horror novel from the author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station, blends the dystopian dread of Severance with the catastrophic approach to AI from M3gan. Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back... -
![The Wolf Prince's Mate by Lola Glass]()
The Wolf Prince's Mate by Lola Glass
I accidentally screwed the Alpha’s brother—and not the one whose wolf is determined I’m his mate. It’s caused just as many problems as you would think.And now I have to pick a mate. Fast.Hunter won’t be free from his wolf's obsession with me until I seal a mate bond with someone else.But that would require having feelings for someone else...romance · fantasy · shapeshifters · paranormal · fated-mates · forced-proximity · contemporary · royalty · omegaverse · multi-pov -
![Jackknife by Joe Hill]()
Jackknife by Joe Hill
Ruined by scandal, Dennis Lange is hoping for a comeback. Selling the story of a cursed tree could make his future—if it doesn’t kill him—in this monstrous short story from New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill.Dennis awakens something evil when he removes a decades-old jackknife from the trunk of a gnarled old sycamore...horror · audiobook · fiction · supernatural · paranormal · fantasy · spooky · mystery · suspense · urban-fantasy -
![You Belong to Me by Hayley Krischer]()
You Belong to Me by Hayley Krischer
Full to the brim with romance, class exploration, and friendship clashes comes a new YA psychological thriller exploring the dark secrets of the wellness and beauty world.Perfect for fans of Nine Perfect Strangers and Jessica Goodman novels.What if living your most authentic life leaves you dead?Frances Bean was always content living life on the perimeter...young-adult · lgbtq · mystery · contemporary · wlw · horror · fiction · romantic-love · cults · fundamentalism -
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![Lost and Stolen Gods by Debbie Cassidy]()
Lost and Stolen Gods by Debbie Cassidy
Gods aren’t born, they’re made.I should have died the same night that a monster murdered my grandmother, but I was saved, stolen from my world, and thrown into a realm ravaged by an endless war between ancient gods called Asura.I’m told that I’m a demigod, that there are others like me, brought to this world to replenish their dwindling numbers...fantasy · gods · forced-proximity · magic · high-fantasy · kidnapping · monsters · horror · fiction · family -
![Disco Fever by Ab. Cynthe, Aimee-Jo Hunter]()
Disco Fever by Ab. Cynthe, Aimee-Jo Hunter
She is our angel and we are her devils.What more could you expect when two disco devils become obsessed with a not-so-innocent angel? This is a 70's themed dark romance/horror. Please check triggers prior to reading... -
![Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang]()
Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
In this razor-sharp, diabolical debut thriller, a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse... -
![Senseless by Ronald Malfi]()
Senseless by Ronald Malfi
A page-turning, supernaturally-tinged LA puzzle-box thriller – Zodiac with teeth, from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me. Perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Lauren Beukes.What do you see..horror · fiction · crime · vampires · action-adventure · thriller · supernatural · serial-killers · paranormal · suspense -
![Baked by Ab. Cynthe]()
Baked by Ab. Cynthe
Brownies anyone? This is a taboo dark romance book with horror. Please check triggers prior to reading...romance · dark · steamy · stalking · betrayal · incest · abuse · serial-killers · horror · psychological -
![A Carnival of Atrocities by Natalia García Freire]()
A Carnival of Atrocities by Natalia García Freire
The residents of a desolate town nestled in the Ecuadorian Andes are forced to reckon with the legend of Mildred, a girl wronged by the town years ago.Cocuán, a desolate town nestled between the hot jungle and the frigid Andes, is about to slip away from memory...fiction · magical-realism · horror · literary-fiction · fantasy · folk-horror · rural · myths · retellings · book -
![The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones]()
The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
Don’t lose your head over office politics…The horrors of the modern workplace meet actual horror in a fiendishly entertaining short story from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.When the lights go out and the slideshow begins, middle manager Jennifer has a disturbing a headless colleague right across the boardroom table...horror · audiobook · fiction · paranormal · mystery · spooky · thriller · supernatural · terror · female-mc
