Did you ever have a job where you thought “What the hell was I thinking?” Well, the characters in the following books all regret their employment decisions. This is a mix of books I’ve read and books on my TBR. Some are older and some haven’t been released yet. But all twelve involve evil bosses, haunted offices or just plain deadly jobs. I’ve linked these to either my reviews or Goodreads, and I’m listing them in alphabetical order:
Abyss by Nicholas Binge. Poor Joe just landed a job at Ponos, a large corporation hiding some big secrets. Joe immediately regrets taking the job, as he soon discovers that it’s almost impossible to leave the office. This book is the ultimate work nightmare, a fever dream about your worst workplace fears.
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer. Macy needs money so she answers an odd employment ad in the paper. All she has to do is take care of an elderly gentleman while his wife visits family for a couple of days, but the actual job turns out to be a nightmare. This is a bizarre and horrifying story!
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer. Ruth was fired from her job at the craft store New Creations because her boss found out she has a girlfriend. Now she has to venture back to store buy some yarn for a project. But when she gets there, she ends up having to battle an evil entity for her life.
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin. Shell is looking for a job and spots a Help Wanted sign in the window of a flower shop at the local mall. What she doesn’t know is that hidden away in the atrium is a very hungry, giant orchid…
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. Amy works a minimum wage job at an IKEA-like big box store, and one night her manager insists she work the night shift with him in order to catch some culprits who have been vandalizing the store at night. Unfortunately, they get way more than they bargain for, when they discover the store might be haunted.
I Hope This Email Finds You In Hell by Mackenzie Reed. (To be released in September 2026) When staying late at the office leads to witnessing an exorcism, Brie Benson’s mundane life takes a hellish turn…literally.
Lakewood by Megan Giddings. A woman drops out of school in order to support her family, and ends up taking a job with a company that is doing mysterious (and possibly dangerous) human experimentation.
Messy As Hell by Mark Waddell. (to be released January 2027) “CAUTION! All employees must correctly dispose of otherworldly biohazards found on Dark Enterprises property. Failure to comply may result in one hell of a mess…”
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer. An out of work horror book editor finds a job at a creepy publishing house, complete with a crumbling Gothic-style building, but she soon realizes things aren’t quite right there…
Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis. *This was a DNF for me, but plenty of readers love it. A junior sales associate at a tech startup has to save a demon while trying to make her quota.
The Store by Bentley Little. Two teenage girls take jobs at retail giant the Store, only to discover that something evil lurks within.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Two women in different timelines take on the nightshift job at the Sun Down Motel, where the restless ghosts of murder victims haunt the hallways.
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