Louise Penny inspector Gamache series for lighter mystery.
Anything by Michael Koryta for something a little grittier. He’s got a few series (Lincoln Perry and Mark Novak) and several stand alone books. Some of his stuff has a supernatural vibe.
Have you read anything by Scott Sigler? There’s the Infected trilogy. He has a YA trilogy that starts with the book Alive. That one is the Generations trilogy.
Warning…the language can get a little harsh to some. His horror is based on science. I read Infected and then went through anything by him that I could get my hands on. Ancestor is another good book by him. He’s currently working on the sequel to his book Earthcore.
I recently read Marcia Clark’s three piece series “Sarah Brinkman.” I was pleasantly surprised! Main character is a lawyer, and it just gets better from there. Blood Defense, Moral Defense, and Snap Judgment.
This is good to know…..because the first one….though it got my attention….kind of fizzled out for me…..I will definitely keep reading the series…..I love Atwood!
The Dark Intercept, A Secret History by Donna Tart. Neither are series but great reads. Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series is both horror and suspense. Scarpetta is the medical examiner, other characters continue through the series of nearly a dozen books
Dr. Gemasch series about a Canadian detective who solves murder mysteries surrounding the village of Three Pines. My favorite and first read was The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.
Jim Butcher’s Dresden files. I usually describe it as “if Stephen King wrote Harry Potter but mixed him with Sam Spade”. You’ve got blood and guts (especially in the first 2 books), but also faeries, gods, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, ghosts, Demons, ogres, trolls, angels, etc, can its currently winding down to what Butcher is referring to as the big apocalyptic Trilogy to end the series. (He’s doing 20 books and is currently finishing book 16).
Have you tried the Dreseden files? Not horror per se but theres a lot of blood and death. As for suspense… my husband likes Preston and Childs books. My brother likes Clive cussler books. You could read the original novels of Jurrasic Park. And Cricton also did the classic Andromeda Strain.
@Karina none of those authors, going to check them out right now. The jewel series does have some dark areas but there is also so much love from many of her friends that stay with her for years.
Suspense/Mystery: Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn); The Girl on the Train; most any of John Hart’s books; The Woman at the Window; some of Tana French’s books; also Nicci French’s Freida Klein series. Will think of others later.
Level 26 is a digital horror novel series by Anthony E. Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski. The novels include online content, with video elements and an interactive web community. Creeped me right out!!
One of my YA guilty pleasures was the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and its follow-up series VA: Bloodlines. Not exactly “serious” fiction, but fun reads.
Cinder….The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa. Meyer ln YA. This was really stepping outside of the box for me but I loved this series. Couldn’t wait to read each and every book.
Yes! Patricia does her research and weaves a very suspensful story. When I read my first PC novel, Predator, I was hooked! Had no idea at the time that was just one in a long series of Scarpetta Novels.
am currently reading ‘Discovery of Witches’. strange love story(?) of vampires, witches, and demons. so far it is great fun. can’t wait to get to the rest of the series!
X
Not a series but The Bird Box is one of my favorites.
Yesssssss!! That book is the definition of horror/suspense! My heart was pounding the entire time reading it!
Its going to be on Netflix in Dec 2018
@Robin how?!!! Lol. I was wondering how that would be adapted to film since it’s mostly about what you don’t see.
@Jen Not sure, but maybe i should read the book first. Has some good actors in it tho. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737304/
I started this today based your recommendation! It’s fantastic!!!
I hope you enjoy it at much as much as I did. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I read it.
@Christina I’ll let you know!
Louise Penny inspector Gamache series for lighter mystery.
Anything by Michael Koryta for something a little grittier. He’s got a few series (Lincoln Perry and Mark Novak) and several stand alone books. Some of his stuff has a supernatural vibe.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins is awesome but not a lot of horror. Suspense was good enough for me.
The lunar chronicles, I really enjoyed it
I just started Head full of Ghosts and it seems along these lines. Also, check out the Unwind Series!!
Just read “The Rule of Four” – great intriguing read!
Stephen king starts with Mr Mercedes
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.
Infected by Scott Sigler
Bad Games by Jeff Menapace
Anne Rice
Loved her witch series
Read Sophie Hannah
Jana DeLeon- Ghost in Law series, Fortune Redding series and the Shay Archer series. All very different series, all very worth your read.
Angelfall Series by Susan Ee (3 books) both me and my niece loved this one.
The Passage series is great.
Have you read anything by Scott Sigler? There’s the Infected trilogy. He has a YA trilogy that starts with the book Alive. That one is the Generations trilogy.
Warning…the language can get a little harsh to some. His horror is based on science. I read Infected and then went through anything by him that I could get my hands on. Ancestor is another good book by him. He’s currently working on the sequel to his book Earthcore.
The Passage series!!! Is favorite ever after Harry Potter!
The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness! One of my favorite series!
Joe Hill: not a series but terrific!
He’s Stephen King’s son.
N0S4A2 is awesome, and I also loved Horns.
Fireman.
@Andrea NOS4A2 gave me …sit up in bed, clutching my chest, nightmares. Read it 4 years ago or so. Still remember the nightmare. ?
It was awesome! ?
@Amanda: I was going to say, “In a good way, right?!” ?
“He’s the pre-Bing thing!”
Among the Hidden by M Haddix. ya
“Bloodsucking Fiends” series from Christopher Moore.
Rot and Ruin series and Ghost Road Blues series both by Jonathan Maberry
The 12 , Brilliance
I recently read Marcia Clark’s three piece series “Sarah Brinkman.” I was pleasantly surprised! Main character is a lawyer, and it just gets better from there. Blood Defense, Moral Defense, and Snap Judgment.
The strain by Guillermo del Toro
I read the The Strain trilogy. It was good but scary.
Loved The Strain!
Instinct series by Robert W. Walker. Read them in order.
Shenandoah Sisters series then the Carolina Cousins series. Both by Michael R Phillips
Scythe series. It’s YA and kind of creepy!
The Illuminae Files! Intense. Tons of action and suspense.
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
The MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood. The first book is Oryx and Crake.
I’m reading this now. It’s a slow start to get into it. I love Atwood. Hoping it picks up soon.
I thought it was a slow start too, but it ended up being so great! The 2nd book was my favorite.
This is good to know…..because the first one….though it got my attention….kind of fizzled out for me…..I will definitely keep reading the series…..I love Atwood!
Frankenstein’s 200 birthday is this year NPR has a list of horror stories to read – it may surprise you.
The Winter Witch series by Katherine Arden.
Great series cant wait for the third book!
Yes, I’m looking forward to it too.
Alex Delaware by Jonathan Kellerman
The Dark Intercept,
A Secret History by Donna Tart. Neither are series but great reads.
Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series is both horror and suspense. Scarpetta is the medical examiner, other characters continue through the series of nearly a dozen books
The Testing trilogy from Joelle Charbonneau. It is a suspenseful YA series.
Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s Thora G…. Series pretty much fills the suspense/horror request. YA, go for Carl Hiaasen’s stuff, Chomp was hysterical.
Discover of witches
The Discovery of Witches series was great.
First of the series.
Dr. Gemasch series about a Canadian detective who solves murder mysteries surrounding the village of Three Pines. My favorite and first read was The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.
I read Stilllife by Louise Penney and was totally hooked.
Harry Hole Series by Jo Nesbo
Love Nesbo
I have read several YA novels by Ashley Hope Perez.
Ember in the ashes, loved it!
Small As An Elephant…YA
The Oracle of the Delphi Keep by Laurie or Lauren something. YA fantasy with dark tones and suspense.
K. R. Conway Undertow series. YA and great stories!!
Jim Butcher’s Dresden files. I usually describe it as “if Stephen King wrote Harry Potter but mixed him with Sam Spade”. You’ve got blood and guts (especially in the first 2 books), but also faeries, gods, werewolves, vampires, warlocks, ghosts, Demons, ogres, trolls, angels, etc, can its currently winding down to what Butcher is referring to as the big apocalyptic Trilogy to end the series. (He’s doing 20 books and is currently finishing book 16).
Neal Shusterman’s Unwind series. The man is good by psychologicaly disturbing!
The discovery of witches (trilogy) last book in the series is the book of life. Could NOT put them down
The Pendergast series by Preston and Child.
I also liked Lincoln Child’s series Jeremy Logan.
My adult daughter likes the John Cleaver series by Dan Wells.
Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods,” although it’s not a series.
Theres at least a second book and a couple short stories
What’s the second book?
American Gods and Anansi Boys are “stand-alone novels in the same universe” though so I guess that might not count…
https://www.goodreads.com/series/114135-american-gods
@Andrew Burke series
Have you tried the Dreseden files? Not horror per se but theres a lot of blood and death.
As for suspense… my husband likes Preston and Childs books.
My brother likes Clive cussler books.
You could read the original novels of Jurrasic Park. And Cricton also did the classic Andromeda Strain.
Anne Rice Vampire series
YESSSSSSS!!!! loved those books! Queen of the Damned… Love!!
Anne Bishop has some very dark themes in her others series.
I love Anne Bishop. Yes, she deals with some pretty heavy themes, but there is so much humor and tenderness in her books. I love them.
@Rachel her jewal series is great also, i read it once a year
@Robin I’ve debated starting them cause I’ve heard she gets darker. Have you tried Keri Arthur, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook or Seanan McGuire?
@Karina none of those authors, going to check them out right now. The jewel series does have some dark areas but there is also so much love from many of her friends that stay with her for years.
The Jewels books regularly make me laugh hysterically, especially once the Kindred show up.
@Rachel I’ll try them then
Anything Shirley Jackson, but her best is The Haunting of Hill House. Try Thomas Tryon he wrote several horror books in the 1980s, all worth a read.
The Haunting was a great read, scared the crap oit of me too
Dana Stabenow has written a series with Kate Shugak as main character, living in Alaska. Should be read in order
Chloe Neill Chicagoland series
Beverly Barton, Lisa Unger
I just read: I Am Still Alive. It fits the categories of suspense and YA.
The Passage trilogy By Justin Cronin. It is excellent!
Tara French’s murder squad series
The Passage by Justin Cronin… great book, and the first in a trilogy!
Dresden Files!
Have you read Dean Koontz Frankenstein series or the odd series.
@Lisa , I have to agree. These are both so good I couldn’t put them down!
I just read Watchers by Dean Koontz and loved it.
I like almost everything he has written.
The Descent and Deeper by Jeff Long. I have read this at least 6 or 7 times and still get nightmares when i read it.
Joe Hill’s The Fireman. I still think about it.
Karen Slaughter…sorry if it’s been said…I’m too lazy to go through the posts…but she is amazing and my absolute favorite!
Have you read Game of Thrones?
Thirst by Christopher Pike
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Have you read “The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo” series? Very good!!
The Merry Gentry series by Laurel K Hamilton
Longmire series by Craig Johnson.
The Hunger Games
Swan song
I have been loving Children of Blood and Bone. Pretty new, first in a series.
Suspense/Mystery: Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn); The Girl on the Train; most any of John Hart’s books; The Woman at the Window; some of Tana French’s books; also Nicci French’s Freida Klein series. Will think of others later.
Sharp Objects – Gillian@Flynn
And I love Dark Places even more.
Have you read the Dark Tower series? I loved it
Octavia Butler has a great series
Iris Johansen Eve Duncan series .
A discovery of witches
I loved this series!
The Red Queen
Following
Louise Penny inspector Gamache series
Lord of the Rings
what is YA?
“Young adult” but it’s kind of a misnomer.
hmmm, meaning what? What’s the misnomer part?
@Donna it’s meant “for” young adults but people of all ages (that I know of) read this genre…The Hunger Games for example, was considered YA.
ok, gotcha
Department Q series by Jussi Adler Olsen
The Mr. Mercedes trilogy by Stephen King is great!
The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer
Suspense: Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon’s books, though I don’t really count them as a series. YA – Harry Potter (duh) and The Hunger Games
Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly.
“The Wheel of Time.” I thank the list for making me aware. I’m hooked.
You may want to check out the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson and The Diviners trilogy by Libby Bray.
Jo Nesbo. Henning Menkell. I love Scandinavian authors.
Level 26 is a digital horror novel series by Anthony E. Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski. The novels include online content, with video elements and an interactive web community. Creeped me right out!!
One of my YA guilty pleasures was the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and its follow-up series VA: Bloodlines. Not exactly “serious” fiction, but fun reads.
Outlander
Game of sunken places quartet is a YA grim/mystery series I really enjoyed
Reading “The woman in the Window” thought provoking
The girl with a dragon tattoo!
Jo Nesbo
Lunar chronicles!
Vitals series is a good YA that is a good mix of sci-fi, adventure, and suspense
Eeny meeny:A Helen Grace thriller. By M.J. Arlidge. They’re super graphic though
The crow girl
The Stand. Odessa File.
Red queen
Children of Blood and Bone. It is a YA novel that will be a trilogy. Really good
The raven cycle.
Department Q books
The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancy.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth Series. I’m not a zombie fan but I did enjoy these.
Anything by @Josh! A movie based on his first published novel, Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, is coming to Netflix in December.
I hope they do justice to the book. I can’t wait for the sequel to Bird Box!
Robert McCammon’s A Boy’s Life
Be careful with that series as a read aloud.
Lillian Jackson Braun.
Divergent series. Twilight series. Cinder series. Magician series. Nora Roberts witch series. Pretty recent.
Yes to all of these!
YA, the Rot and Ruin series, by Jonathan Maberry. The Sandman Slim series, by Richard Kadrey.
Have the read the Dead series by Charlaine Harris? Also known as the True Blood or sookie stackhouse series? They are amazing
Dean Koontz. The Odd Thomas series is good for the first 3, then it kind of went wandering
But his Watchers is on this list, and it’s really really good!
Yes..these are excellent….
Cinder….The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa. Meyer ln YA. This was really stepping outside of the box for me but I loved this series. Couldn’t wait to read each and every book.
I love that series.
I need to read it, my daughter adored the series!
The Butterfly Garden Series by Dot Hutchinson
Preston & Child “Penderghast” series is fun.
Brunonia Barry
Greg Iles’ books
This isn’t a series, but did you read Watchers by Dean Koontz? It is on the GAR. Am loving it. It is horror.
Greg Iles Penn Cage Series…Excellent!
This!
Kresley Cole has a YA series called Arcana chronicles that is good.
Look up Lara Parker’s “Dark Shadows” books … the first one is “Angelique’s Descent”.
Unwind series , ever lost series
I love the Unwind series!!
Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan books and Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series
The Scarpetta novels by Patrica Cornwell
Yes! Patricia does her research and weaves a very suspensful story. When I read my first PC novel, Predator, I was hooked! Had no idea at the time that was just one in a long series of Scarpetta Novels.
If you also like a little humor, try the Agatha Raisin series by M C Beaton.
I just heard Bird Box is thriller\horror and other books by this same author are also.
Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares by K. Blake. It has horror and suspense and belongs in the YA category.
Penpal… so creepy
I suggest the In-Betweener Books! https://www.amazon.com/Betweener-Between-Life-Death/dp/1507814046
Maze Runner series…Divergent series…
Watcher by Dean Koontz
Stephen King’s Gunslinger series ?
The Hunger Games, or The Dresden books.
I’m currently reading Fantasticland(horror) and Vic James Dark Gifts trilogy(YA)
am currently reading ‘Discovery of Witches’. strange love story(?) of vampires, witches, and demons. so far it is great fun. can’t wait to get to the rest of the series!
I read two of them are there more? Loved them
discovery – shadow of night – book of life – these three she has written many others
@Harrison thank you
I love the whole trilogy! A Discovery of Witches is now a series that will come to USA tv in 2019.
@Harrison new one coming soon!
Series is great! Not thriller but really enjoyed them
Slasher girls and Monster Boys, April Genevieve Tucholke. YA horror short story collection that is brilliant.
Have you tried Anne Rice?
Outlander is amazing!
And doesn’t fit what the person asked for? lol
It’s a series.
She said “mainly”…
New indie author, Liz Long, The Blood King and September release the Golden City.
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Pendergast Series! Each one is better then the last
Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End have my vote.
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Anne Frasier has several suspense series (Elise Sandburg, Pale Immortal) that include horror/supernatural elements – check them out!
One of my favorite series is the one by Julia Spenser Fleming – In the Bleak Mid-Winter is the first one. The only series I would go back and re-read.
The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin.
Wonderful story creation with turn of the century Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M R James.
Jeffery Deaver
The Golden Compass series
Dark tower series…easy
The Broken Girls
Anything by Anne Rice – The Mayfair Witches is excellent
Yes The Mayfair Witches was great for me
The Wolf Gift series is fantastic also. In the same way as the Mayfair Witches.