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What’s the most disturbing book you’ve ever read? I love dark and disturbing books and I’m always looking for new ones to read.

What’s the most disturbing book you’ve ever read? I love dark and disturbing books and I’m always looking for new ones to read.

Kristyn #recommend

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212 Answers

Victoria

I started reading this trilogy called “The Jewel” by Amy Ewing, the first one was just sorta a generic YA novel, first chapter of the second and someone gets brutally murdered and the entire series just gets dark from there lmao

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Kayla

Brother by Ania Ahlborn. So messed up, but so good. You almost feel bad for calling it a good book because of the crazy/horrible things that happen in it

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KristynQuestion author

I just read The Devil Crept In by her. It was good and I was actually planning on picking up another book or 2 by her.

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Kayla

I read the neighbors after brother but it wasn’t very exciting

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KristynQuestion author

The one I read a blurb for that I was thinking of getting is Within the Walls.

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Kayli

The most disturbing that I’ve read lately would have to be Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. It was really good.

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KristynQuestion author

I read that. I didn’t like it that much.

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Cadie

Fiction or non

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KristynQuestion author

Either.

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Samantha

I just finished The Collector by John Fowles. Set In the 60s, this stalks this young woman for 2 years, kidnaps her and keeps her in his basement. Super scary!

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KristynQuestion author

Ooh, sounds good!

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Samantha

It was good actually. It’s not my usual genre, but the writing was great!

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Jackson

There’s one by Melvin Burgess.
Actually two. One i can’t remember the name of and one called Sarah’s Face. I think

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Rebecca

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner and My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh. Both gave me horrific book hangovers I couldn’t shake for days.

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Mariana

Haunted, by Chuck Palahniuk.

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KristynQuestion author

I read it. I was actually expecting it to be much worse than it was.

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Mariana

Oh, there’s also The Long Walk, by Stephen King (under the name Richard Bachman). Different kind of disturbing.

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read that also.

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Melissa

I was about to write pretty much anything by Chuck Palaniuk. Lullaby is pretty intense too.

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KristynQuestion author

I have quite a few of his books, but I’ve only read 3 of them so far.

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Mariana

Beautiful You is also disturbing, but I didn’t like it much. Same for Invisible Monsters.

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Kara

The most recent for me was Three Dark Crowns, pretty disturbing plot overall

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Cheryl

Crestwood Lake by Mark Vogel

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Stacy

The Lazarus Heart by Poppy Z. Brite

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Jess

American psycho made me feel ill as I read it!

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read it. I thought a lot of it was so boring because of all the describing. I know it was to show how obsessive he was about that stuff, but ugh. The murder parts were good, though.

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Melissa

I love that book. Its incredibly well written, one of my all time favourites.

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Samantha

Loved American Psycho…all of Brett Easton Ellis’s books are pretty disturbing

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April

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks.

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KristynQuestion author

That’s on my list of books to get. I keep skipping over it for other things, though. I will have to add it to my next order.

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Lindsey

Alice in Wonderland. Lol! Jk… but still it’s a little disturbing. ? But haven’t really read any disturbing books. Anyone know any good ones?

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Ashley

How to find a killer by Barry lyga, loved it so much!

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Austyn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read all of her books.

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Melissa

Non fiction – The Ice Man by Philip Carlo and by the same author Gaspipe.

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Melissa

Oh and The Butcher again same author

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Tina

All The Rage, by Courtney Summers.

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Rebecca

BANG by Barry Lyga is out next month and it’s outstanding!!

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Melissa

Im loving this thread.

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KristynQuestion author

Me too! There are so many good suggestions.

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Jessica

I am reading The Midnight Star it’s the last book in The Young Elites trilogy by Marie Lu.
It’s probably not the kind of disturbing that you’re talking about. But when I got done with the first book I put it down and said “I don’t think I like books anymore” and then about 30 seconds later I wanted the second one. It’s first person and the main characters not a very good person and being in her head all the time gets a little disturbing.

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Naomi

The last victim

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KristynQuestion author

That has been on my list of books to get for quite a while.

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Darlene

Disturbing in what way? Cause I read “by the time you read this I’ll be dead” and it’s a trigger for people who experience bullying and thoughts of suicide

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Darlene

Oh no I don’t have the problem hun I was suggesting a book but I don’t want the book to trigger any feeling for the reader. I actually liked the book cause I could relate to it at the time.

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Melissa

Oh cool totally misunderstood your comment haha.. I shall delete my defensive retort.

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Darlene

What I meant was disturbing as in horror or otherwise lol

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Melissa

I think I’ve read that book too lol feel like a moron now

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Darlene

If you have read it yay, if not you might want to it’s pretty good made me cry. I also suggest “I’ll give you the sun” and “fault in our stars” <-that one hit me deep cause I got diagnosed with cancer 2 years after reading the book

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Melissa

I’ll look into I’ll give you the sun, haven’t read that. Thanks hun. And forgive my moronic mishap haha ?

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KristynQuestion author

I don’t have any triggers. I like disturbing as in scary, messes with your head or makes you feel a little guilty for even reading it.

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Melissa

Ditto

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Bec

I read Naomis Room by Jonathan Aycliffe last Halloween and found it almost too disturbing to finish. And I love creepy books!

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Mika

NOS482 by Joe hill

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Bec

I love all Joe Hill’s books. He’s on par with.his father for me.

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KristynQuestion author

I have read that. I have also read 20th Century Ghosts and Horns.

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Katherine

The most recent good one I read was The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson. Perfect if you’re a fan of shows like Criminal Minds.

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KristynQuestion author

Yes, I love Criminal Minds!

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Candyce

You and the second book is Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes. Good, but disturbing.

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KristynQuestion author

I just read them both a couple weeks ago. Both very good.

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Candyce

I hope we get more soon.

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Novia

For me it’s The Girl On a Train. Disturbs me so much because it’s so depressing

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Melissa

I love that book! Such a quick read so intriguing, so well written.

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Novia

Yes. It’s really good, but so depressing i got depressed too ?

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KristynQuestion author

I read it. I didn’t really like it. That’s probably the only book I’ve ever read that I thought the movie was better than the book.

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Melissa

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath. Old but still disturbing in its own way.

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Gabrielle

Loved this one

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Melissa

Me too, I love her poetry and this book is one of my favourites.

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Hannah

I’m reading this ATM but haven’t gotten far yet

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KristynQuestion author

I have read that. It’s very good.

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Melissa

Oh also Perfume – Patrick Süskind. Incredible novel.

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Jenna

The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike. I read it 23 years ago and it’s the first thing I thought of. Or The Long Walk by Stephan King (Richard Bachman)

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KristynQuestion author

I have read The Long Walk. I have The Bachman Books anthology. I will have to check out The Season of Passage.

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Beth

The girl in the well

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Samantha

Coraline and When a monster calls

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KristynQuestion author

I have read When a Monster Calls, but not Coraline.

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Samantha

I thought they were both psychologically creepy…beautiful but creepy…oh and if you are a fan of Stephen King, you’ll adore his son Joe Hill…and of his books are amazing and disturbing ?

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Kathryn

If you like just dark humor, the Bunny Suicide series by Andy Riley is pretty fun. All cartoons of rabbits creatively killing themselves. I am ashamed to admit I was introduced to that book in the third grade…

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Candis

One Child by Torey Hayden. Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite. Night by Elie Weisel

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KristynQuestion author

I have read Night, but not the others.

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Candis

They’re both quite good, but terrifying

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Jennifer

Tokyo from Mo Hayder

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Bec

Yep. I googled everything I could find on Nanking and the war after that book. It was horrifying to read.

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Jennifer

Yes me too ? it is really interesting but sooo disturbing…

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Hanadi

This completely screwed with my mind…give me supernatural/paranormal any day. Too real for my enjoyment.

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Melissa

Ooh I bought this its on my TBR list..

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Hanadi

Good luck!

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Melissa

Thanks I’m excited now.

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Bec

This is on my tbr too

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Hanadi

I struggled with this because it was ‘too real’…I’d rather read ghost stories!

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Bec

Actually, mentioned above this comment, I found Tokyo (aka Nanking) by Mo Hayder hard to read because it was too real. Same as “Alex” by Pierre Lemaitre

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Ash

I started this last summer and stopped because it bored me and I was so excited about it. Maybe I will pick it back up

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KristynQuestion author

I will check it out!

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Melissa

I started last might. Very interesting so far.

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Hanadi

@Ash it was quite long and some parts I wanted to skip over, but the ‘creepy’ parts really got to me.

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Dee

the most disturbing one I’d say was Under the Dome by Stephen King. there were some scenes in there that were disturbed me.

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KristynQuestion author

I have read that. I’ve read a lot of Stephen King. I have two full shelves of King on my bookcase.

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Jeanica

Tell All by Chuck Palahniuk

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Hanadi

Not sure if you can get your hands on The Damaged by Simon Law…a short but very, very disturbing story…it was awesome!

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Nedina

Alex by Pierre Lemaittre it just shook me to the core,i couldn’t sleep for dayss

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Bec

That was a good read actually

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Lauren

Probably The Merciless by Danielle Vega …

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Jasmine

Flowers bed!

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Kareena

The Donor by Robinson was so creepy!!! So good though!

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Aleksandra

“It” and “Needful things” by Stephen King 😉

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read both. I have 2 shelves of Stephen King. Love him!

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Aleksandra

@Kristyn I want read most of his books 😉 How about “The Mighty Angel” by Jerzy Plich? He’s Polish autor with very specific style of writing.

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KristynQuestion author

I have not read The Mighty Angel.

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Aleksandra

@Kristyn I recommend it. I read it last month and it was disturbing in good way 😉

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Valeria

The storyteller by Antonia Michaellis. No horror just disturbing somehow I love horror books although The Butterfly Garden it’s worth a mention that one was plainly disturbing

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Ritika

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn! Some of the scenes are really disturbing and gruesome, but since the plot and the characters are really good, it’s worth the read:)

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read all of her books. I hope she comes out with a new one soon!

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Jan

If you like true crime stories read ‘The Stranger Beside Me’ by Ann Rule about Ted Bundy, that dude was creepy… ?

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Jill

I’ve always found Gerald’s Game by Stephen King disturbing.

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read that. I love Stephen King. I have 2 full shelves of King on my bookcase.

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Amanda

Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis!

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Sabrina

Evil from Jack Ketchum and some scenes in Spares from Michael Marshall Smith are quite disturbing.
In the Miso soup from Ryu Murakami is also one I never forgot.

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Kelly

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold. It’s SO good, but also awful and sad and depressing.

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KristynQuestion author

I have read that.

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Haley

I hated gone girl but it was extremely disturbing to me.

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Kelly

I’m glad I’m not the only one! I despised that book!

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Haley

I hated every single freaking character!!! Oh my gosh my aunt said she loved it so she bought me a copy and I actually ended up giving it away. Which I never do but I knew i would never ever read it again.

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Kelly

My sister gave it to me! She said I had to read it even though she hated it. ? It was AWFUL! The movie was just as bad- I was impressed that it followed the book really well, but that almost made it worse.

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read all of Gillian Flynn’s books. I actually loved Gone Girl. I love how effed in the head Amy is.

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Tijmen

“The prince of mist”, “the midnight palace”, “the watcher in the shadows” and “marina” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. All four of them are realy creepy and I literally got nightmares the first time I read the first book.

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Kristine

The most disturbing one I ever read must be Pet Semetary by Stephen King – I read on vacation in Spain and sat on the beach in blasting sun with a chill crawling down my spine. Also I’m reading Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury atm and so far, there’s something about it that weirds me out

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Andrea

You are braver than me,I couldn’t get past the first line! It was so creepy I couldn’t read the rest!!

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Kristine

King or Bradbury? 😉

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KristynQuestion author

I have read Pet Cemetery. I have read a lot of Stephen King. He’s one of my favorite authors.

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Susana

The most disturbing one that I have read recently is The Circle. I found very disturbing the fact of how close we are to the situations described in the book.

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Amy

Anything by Jeffrey Deaver!

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Ash

Off the top of my head, I would say “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn

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KristynQuestion author

I have read all of Gillian Flynn’s books. I hope she comes out with a new one soon!

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Kayli

It might not be that disturbing but I loved The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

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Susan

Pretty Stollen Dolls by Ker Dukey and K Webster….its so good. It a 2 parter Pretty Lost Dolls is the conclusion. Loved❤️??

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Mary

It

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read it. King is one of my favorite authors.

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Erica

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King).

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read it. I have The Bachman Books.

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Pranvera

100 years of solitude (it is disturbing in its way do not judge me)

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KristynQuestion author

I have read it.

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Cheryl

Easy one! I went to UMaine, and Stephen King was doing a guest lecture in our English class. We were reading Salem’s Lot. Playing catch up the night before, during a very loud thunderstorm, on my bunk with only one small light on. Friends knew what I was reading. In the midst of everything, they came and pounded on my door!!!!! Scared the poopies out of me!! And the book was so understated in it’s delivery, it still gives me chills!!!

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read it. Jealous that you got to see him! He’s one of my favorite authors.

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Cheryl

He lectured on Vampires, like it was an actual body of work!! And this was in the late 70’s!! It was spellbinding…..

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Lindsey

Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

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Katie

Obsessed!

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Lindsey

Did you read all of them? I really enjoyed their whole “man is the real monster” theme

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Elise

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a really disturbing book from a YA standpoint… Its about a society where from ages 13-18 a child’s parents can choose to “unwind” them by harvesting their organs and effectively ending their life

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Kara

Loved the series though!!!

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Elise

oh yeah definitely!! i read the first book when i was probably too young and it really freaked me out haha

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Heather

Hellter Skelter. The story of the Manson murders.

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Bec

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn or Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. The latter is a true story. I love it. There is also a movie Running with Scissors.

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KristynQuestion author

I have read both. Interesting fact, some people claim that Running with Scissors is greatly exaggerated and that some parts are entirely made up.

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Bec

I’ve also read books by the author’s mother and brother. I really like Burroughs.

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Chris

Faces of Fear by Dean Koontz

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read quite a few Dean Koontz books. I’ll have to check if I’ve read that one or not.

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Kerry

Stephen King’s The Stand. The Shining was a horrific story, too. I never fail to remember it whenever I see those topiary animals!

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KristynQuestion author

I have read both. He’s one of my favorite authors.

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Kerry

@Kristyn, I put him in the same niche with Dean Koontz, whose Watchers is one of my favorite books.

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Emalee

I thought 13 reasons why was a little disturbing because it’s about a girl who commits suicide and leaves tapes to people who were reasons she did it. It’s being turned into a Netflix show too, if your into that. ?

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Julie

Pet Semetary

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read a lot of Stephen King!

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Nur

YOU – Caroline Kepnes

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KristynQuestion author

I just read that and Hidden Bodies. They were both good!

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Nur

IKR. I want more of her works!!!! Its insanely creepy

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Candyce

These were so good!

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Jennifer

Strange piece of Paradise by terri jentz and helter skelter. Both are true stories and horrifying. Oh also the shell lake massacre. Its stuck with me for years.

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Dan

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; The Wasp Factory; Battle Royals …. there are so many, but it is also dependent on what you find “disturbing.” Blood and gore? Psychological? True horrors of mankind?

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KristynQuestion author

Dan, I find all of those things disturbing, but it takes a lot to get to me. I particularly care for American Psycho, but the murder parts were good. I loved Battle Royale!

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Dan

Check out The Wasp Factory. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (just as good, if not better than, The Road); Jose Saramago’s Blindness; Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom; the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor; Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting (soooo much better than what is a fairly good movie). I could go on and on.

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KristynQuestion author

The Wasp Factory has been on my list for a long time. I will have to finally get it.

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Benoîte

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is by far the most disturbing book I’ve ever read !

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Genevieve

Pretty much all of my favourites have been mentioned, except John Dies at the End by David Wong. It’s both funny and disturbing.

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Tina

Oh, and A Child Called It. There are a lot, really

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KristynQuestion author

I read that whole series.

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Dalia

The Almost Moon by alice sebold

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Cris

Gerald’s Game by Stephen King. It’s the only book I’ve ever had to put down. (I went back later and finished it)

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read it. I’m a big Stephen King fan.

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Gillian

The Mall takes the top spot for me!!

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Brittany

Topping From The Bottom – don’t ever read it.

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KristynQuestion author

Now I’m curious.

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Brittany

It’s… different. After I read it I sat for about 20 minutes trying to take it all in. I can’t find a word that could even begin to explain how I feel about it.

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KristynQuestion author

I am definitely going to look that up.

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Angelina

I hunt killers triology

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Victoria

Nightmare book!

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Aryka

All of Jennifer Mcmahon’s books are awesome!

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Berenice

Nothing by janne teller

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Chloe

‘Eve’ series by Anna Carie (just the beginning, really) and ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse

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Zoey

My sister rosa. It’s about a brother who has to deal with his sister who is a psychopath, and try and teach her to be human/stop her from killing anyone

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Chloe

YES it’s so good though

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Zoey

I know like it is just next level creepy. And that ending!!!!!!!

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KristynQuestion author

Sounds good!

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Cheryl

Okay, this is going on my list!

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Chloe

13 Minutes is about a psychopath, but you don’t know who, and at the end there is literally the BIGGEST plot twist ever. Not even kidding. Oh, and a friendship group is trying to kill each other…

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Chloe

I”M NOT EVEN KIDDING ABOUT THE PLOT TWIST

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KristynQuestion author

Ooh, I absolutely love a good twist!

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Cheryl

My TBR list is getting longer and longer!

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KristynQuestion author

I just read Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. It was the best ending I have read for a long time.

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KristynQuestion author

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I will definitely be checking these out.

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Mandie

I just finished The Handmaid’s Tale, and I’m very much disturbed.

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KristynQuestion author

Yes, I want to read it before the series starts.

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Neelam

You should read the mara dyer trilogy

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Michelle

The Dollhouse trilogy. I loved it!

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Amanda

The women in the walls

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Tamara

Anything by Bentley Little… He’s really dark & graphic.

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Kara

Flowers in the Attica or Relentless

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KristynQuestion author

I’ve read Flowers in the Attic. Many, many years ago.

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Kara

Soooooo terrible….great book though

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Lindsey

@Sonny

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Masha

Lovely bones, which I loved but another book by the same author was even creepier. um something w/ moonlight in the title

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Kimberly

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

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Megan

Unwind trilogy. Totally chilling

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