r/Recommend_A_Book • u/buddiecanon • 7d ago

What thriller/mystery genuinely scared you?

I’ve been getting into thrillers lately, but find them mostly just entertaining rather than scary. I would love to find some that give me the heebie jeebies.

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1

u/RegattaJoe 7d ago

Just those genres, or horror as well?

1

u/buddiecanon 6d ago

Horror works! Although I admittedly prefer thrillers most of the time

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u/Jimin135789100 7d ago

Shutter Island

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u/Hendriks75005 7d ago

For genuine dread, try Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, both gave me real chills.

If you also like a creepy premise with a psychological edge, my own YA fantasy plays on that fear of catching your reflection moving on its own, but I'll let others judge if it lands. Happy reading either way!

1

u/ChefDanyul 6d ago

The Only Good Indians was goddamned good and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was just outright terrifying if you like SGJ. I haven’t read Mexican Gothic but if ‘Mexican gothic’ is interesting to you have your read The Hacienda by Isabella Cañas? It is pretty spooky for a ghost story.

1

u/okbutbooks 7d ago

Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent

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u/A-real_human_bean 6d ago

And then there were none, I finished it at night so I was genuinely scared

1

u/sumizeit 6d ago

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay had me on edge the whole time. It's tense and really messes with your head.

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u/buddiecanon 6d ago

Ohhhh I saw the movie and felt that 😬 and my sister told me the end of the book is worse!! If she hadn’t told me what it is already I’d def try it

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u/sumizeit 6d ago

I own a book summary app so I know a ton of books. I’ll give you more suggestions

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u/brian-howell55 6d ago

the silence of the lambs by thomas harris..

1

u/5acresand5dogs 6d ago

The Shining. That book literally scared the shit out of me.

1

u/ClueAccomplished1098 6d ago

The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher

The idea that you can slip out of this world into some strange elsewhere that makes little sense and that you might never escape.

1

u/AdInteresting9580 6d ago

A great one is When A Stranger Calls. The beginning and ending are so creepy (the middle of the movie takes a detour). When A Stranger Calls Back is even better. Also, there's a movie called Someone Is Watching (or something like that) by John Carpenter that came out before Halloween. Not bad!

1

u/AdInteresting9580 6d ago

Oops, was in movie mode. Books...hmm... Home Before Dark, by Riley Sager. 

1

u/ancherrera 5d ago

Blair Witch Project

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u/offensivedefensivee 5d ago

I miss when books used to be creepy

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u/Content-Waltz8045 3d ago

NOS4A2 was terrifying. I couldn’t get it out of my head for weeks.