Dark and Twisty! That’s how we like ’em.
 
If you’re in the market for a highly recommended new horror or mystery/thriller novel, this collection may be of interest. We’ve compiled the most popular dark-and-twisty books of the year so far, according to Goodreads regulars. All of the books below have scored a 3.5 average or better in the ratings system, and many of them have several effusive reader reviews. By “several” we mean “hundreds.” Sometimes “thousands.”
 
A few notes and highlights: Alex Finlay’s The Anniversary chronicles the hunt for the so-called May Day Killer, who strikes exactly once per year. Author Freida McFadden, very possibly the world’s busiest person, has two books in circulation, including the subversive domestic thriller The Divorce. The courtroom drama Judge Stone is a collaboration between veteran author James Patterson and acclaimed actress Viola Davis.
 
Bonus trivia: According to industry reports, the new season of the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent will be based on author Jo Murray’s debut legal thriller, Dissection of a Murder.  
 
On the horror side of things, readers are seriously into author Kylie Lee Baker’s Japanese Gothic, which tells the story of a haunted house, a 19th-century female samurai, and the surprising utility of sword ferns. Marcus Kliewer’s acclaimed second novel, meanwhile, chronicles the most disturbing caretaker gig since Jack Torrance drove out to Colorado. And Hitchcock fans will want to check out Marion, Leah Rowan’s delicious script-flip of the horror film classic Psycho.
 
Click on the book cover images for more details about each title, and use the Want to Read button to add to your digital shelf.
 
 

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