4 Books To Read After Watching 'Haunted Mansion'
If you’re anything like me, spooky season is a year-round event, and now that we’re in limbo between Disney giving us the new Haunted Mansion film and the socially acceptable time frame to celebrate what I consider, the best time of the year, I’ve rounded up four reads to keep you in the eerie mood.
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
Social media influencer, Sarah Slade is starting fresh as the new owner of the infamous murder house known as the 1889 Black Wood House. She is convinced that renovating the spooky fixer-upper will grow the audience of her already successful lifestyle blog and give her a much-needed distraction from her marriage that’s also in need of a makeover.
Sarah has put much effort into concealing her own web of secrets and quickly discovers that the house has done the same thing. From threatening notes and dead rats in the mail, to unknown footsteps in the attic and bizarre accidents, she is convinced that someone or something is out to get her, her husband, and her neighbors. The more work she puts into changing the house, the angrier it seems to become and the more Sarah’s life and sense of reality spirals out of control. This chilling, mysterious read is a perfect addition to your TBR for any time of the year.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
With 90M+ search views on TikTok and a viral audience and fanbase, Michaelides's award-winning thriller is a wild ride alongside Alicia Berenson’s seemingly picture-perfect life. That’s until her husband Gabriel returns home late one night and she shoots him five times in the face and never speaks another word again.
The tragic and questionable event garners a large public interest that has the price of her art through the roof and her hidden away from the tabloids. A criminal psychotherapist known as Theo Faber is determined to work with Alicia to unravel the reason behind her silence and refusal to talk. His commitment to uncovering the truth and continued involvement in Alicia’s recovery takes him deep into a mystery of its own.
This unputdownable read is a modern twist on a murder mystery plot with a shocking reveal guaranteed to have you re-reading it again and again.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Taking place in the isolated and claustrophobic setting of the Swiss Alps, the five-star hotel, Le Sommet is an abandoned sanatorium turned must-visit getaway and the last place Elin wanted to be. When she is invited by her estranged brother and his fiancé to celebrate their engagement at the luxury resort, she’s not only greeted by a threatening storm and nervous instincts, but a lingering masked figure, missing guests, and various staff members found murdered.
Elin – a UK police detective on an extended leave of absence – utilizes her skills and expertise to find the missing guests and the killer all while trying to keep things under wraps and avoid her husband and brother from questioning her abilities to get the job done. Each character has a detailed background with an intriguing story that plays into the plot in unique ways and keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
This chilling psychological thriller is bound to have you itching to uncover the truth and question everything you thought you knew about the guests, the killer, and the story behind Le Sommet.
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
Sisters-in-law, Julia and Sienna Larkin are connected by Sienna’s brother and Julia’s husband, Jason, and have also been best friends since their introduction. Julia knows he’s not perfect and has secrets of his own, but Sienna believes he can do no wrong and refuses to believe anything other than positive things about her brother.
Their lives are quickly turned upside down as Jason’s boss is found brutally murdered with his lips sewn shut and soon after Jason is in a car accident and put in a medically induced coma. During this, the police arrive with news that Jason is the prime suspect in the murder and has no way to defend himself or his actions. Gossip quickly spreads and relationships are tested as Sienna continues to defend her brother's innocence, Julia becomes more and more unsure about the truth, and they both dig up a complicated web of secrets as they continue to investigate what happened.
This riveting and complex story is full of complex and multidimensional characters that have you questioning the truth and flipping through the pages faster than you can read them to get to the bottom of the truth.
