Over the past year, I have been on a haunted house kick. The reason? I’ve been writing a haunted house book! The third book in the Port of Lost Souls series is set in a turn-of-the-century mansion, and paranormal activity is off the charts. In every book in the series, my cast of misfit teens have to solve a paranormal mystery, and in The Below Stairs, they need to venture downstairs…and into the past…to discover what lurks inside the mysterious Seabourne Estate. Read the first one here: The Well of Souls.

What I love about haunted house horror is there is often an element of gaslighting ourselves – did I really just see that? We go out of our way to rationalize things that we see, or hear, that we can’t explain. But there’s always that sixth sense lingering at the back of our minds; wondering if there are more unexplained things out there than we’re willing to imagine.

I’ve never had a ghostly encounter (though ghosts scare the crap out of me), but I did once live in a house as a student that had super negative vibes. That creeping sense of dread? All the time, especially in the basement where I worked. It was not a healthy or happy time for all the residents in that house, and I wonder if I was just picking up on those out-of-control emotions. Or maybe, there was something else down there?

Is it a ghost or something else?

What I like about a haunted house book is that you’re often not quite sure if there is an element of paranormal, or if somebody’s messing with your mind. This is a pretty common trope; sometimes it plays with an element of descent into madness, as in the main character doesn’t trust their senses any more and can’t be sure of what they are experiencing.

For the record, I’m not saying which of these are paranormal, and which aren’t. You’ll have to read them to find out!

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

Scary warning: The Haunting of Hill House is the kind of book that gets under your skin.

It creates its own darkness, a book like this. I expected doors to slam behind me and disembodied whispers to follow me. Words are powerful, and if you believe that, than you can believe that books can cause madness. Jackson’s books always toe that line, where not just the narrator but the reader herself questions her sanity.

The theme of a thing or place that causes madness is a common trope in horror, but rarely as well done as this. The house is a living, breathing character, and its dark humour follows nearly every scene in the book. The madness scares us because it happens gradually, insidiously, in a way that we believe it could happen to us too. We connect with Eleanor as the narrative voice, and are chilled when the house gloms on to her as its next victim. 


The descent into madness trope frightens the crap out of me because it seems more present, more real, than say, zombies. We fear losing our minds or our control over our thoughts more than anything, because that could actually happen.

White Smoke, by Tiffany D. Jackson

A fun clever psychological thriller. Marigold’s family is running away from her past – a former addict with panic issues. The newly blended diverse family has moved from California to small town Midwest in order to get a fresh start, only their new neighborhood of Maple Wood is dilapidated and full of suspicious neighbors.

The reader and Marigold both are trying to figure out what exactly is going on within the community, as well as whether or not their house is haunted and is her new stepsister maybe possessed? She’s also dealing with the addictions issues as best she can and fighting her attraction to all star gardener and one of the only boys in school.

The twist in the book is clever and interesting and has a lot to say about how black communities are treated and/or gaslit in this modern age. The set up was perfect and the commentary was very pointed.

Little Eve, by Catriona Ward

Little Eve is a gorgeously descriptive literary gothic tale, about a deeply eerie cult living on an island off the coast of Scotland. Catriona Ward is really making a name for herself with her dark bleak tales, but with characters that shine brightly with their curiosity and mesmerizing humanity in even the darkest circumstances.

Little Eve, along with her “family” prepare for the end of the world, when the great snake will destroy the world. But only one can survive the end. The question is who will live through the terrible forces of faith

While I took just a moment to settle into the book, once the story started going it really grabbed me, and I really sank down to the depths of this one. Truly a great read from a great talent.

The Death of Mrs Westaway, by Ruth Ware

The Death of Mrs. Westaway was the first Ruth Ware book I’ve read, but not the last (see below!). It was creepy, suspenseful and built up the tension to a fever pitch!

Hal is a tarot reader at the Brighton Pier, and she is barely making ends meet. When she receives a letter telling her that she’s come into a substantial inheritance, she decides to check it out, even though it couldn’t possibly be for her.

But when she makes it to the Gothic estate in Cornwall, Hal becomes deeply entangled with a twisted family full of secrets. I couldn’t put this one down! The setting was one of the best parts, perfectly spooky.

The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware

Told you I love Ruth Ware. I’m always into what she’s putting out there, and the settings throughout rural England and Scotland add to the sense of creeping decay.

This book is set in the Highlands, in a remote house that is half Victorian monstrosity, half glassed-in high-tech monstrosity, and all monster. New nanny Rowan Caine arrives to take care of four girls, ranging from 2 to 14 and quickly finds herself isolated and overwhelmed. Not just by the children, who range from tantrumy to hostile, but the smart house itself that seems out to get her. Not to mention the weird sounds coming from an attic that shouldn’t exist.

The story is told from Rowan’s perspective after a horrible incident happened, begging a lawyer to take on her case because she swears she wasn’t guilty – and the twists begin from there. There is one twist at the end that I wish had been a bit better developed. But, let me tell you, the very last twist, the one that ends the entire story, is a doozy. I actually squealed because it was so good. Highly recommended for a quick page-turner.

The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters

Creep factor: this book had me glancing over my shoulder…a lot. The pervasive sense of dread absolutely crept into my daily life, which is obviously a sign of a master horror.

This novel was a tough one to get through. It was lovely, the writing was lyrical, but it was a slow build. And it was building towards an ending of unrelenting dread and desolation, with an unresolved ending that will leave you staring at the ceiling for several sleepness nights.

A rural doctor in Warwichshire becomes entangled in the lives of the Ayres family, who used to be country nobility. Since WWII, though, the aristocracy has lost most of the fortune and there is a steady movement towards progress and away from the lifestyle of the grand ancient families. The Ayres live in Hundred Halls, what was once a sweeping estate, now little more than a ruin on the edge of land that is continuously sold off in order for the family to survive.

Disturbing phenomena begin to affect the members of the household, some described as “a little stranger,” as one by one the family members are targeted. There is such horror in the devastation and rot that comes from a decaying class and those who can’t let go to their glory days. Whether this is a psychological suspense or a tale of a haunted house, or both, is up to the reader. It is evocative of the difficult times of post-war England.

The book is gorgeously written, but there is little levity in the mass of devastation. And whether or not the little stranger is a ghost or not, the ending left me absolutely haunted. Still think about this book years later.

Sentient Houses

I love me a sentient house! This often comes up in witchy novels, when the characters themselves are magic, and they interact with their house as a character. For me, it is especially fun when the house is one of the good guys. Both of these recommendations are by my top five favourite authors, both get five stars from me and I can’t tell you how much you should read them!

Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo

In which Leigh Bardugo introduces one of my favourite badass characters of all time, Alex Stern. While reading this, all I could think is “Leigh Bardugo gets it.” She knows the score, she knows what life is like, and I love that so much. I’ve enjoyed her young adult novels before this, but Ninth House has sky-rocketed her up to one of my favourite authors. If I could say the absolute essence of this book in one line, it would be “woman finds her power.” And it is glorious.

Her challenges are messy and nasty and hard, and nobody has to fight harder than Alex. But she’s used to fighting. The forgotten loser from L.A., the girl who sees ghosts. She becomes a champion for forgotten women, the women who have been silenced and forced into obediency. I kept on fist-pumping every time Alex forgot to be awkward about not fitting in and instead was her own foul-mouthed, badass self who is absolutely going to make the baddies pay for what they’ve done, especially the ones who have never had to pay for a single thing in their entire life. I am here for whatever Alex Stern brings next!

Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow

Alix E. Harrow is one of my favourite authors of all time. Since I fell for Ten Thousand Doors of January and screamed through The Once and Future Witches (witches + suffragettes!) I absolutely can’t get enough of her.

Starling House is a creepy old manor has been hidden away in the forest for long decades, earning the derision and fear of the townfolk in Eden, Kentucky. The world Opal lives in is a grim one – orphaned a decade ago, she’s been living in a motel since then taking care of her little brother, determined to get him out of the dead-end town and the dead-end life they’ve ended up in. But at night, she dreams of things beyond her job at the hardware store – a house, that calls to her.

It builds up until she can no longer ignore the call to Starling House, and when she approaches, she finds it opens for her as easily as it kept everyone else out. There she meets Arthur, the scowling guardian of the house. And, as she realizes, guardian of far more than that.

Harrow’s writing is exceptional. I couldn’t stop reading this book – not for chores or the fact that I needed to get back to writing my own book. Opal is mean and tricky, and you love her and want so badly to protect her. Harrow can capture a character’s voice in just a few head-turning words: “I’m not truly tempted by the cold black of the water below—suicide is a folded hand and I’m no quitter.” Just dazzled by her turns of phrase.

The house itself is my favourite character. It needs and it loves as much as any person. And in the mix of Opal, and Arthur, and a sentient house, and a little brother who isn’t so little anymore, there is a cast of characters where the sum is greater than the parts.

It’s definitely a ghost and it is angry

But even creepier than a house that may or may not have a ghost … is one that definitely does. Read these for full chills.

The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill

Oh my goodness, truly frightening…if you’re willing to wait for the punchline. The Woman in Black is a classic haunted house horror, set in Edwardian England in a desolate moor, setting couldn’t be creepier.

Despite the house being absolutely haunted, I struggled to be truly scared… until the very end. The ending got me. It all wrapped up in a horrifying bow, and now I won’t be sleeping

It seems slow and a bit sleepy, but if you see this one to the end, it will get you too. Should I watch the movie? Don’t know if I can handle it!

The Spite House, by Johnny Compton

The set up for The Spite House is very well done – the mystery and spookiness laid out right away with Eric Ross, a man on the run with his daughters, although we don’t know what they’re running from.

They’re given the opportunity to stay free of charge, with a sizable paycheque afterwards) if Eric stays in the Spite House and records what happens there.

I ended up doing a deep dive into spite houses, which are a real thing – basically a house that is built or modified to piss people off. That is an expensive level of negativity, and I love the concept in this book that a house like that would attract malevolent energy.
It was thoroughly creepy – and the ending was satisfyingly vague for a book like this.

It Will Just Be Us, by Jo Kaplan

It Will Just Be Us is a garishly eerie tale set in the swamps of Virginia. This haunted book could fit into many categories: I debated about putting it in Gothics, as it descends into the murky territory of southern gothics, or Unique Concepts, as seen in the house that imprints all of its memories one over the other – so cool.

The Wakefield home has sat on the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp for centuries and the Wakefield girls always find their way back there. Sam is an archeologist and obsessed with the past of the swamp, perhaps more so because the house retains memories of all its occupants, playing out the past over and over in ghostly pantomimes. When her pregnant sister Elizabeth comes home to have her baby, a new figure begins to show up among the cast of ghost players – one that makes Sam question who – or what – Elizabeth is going to give birth to.

So utterly creepy! The end made me queasy with how grotesque it was, basically knowing what was going to happen but not able to look away. If that’s your jam, this is the book for you.

Gothic Darlings

Gothic literature grew out of the 18th century tradition of moody atmosphere, the pairing of terror with romance, and an obsession with death. So of course gothic novels and haunted houses go hand in hand. Here are some good ones!

The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell

The Silent Companions was some spooky kind of fun. An isolated manor, haunted by wooden figures. Which maybe doesn’t seem that creepy, but when they are a cross between creepy dolls and paintings with eyes that follow you, and it’s a great set up for me never sleeping again!

Widowed Elsie is forced to see her pregnancy through at her husbands manor in the countryside, basically abandoned before they arrive. But she discovers there are strangers living there she doesn’t want to meet, in a house steeped in horrifying history.

Yes if you love gothic Victorian horror, no if you have a thing with dolls or paintings. Or maybe go for it, you do you.

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Sutterfield

If ever there was a book meant to be read on a dark and stormy night, it was this one. This book has everything: ghosts, mysterious fires, reclusive wealthy people, incest, insane asylums, twins’ secrets and secret twins. Margaret Lea, a young reclusive memoirist, is asked to write the biography of the most famous authors of all time, Vida Winters, herself a recluse as well. Curiousity drags Margaret out of her introverted shell and she travels to Winters’ chilly, and chilling, estate, to hear the promised last tale in a book of thirteen tales in which only twelve were ever published. The world is thirsting for that last tale, while Vida Winters prepares to make her last confession.

As with any good gothic tale, I spent a great deal of the story feeling uneasy, with a sort of dread creeping along through the narrative. In part, this is because both of the narrators (Margaret in ‘real time’ and Vida in the story within a story) may or may not be mad. It made the reading interesting and at times made me as the reader a little bit jittery.

At the mid-way point in the book, I couldn’t help but think narrator Margaret Lea was in serious need of therapy. Her obsession with her sister was certainly unhealthy, all the more so as she keeps her anguish hidden. Happily, there is a handsome doctor hanging about who takes an interest in her. After she collapses from spending a night out in the moors, he looks in on her. I initially did not love his diagnosis of her, that basically she reads Wuthering Heights too much and was too romantic. This is way too akin to the Victorian diagnosis of “hysteria” in a woman. However, his prescription was funny and appreciated: one dose of Arthur Conan Doyle a night.

I recommend it with all my heart if you love Jane Eyre or similar gothic novels. Above all, The Thirteenth Tale is a book for readers. If you exclaim over a beautifully turned phrase, this is probably the book for you. Recommended to be read in the autumn, in front of a fire with a hot cup of tea next to you.

The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling

I will admit that the uber-creepy cover of The Death of Jane Lawrence pulled me into this book. A Gothic tale, set in a familiar yet fictional world, close to turn-of-the-20th-century, after a horrific war that involved gassing of populations (and harkens to WWI). I loved the dread and foretelling of this story, as well as the magic and occult ritual.

Jane is a practical creature who loves mathematics and accounting. An orphan, though well-cared for throughout her childhood, she now wants to get out of her guardian’s hair and therefore proposes marriage to the town doctor. He never seems incline to court the women of the town, so she figures he’s looking for an alternative arrangement to the typical one men and women choose.

Reluctantly the good doctor agrees, on one condition – she never come to his familial manor Lindridge Hall, but instead live at his clinic and do the books.

Jane swiftly discovers how alternative her new husband’s life is when she helps him in his surgery, and whispers of magic and horror linger in the air. Then she is forced by an accident to spend the night at Lindridge Hall, and she begins to uncover the secrets of her husband’s darkness.

The Witch of Willow Hall, by Hester Fox

The Witch of Willow Hall has all the trappings of a Gothic tale, with slow dread build-up and a healthy dose of the supernatural, as well as its fair share of romance.

It’s 1821, and the Montrose family has uprooted from Boston to a small settlement upriver, forced there by scandal. The well-to-do family is prepared to live out their shame away from the prying eyes of society, but tragedy follows them to Willow Hall. Lydia, along with her older sister Catherine and younger sister Emily, find themselves in a cold place with few male suitors (though Catherine does her best to throw herself at them all.)

Lydia feels like there is more to Willow Hall than what they can see, and so apparently does Emily because she begins to play with the ghosts on the property. We come to realize why Catherine is so desperate to find a man, while tragedy falls upon the family once again. Lydia, who is falling for her father’s business partner John, must choose what path her life will take – all depending on if she’s willing to follow the dangerous inheritance left her by her ancestors in Salem.

I enjoyed Willow Hall – with a caveat. I found that Lydia did a lot of wallowing alone in a spooky old hall, and not enough grabbing her destiny with two hands. This is pretty typical of your classic Gothic, but for a modern one I’d like to see her out there duelling for her future – not fainting away into strong arms, although I admit this is simply not done in 1821.

Unique Concepts

There were some creepy house stories that just stuck out for me by being so interesting, such unusual concepts, that I had to create a separate category for them. From a haunted retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses to a reimagined alternate reality London, these books blew me away by their spooky imaginative ideas.

House of Salt and Sorrows, by Erin A. Craig

The twelve daughters of the Duke of Highmoor are cursed, if their death rate is anything to go by. Annaleigh had been sixth in line, now second, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that it seems like every eldest daughter is being picked off one by one. As fishermen, god and kings make their way to the gothic shores of Highmoor Castle, she must figure out what forces are stalking her sisters – and the nature of the secret passages that lead them off their forsaken island to the most decadent courts in the land.

This hits all the beats of a good YA – sumptuous settings, masquerade balls and several hunky male leads to choose from (but which is the right one?) I found I enjoyed all the pages in this delightful retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud

I’ll admit, I watched the Netflix series before reading the book, but I found the pseudo-London dystopia to be so fascinating, I was compelled to start the series.

England has been drastically changed by “The Problem,” a drastic uptick in ghosts who can kill you with a touch. The whole world lives in fear from these monsters, and only children are psychically sensitive enough to face them.

Teens are trained as agents, essentially ghost hunters, and take on clients to rid their homes of problematic murderous ghosts. Enter Lucy Carlyle, a particularly powerful agent without an agency, and Lockwood, a broken agent with his own very problematic agency.

Together, along with curmudgeonly partner George, these misfit teens will take on all the ghosts in England – as well as the well-funded agencies. So satisfyingly spooky, can’t wait to read the next. The Lockwood & Co books are such fun upper middle grade. They have the right amount of spooky and fun, and the adventure is always pretty perfect.

I think what takes this series to next level is the world building. This London haunted by vicious ghosts, where children are entrusted to deal with the enemy, it is so cool. I’m intrigued by the world and want to know the at the heart of it cause of the Problem.

The Book of Accidents, by Chuck Wendig

Nate and Maddie move into Nate’s childhood home, where he used to live with his abusive father. Maddie has her own secrets from her childhood, and their son, Oliver, is special – an empath who can actually visualize pain inside people. But they do not find a happy home there, but more and more spookiness. Not to mention the unbelievably creepy Ramble Rocks park nearby, where a serial killer once played.

It begins with that creeping sense that not all is okay in small-town America. Wendig does dread excellently, à la King. And then all horror breaks loose, and take a turn into the science fiction with alternate universes and time travel. There is SO MUCH going on here, and yet Wendig does a masterful job of tying every part of it together. Like, I was fist-pumping sometimes when I realized how a certain plot point tied into everything else, but it could be that I’m a giant writing nerd.

Middle Grade

Some of the best, more imaginative horror out there belongs to the middle grade category. You might think middle grade isn’t right for horror, but you would wrong (I have a whole blog about it here!) These are some of my favourites that involve a haunted house.

The Clackity, by Lora Senf

Ever since a fire destroyed her house and her parents disappeared without a trace, Evie Von Rathe has lived with her Aunt Desdemona in Blight Harbor, the 7th most haunted town in America. Ghosts and creatures might be a part of the landscape, but when her aunt disappears inside an abandoned slaughterhouse on the edge of town, Evie must muster all her courage to find her.

She meets The Clackity, a creature of arms and teeth who lives in the darkness, and makes a bargain with him – her aunt for the ghost of John Jeffery Pope, a serial killer who murdered people in the slaughterhouse more than a century ago. She agrees and descends into a nightmarish neighbourhood where she must face terror after terror, learning exactly how brave she truly can be.

The Clackity is the representative of middle grade horror, I think, and boy is it spooky. I actually read this one chapter by chapter to my youngest, and was unsure if it was appropriate (I’m still not actually sure – I mean, I’m explaining to her what serial killers are …) but she loved it. She’d beg me for just one more chapter, then make me stay with her until she fell asleep because it was spooky.

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

Coraline Jones moves into a new house. Bored to death of her parents who never pay attention to her, she goes exploring. She discovers 13 doors that open and close, and one that is locked.

Once she finds the key and passes through the door, she find herself in a flat just like her own, only different. Her parents are there, only different. And it seems like they want her to stay forever.

This tale for all ages is a chilling one, and it’s about bravery, because courage isn’t about not being afraid, but doing the right thing even though you are afraid. A perfect children’s book about passing through a door to another world, and a perfect book for all ages about plucking up our courage to face the things that scare us the most.

Stay spooky, my book loving friends! Post your favourite haunted house book (or any horror) so I can go out and read them.

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