Cozy Up With These Fall Thriller Books

Neena and Josie were outsiders in high school but they always had each other. Now, as college approaches, they’re going to lose that, too, as Neena gets ready to move away.

They have one last chance to spend time together and settle on a three-day backpacking trip in the Pisgah National Forest.

They take an off-trail detour to get back that turns into a living nightmare.

I won’t lie, I didn’t love the second half of this one but I was definitely freaked out before we actually met the villain.

This is another one I would love to read! Cooper and his young daughter Finch have lived isolated in his cabin in the northern Appalachian woods for eight years. It’s exactly how he wants it because he has a lot to hide.

Scotland, a local hermit, and Jake, Cooper’s old friend, are the only two people who know they exist. Every winter Jake visits to bring supplies but this year he didn’t show up which set off an irreversible chain of events showing how precarious their position really is.

The boundaries of their safe haven are blurred when one day, a stranger wanders into their woods. Finch develops an obsession with the stranger that could put them all in danger and Cooper is forced to face the sins of his past to keep them safe.

Shana Merchant is starting over after surviving a serial killer abduction as an NYPD detective. In her new job in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York, she is called, with fellow investigator Tim Wellington, to investigate a man missing on a private island.

There is blood on the scene and the wealthy Sinclair family and friends are all on edge. Shana is convinced of murder and as the storm outside intensifies, she discovers everyone is keeping dangerous secrets.

This is a great fall thriller set on an isolated island. I didn’t love it but it was an entertaining read.

The only way Laney can keep her beloved home on Hemlock Island after her pandemic-fueled divorce is by renting it out to strangers. Broken belongings have escalated to bloody bones and hex circles with renters fleeing the island.

Laney and her niece head to the island to investigate, where they find Laney’s ex-husband and his sister/her ex-best friend, and soon an old friend and her now-cop brother show up.

Tensions are running high when a hand is found poking out of the ground and secrets start spilling. But someone left with their only way off the island, leaving them stranded as they search for the truth.

It’s 1991 and Charlie, a movie-obsessed college student, may be in the car of a serial killer. Her university campus has been plagued by the Campus Killer for the last few years but when Josh offers her a ride back to her hometown, she agrees.

But the longer she’s in his car, the more unsure she is about who he really is. Could he really be the Campus Killer or is it all just a movie in her mind? (ugh, gag me with that phrase.)

I did not like this one (it was my least favorite Riley Sager book) but it does have good fall vibes.

Tom Kennedy takes his son, Jake, to Featherbank after the sudden death of his wife believing a fresh start will help, but the town has a dark past.

Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Then Frank Carter was caught and nicknamed “The Whisper Man” for luring his victims out by whispering by their windows at night.

Just as they settle down, a young boy vanishes and it resembles Frank Carter’s crimes reigniting rumors that he worked with an accomplice. Now detectives have to find the boy before it’s too late. But soon, Jake starts acting strange and hears a whispering at his own window.

While I didn’t personally love the whole of this, it was great as far as atmospheric creepiness goes.

Every small town like Fell, New York has a place like the Sundown Motel, especially back in 1982. Some guests are out-of-towners and others are locals trying the hide their secrets. Viv Delaney is the night clerk and determined to uncover all their secrets, but things don’t go as planned and her niece follows her footsteps years later uncovering even more.

I really loved this one when I read it! I’m not sure if it takes place in the fall but I think it’s still a good pick for a fall thriller.

This is the story of four Native American men and their families, haunted by a deadly event from their youth. Years later, they’re being tracked by an entity set on revenge. They’re left helpless while culture and traditions left behind catch up to them in a violent way.

This might fall more into the horror category but I’m including it anyway as it’s a great creepy autumn book.

Makani Young thought she left her dark past behind her in Hawaii when her parents forced her to live with her grandma in Nebraska. Things aren’t all bad since she’s made friends and it falling for Ollie Larsson, at least until her classmates start turning up dead and there’s a serial killer on the loose. Now she has to face her own dark secrets to find out who the killer is.

Aidan is a hard–working family man who is beloved in his small New York Town. He’s also murdered eight women and currently has Rachel imprisoned in a shed in his backyard.

When his wife dies, he and his daughter Cecilia are forced to move and has no choice but to bring Rachel with as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. She begins to form a relationship with Cecelia

In the same vain as The Sundown Motel, this takes place in 1950 and 2014. In 1950 there is a place for troubled girls called Idlewild Hall and rumor is, it’s haunted. Four roommates bond over their fears, until one of them goes missing.

In 2014,Fiona cant stop thinking about her older sisters death. Twenty years ago her body was found in a fields near the runs of Idlewild Hall. While her boyfriend was arrested, Fiona is convinced something isn’t right about the case.