Jennifer McMahon is the author of Dismantled, the New York Times bestseller Island of Lost Girls, and the breakout debut novel Promise Not to Tell. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella.
At Dark, I Become Loathsome (2025) Eric LaRocca "Brutal, breathtaking, and beautifully written, At Dark, I Become Loathsome is Eric LaRocca at his best. It broke my heart and put it back together again, leaving jagged little scars. LaRocca is a master at peeling back the layers and showing us true darkness and depravity, the loathsome monster hiding inside us all. I applaud him for his bravery, and you, dear reader, for yours."
The Hunter's Daughter (2024) Nicola Solvinic "The Hunter's Daughter is a genuinely creepy, atmospheric debut. Solvinic has crafted a propulsive story of crimes old and new, the power of memory and the darkness that dwells inside us all. You'll be turning pages all night and searching the woods for dark shadows (which just might be the Forest God....)"
Dead Eleven (2023) Jimmy Juliano "Places hold memories--and some places keep horrible secrets. Jimmy Juliano has woven together nostalgia, longing and atmospheric dread into a keep-you-up-all-night debut. Are you ready for the secrets of Clifford Island? Just be sure to close the curtains and whatever you do, don't look out the windows."
The Book of Cold Cases (2022) Simone St James "Simone St. James knows how to haunt you. The Book of Cold Cases is St. James at the top of her game, expertly weaving the past and the present to reveal a chilling tapestry of real world mystery and supernatural suspense that will have you turning pages well past your bedtime and jumping at every little sound."
Closing Costs (2021) Bracken MacLeod "As Bracken MacLeod deftly reveals the secrets at the heart of the story, he reminds us that every choice has its consequences and few things are ever truly what they seem."
Girls of Brackenhill (2020) Kate Moretti "Girls of Brackenhill is an atmospheric thriller that is, at its heart, a ghost story and a haunting reminder of the power of secrets. Moretti deftly weaves together the past and present and gives us not one mystery, but a whole series of disappearances and deaths that are somehow linked together, anchored by the ominous stone castle on the hill. Welcome to Brackenhill, where nothing is as it seems."
The Second Mother (2020) Jenny Milchman "When Julie arrives on a beautiful, rustic island off the coast of Maine -- with a one-room schoolhouse, where people embrace a simple life -- she is hoping for a chance to start over. Slowly and expertly, Milchman peels back the layers to reveal what lies beneath the idyllic surface. The Second Mother is an atmospheric thriller resonating with the weight and power of secrets. Settle in someplace comfortable, lock the doors and turn on the lights – you're not going to want to put this one down!"
A Cosmology of Monsters (2019) Shaun Hamill "Exquisitely written, A Cosmology of Monsters is both beautiful and haunting. Shaun Hamill has crafted the best sort of horror story: one full of love and dread that will have you rethinking your definition of what a monster is."
The Pandora Room (2019) (Ben Walker, book 2) Christopher Golden "I was completely swept away by this book. Christopher Golden takes us deep underground in an edge of your seat thriller steeped in mythology, international turmoil, and terror. Want to catch a glimpse of what true evil looks like? Brace yourself and enter The Pandora Room."
The Bus on Thursday (2018) Shirley Barrett "Shirley Barrett has crafted a quirky, one-of-kind, wild ride of a novel with demons, kangaroos, a missing school teacher, a remote town where things are strangely off-kilter, and wonderfully bizarre cast of characters. The Bus on Thursday is a darkly funny and deeply unsettling novel you'll devour in one sitting."
The Darkest Time of Night (2018) (Darkest Time of Night, book 1) Jeremy Finley "Strange disappearances, mysterious lights, flocking ladybugs, a single gravestone in the woods – Jeremy Finley weaves it all together into a delightful mystery with a sci-fi twist that makes the unbelievable seem totally plausible. Fasten your seatbelt, lock your doors, and don’t go into the woods!"
The Wild Inside (2018) Jamey Bradbury "A taut, atmospheric thriller... Jamey Bradbury has crafted a stunning debut full of secrets and hunger, grief and longing. Like the cold of an Alaskan winter, this book chilled me and wrapped me in quiet dread."
Michelle Sacks "Set in an idyllic Swedish forest straight out of a fairy tale, You Were Made For This is a taut novel of deception, full of heart-wrenching twists and turns. Michelle Sacks shows us that happy families are not always what they seem and explores the dark shadows that lurk within the fairy tale, and in human nature, in this richly compelling debut."
The Dark Lake (2017) (Gemma Woodstock, book 1) Sarah Bailey "A mesmerizing thriller full of long buried secrets that sucked me right in and kept me up late turning pages... An exquisite debut."
The Sisters Chase (2017) Sarah Healy "The Sisters Chase is exquisitely written and full of surprises, love and loss; it is clearly the work of a writer at the top of her game."
Those Girls (2015) Chevy Stevens "An emotional rollercoaster you'll be sorry to get off of when you finish the last page."
Wait Until Twilight (2009) Sang Pak "A haunting coming of age page turner. Disturbing, but ultimately redemptive."
(b.1968)
