3 Horror Novels You Won't Want to Put Down

by MK French

I know this time of year is all about being Merry and Bright, but with the cold, dark weather, you might be looking for something equally dark and cold. Maybe grab a plate of sugar cookies, as these horror novels will keep you glued to the pages. 

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Twin Tides by Hien Nguyen

December 2025; Delacorte Press; 979-8217023936
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); YA horror

Heiress and influencer Caliste Ha lives a glamorous life in LA, her curated social media feed hiding family problems. Meanwhile, Aria Nguyen is barely surviving as a freshman and academic scammer at Georgetown University. Their long-missing mother is found dead in Les Eaux, Minnesota. The two girls now meet for the first time, and discover they are identical twins. They team up to unearth the secrets that led to their mother’s death and their separation, but a vengeful ghost is present, and an unknown enemy is watching their every move. 

The book starts out alternating POVs between the twins in their everyday lives and the revenant in the water. Caliste is part of a small but rich group that readily backstabbing each other for a coveted position closer to money and influence, while feeling like an outsider now that she has a little brother through her father's second wife. Aria grew up with her aunt, scrounging for money and time. Both are told their other parent is dead, so getting the police call from Minnesota is a shock. Seeing that they're identical twins is another shock.

At that point, the story really picks up. The adults in their lives had been lying for years, and the two join forces to try digging up the past the adults won't explain. The flashes of the ghoul add to the creepy atmosphere, as does the level of power one particular family has in the town. The twins get to know each other and try their best to figure out the past, and once that happens, the final third is especially tense as it all comes together and we learn the truth. Aria and Cali's parents had emigrated from Vietnam when the war ended, and those members of the diaspora will understand the extra sense of loss that the twins have in the novel. There's the grief not just for the mother who died, but for the family ties that were abruptly severed even prior to her death. I felt for them, and the novel kept me riveted. I had to know what happened next, and I'm sure you will, too.

Buy Twin Tides at Amazon

The Chambermaids by Leigh M. Hall

November 2025; Lmh Publications; 979-8348571382
audio, ebook, print (384 pages); Gothic horror

Elouise and her husband inherit a home, and two women offer their services as chambermaids. As they work in the house, the truth behind it and Elouise's family is revealed.

This is a Southern Gothic tale, even though it takes place in Texas. Elouise had married the much older Wilbur at nineteen, and in ten years, his finances dwindled to nothing. The inheritance came just as they would have otherwise been evicted, and Wilbur remains distant and mostly unhelpful on the farm. Elouise has the bulk of the work in the house and grounds, and she hears voices whispering at night while Wilbur is asleep after drinking. The two are isolated for long periods of time, and we see the daily work it takes to survive on the land before the two chambermaids arrive about a third of the way through the book. 

The creepiness comes in slowly, from the whispers at night to the implications that the closer neighbors they trade with might not actually be there. Wilbur discounts all the warnings Elouise says, especially when the chambermaids seem to conspire to make her look crazy. Second-guessing reality and sanity, a big feature of Gothic literature, is heavy in this book. It's not clear exactly when it takes place, though it feels like the late 1800s because there are references to carriages, and there aren't phones or modern conveniences for them to communicate.

The horror element of the book escalates in the final third, when the otherworldly aspects come to the forefront. By the end, we figure out what happened and how circular curses can be. It was a fascinating read, pulling me in to see what happened to Elouise and what the chambermaids were planning.

Buy The Chambermaids at Amazon

The Great Dick and the Dysfunctional Demon by Barry Maher

September 2025; Crystal Lake Publishing; 978-1968532130
ebook, print (462 pages); horror

In 1982, failed songwriter Steve Witowski is on the run. He tried to save a woman from an assault, but it turned out to be part of a larger supernatural conspiracy. Victoria brings him into the dilapidated church she bought. As much as Steve thinks the sorcerer's spells are delusions, the dark magic rituals are real. He's drawn into a world of grave robbing, crypts, demons, and occultism, where reality and nightmare blur together. 

I'll admit it, the title is not one that would have caught my eye. But as a blind book date, mentioning it's "The Exorcist meets True Detective with a haunted-rockstar edge. Think dark, gritty, and deeply unhinged," and that summary definitely piqued my interest. 

It takes a long time for any supernatural shift to happen. Steve isn't exactly a shining pillar of humanity, but he says that in the opening, and we eventually get glimpses of his life. He's sneaking out of one woman's room in the middle of the night when he meets Victoria, who is being attacked at knifepoint. She purchased an old church that had been turned into a whorehouse by a man who thought he was a sorcerer, then purchased by a cult group. With nowhere else to go, Steve stays to do renovations in exchange for a future payment.  Victoria has a personal lawyer on retainer and a string of men that visit at night, and is looking for the old sorcerer's grimoire and belongings to sell. This takes up the bulk of the story, and what keeps me hanging on through it is the sense that something isn't quite right with Victoria, and that there's something more to the search for the grimoire. 

The characters in this book aren't likable and are not trying to be, so reading this is like watching a car wreck. They're terrible and not particularly nice, but I was curious about what was happening next. The creepy part is in the last third, when the sorcerer's book and spells are real to some extent. The ending is rapid and an emotional mess, but explained everything that was going on. I'm not sure if I like the book, mostly because I didn't particularly like Victoria or most of the other characters. Maria was fine, with a fitting ending. The book is written well and kept me turning pages to find out what happened next, so mission accomplished. If you like morally gray characters, this is worth checking out. 

Buy The Great Dick and the Dysfunctional Demon at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

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