Top Thriller and Crime Books to Read this Halloween

As our Northern Hemisphere friends reach for cosy blankets and spooky autumn reads, here in Australia, the mercury is rising, and we're welcoming the glorious light and fresh energy of Spring! But let's be honest, while the days are getting brighter, our reading tastes remain firmly on the dark side. Forget light spring florals, we're kicking off the season with a fresh wave of chilling suspense.

At Booxies, we've curated a list of top crime and thriller books that are perfect for reading on a sunny balcony, by the pool, or simply in the cool sanctuary of your home. Get ready to shake off the winter blues with these heart pounding page turners that prove you don't need a cold, foggy night to feel a bone deep shiver this Halloween.

Best Suspense and Thriller Books this Halloween:

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

That’s what I told everyone. I lied.

My sister’s been missing for 22 years, her body never found.

Her disappearance has haunted me ever since.

After quitting her job at as a NYC journalist, Claire Campbell heads home to South Carolina, planning to finally face her past.

But unable to face her mother’s melancholy, and the eerie stillness of her childhood home, she seeks refuge at Galloway Farm. In exchange for free room and board she agrees to work the summer harvest.

But as she gets to know the farm's other inhabitants – an illusive elderly couple and a young man named Liam – Claire begins to realise that she isn’t the only one with a mysterious past. And Galloway Farm has secrets of its own

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

He’s the perfect man.

He says he loves you.

You think he might even be made for you.

Before long he’s moved into your house – and into your heart.

And then he leaves for days at a time. You don’t know where he’s gone or who he’s with.

And you realise - if you looked back - you’d say to yourself:

DON’T LET HIM IN.

The Long Night by Christian White

Em has lived a quiet life with her complicated mother and is now looking for love and a potential escape from her small hometown. When a masked man kidnaps her in the dark of night, though, she is drawn into a terrifying world.

Jodie has been trying to forget a troubling time in her life, pouring her trauma into her work and out of her mind. Until one night her daughter is kidnapped and Jodie is dragged back into the violence.

As Em and Jodie race into the darkness, the agony of the past rushes up to meet them. It will take all their devotion and courage to escape this night alive.

Bold, vivid and heart-racingly intense, The Long Night is the darkest and most exhilarating novel yet from bestselling author Christian White.

The White Crow by Michael Robotham

As the daughter of a London crime boss, Police Constable Philomena McCarthy walks a thin blue line keeping the two sides of her complicated life apart.

On patrol one night she discovers a child in pyjamas, wandering alone. Taking Daisy home, Phil uncovers the aftermath of a deadly home invasion, as three miles away a prominent jeweller is found strapped to an explosive in his ransacked store.

The crimes are linked, and all the evidence points to Phil's father as the mastermind.

Phil's two worlds are colliding, trapping her in the middle of a vicious gang war that will threaten her career and everyone she loves.

Who can she trust - the badge or her own blood?

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor - wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family - she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he's brought her to Idlewood, his family's isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

Stay away from Connor Dalton.
Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can't ignore the footprints in the snow outside her window or the cabin's strange familiar feeling. Then, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.

I've been here before.
Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean

It’s the story everyone wants to hear.

That spring night in South London, when Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart.

The night Isabel learned that the worst things wait, just outside the door.

The night Edward learned that he was powerless to stop them.

The night they never talk about.

When their attacker is caught, it's finally time to tell the story of that night.

Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other.

This is a story of murder. This is a story of survival. But most of all, this is a story of love.

The days may be getting longer, but your list of pulse pounding reads shouldn't be! Whether you found your next page turner on this list or are feeling inspired to dive into something new, remember that the perfect crime is always waiting. Ready to build your own personal mystery library? Explore our Build Your Own Booxies option to hand pick the suspense you crave, select one of our expertly Curated Booxies Gifts for the thriller lover in your life, or sign up for the ultimate surprise with a Subscription Mystery Booxies and let us deliver a new dose of adrenaline straight to your door every month.

Happy spring, and happy reading. Just make sure you keep the light on!