Halloween is the perfect time to get lost in a thrilling mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether you prefer chilling ghost stories or suspenseful murder plots, there's a crime or thriller book out there to satisfy your spooky cravings. From cosy thrillers like Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series to Stephen King's horror books, there's no shortage of spine-tingling reads to add to your Halloween reading list.

Best Thriller and Crime Books This Year

The Ledge by Christian White

When human remains are discovered in a forest, police are baffled, the locals are shocked and one group of old friends starts to panic. Their long-held secret is about to be uncovered.

It all began in 1999 when sixteen-year-old Aaron ran away from home, drawing his friends into an unforeseeable chain of events that no one escaped from unscathed.

In The Ledge, past and present run breathlessly parallel, leading to a climax that will change everything you thought you knew. This is a mind-bending new novel from the master of the unexpected.

Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor

Why would my best friend want to destroy my life?

Finn and her best friend, Daphne, have grown up together in the Blue Mountains. Bonded by both having lost a younger sister to suicide, they've always had a close - sometimes too close - friendship. Now in their twenties, their lives have finally started to diverge: Daphne is at university and Finn is working in the Mountains, as well as falling in love with a beautiful newcomer called Magdu.

Unused to sharing Finn, Daphne starts to act up in ways that will allow her to maintain the control over her best friend she's always relished. Then, one fateful day, Finn, Daphne and Magdu all go rock-climbing - and Magdu falls to her death. Is it suicide, or a terrible accident - or something more sinister?

Middle of The Night by Riley Sager

an unputdownable thriller about a boy who is taken, disappearing from a tent in the middle of the night from a garden on a quiet, suburban, safe street.

The worst thing ever to happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh's backyard.

On 15 July 1994, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy fell asleep in a tent on a manicured lawn in a quiet New Jersey cul-de-sac. But in the morning, Ethan woke up alone - the tent had been sliced open with a knife, and Billy was gone. Never to be seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has returned to his childhood home, still desperate for answers. Who took Billy?

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Combining the heart and humour of The Thursday Murder Club with a puzzling international mystery, welcome to the blockbusting new series from the biggest new fiction author of the decade, Richard Osman.

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favourite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job . . .

You Like It Darker by Stephen King

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve thrilling stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

'You like it darker? Fine, so do I', writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life - both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel 'the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind', and in You Like it Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

'Two Talented Bastids' explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In 'Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream', a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In 'Rattlesnakes', a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance - with major strings attached. In 'The Dreamers', a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. 'The Answer Man' asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

So, there you have it – a curated list of the best crime and thriller books to read this Halloween. Whether you're looking for cosy crimes or contemporary thrills, these books are sure to keep you up all night. So, grab your favourite spooky snack, turn off the lights, and get ready to be immersed in the world of crime and suspense. Happy Halloween reading!

Check out our full Crime/ Thriller book collection and add a Spicy Marg or Bloody Shiraz G&T with a handmade chocolate to complete your reading experience.