I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday, which was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!
2027 is just around the corner, so it’s time for my annual “Horror Books to Read” list! Below I’m sharing twenty-seven 2027 horror releases I’m very excited to read. Books are listed in order of release date (and keep in mind that release dates can change), and because I live in the U.S., these are U.S. covers and release dates. Titles are linked to Goodreads for your convenience!
A couple of notes: as of writing this post, these are 2027 horror books whose covers have already been revealed. I don’t usually share books without final covers, so of course there will be plenty of books missing from this list. And believe me, if Grady Hendrix’s upcoming book Bigfoot Must Die had a cover, it would be here! Finally, this list is focused on adult horror books, not YA, and I may do a separate list for YA later.
Also, I wasn’t able to include all the 2027 horror books, since this post limits me to 27. I had to cut a bunch off my original list, and trust me, it was hard! Here we go:
All the Meaner Things by A.K. McCarthy. January 5th, Dead Sky Publishing. “Hitman Kieran Russe thinks he’ s the deadliest man in town. But he’ s about to find out that the crime family he works for is full of vampires, and they’ re not afraid to get their blood in-house. “ All the Meaner Things” is a noir vampire novel that explores the black, white, and red world of undead mobsters in a Prohibition-era California city.”
Milk, Bread, Teeth by Amy Twigg. January 19th, Blackstone Publishing. “Milk, Bread, Teeth is an unflinching exploration of dissatisfaction and disparity, a deliciously grim and transgressive tale that draws the reader into a frenzy of insatiable desire and consumption. It’s a propulsive, eerie novel inspired by Amy’s experiences with chronic illness and her place in publishing as a working-class woman.”
It’s Only a Game by Sam Rebelein. February 2nd, William Morrow. “A propulsive puzzle box novel by Sam Rebelein, where a recently split couple must solve a haunted escape room together—or die trying.”
The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove. February 2nd, Tor Nightfire. “The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives is an unhinged horror tale at the perfect intersection of trad wives and girl dinners, where Shaun of the Dead meets Martha Stewart.”
The Flesh I Want by Todd S. Jordan. February 9th, Titan Books. “A captivating and terrifying literary body horror set on the south coast of England about desire, the male gaze, and the gory lengths we will go to satisfy our hunger. Perfect for readers of Lucy Rose and Monika Kim.”
If You Think You’re Lonely Now by Gus Moreno. February 16, G.P. Putnam’s Sons. “Gus Moreno’s long-awaited new novel, If You Think You’re Lonely Now, is a brilliant, bone-chilling exploration of love, intergenerational trauma, and the sometimes oppressive weight of filial duty.”
One of Us is Already Dead by E.L. Chen. February 23, Run For It. “Twenty-five years after the making of a notorious found-footage horror movie, the estranged cast return to the site of filming – including the former final girl, whose dreams are still haunted by that night. One of Us Is Already Dead is a propulsive and chilling horror novel from USA Today bestselling author and new star in horror, E. L. Chen.”
The Museum of Cursed Artifacts by Evan Spiliotopoulos. March 2nd, Atria/Emily Bestler Books. “An epic haunted house tale that combines the classic supernatural terrors of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House with the fantastical adventure and eclectic ensemble of Night at the Museum.”
Hush Little Hauntings by Marie Croke. March 2nd, Saga Press. “Model Home meets Delicate Condition in this hauntingly original gothic horror about a mysterious midwife tasked with delivering hauntings who must uncover the truth behind her newest patient’s uncanny birth before it tears her world apart.”
A Deadly Blooming by Daphne Fama. March 9th, Berkley. “Lured into a terrifying inheritance competition when returning home for her mother’s funeral, a young woman must reckon with her mother’s secrets and a town’s past of deathly sacrifice.”
Down Where Monsters Dwell by Hildur Knútsdóttir. March 9th, Tor Nightfire. “From Hildur Knútsdóttir comes Down Where Monsters Dwell, a dark, historical fairytale steeped in Icelandic folklore about the powerful bond between mothers and daughters, and how quickly fear can lead to violence; perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Brom, and Victor LaValle.”
We Don’t Call Them Cages by Luke Dumas. March 16th, Atria Books. “Revenge comes with a bite when a group of jaded zookeepers unleashes the animals on unsuspecting patrons in this high-octane thriller from the nationally bestselling author of The Paleontologist and Nothing Tastes as Good—perfect for fans of T. J. Newman’s Falling and Daniel Kraus’s Whalefall.”
The House of Cursed Daughters by C.J. Cooke. March 16th, Berkley. “Three brilliant women. An ancient curse. And one last chance to break the cycle.”
Hell to Pay by Kylie Lee Baker. March 30, Hanover Square Press. “The riveting, darkly humorous, and deeply strange story of three roommates whose everyday struggle to survive in New York is complicated by the intestine-eating demon who haunts their apartment.”
Everything Looks Better in Red by Gwendolyn Kiste. April 20th, Union Square & Co. “A queer Such Sharp Teeth meets Fatal Attraction , in which a woman whose encounter with a magnetic stranger awakens both forbidden desire and the beast she’s always been meant to become.”
The Off Season by Peter Clines. April 20th, St. Martin’s Press. “Ben Getty is an LA cop banished to rural Maine, and now finds himself patrolling the streets and forest roads of Little Enoch. It’s an unremarkable town with a small summer tourist trade and a camp across the lake. For Ben, it’s his last chance.”
Kill Me With Fire by Chris Panatier. April 27th, Shortwave. “Two women fall victim to a dormant curse, transforming them into feral witches. One resists, the other… doesn’t.”
The Godfrey Home for Demonic Children by Alexis Henderson. May 18th, Ace Books. “A young exorcist faces demons both real and figurative in this searing horror novel from the author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars.”
Werewolves of Waffle House by Reba McQueen. May 25th, Hyperion Avenue. “A dynamite horror novel set in a rural West Virginia diner where the coffee’s fresh, the customers are strange, and, lately, something in the woods has developed a taste for the townsfolk.”
The Joplin Horror by Jason Kaleko. May 25th, DAW. “Brilliant, original, the haunt that creeps at the edges of drowsy eyes: this lightning-quick read will speed past like a terrifying movie in your head. Joplin is a hungry mouth. Soon, you’ll meet its teeth.”
What Hungers in the Dark by Monika Kim. June 1st, G.P Putnam’s Sons. “Crazy Rich Asians meets K-Pop Demon Hunters in this gorgeous historical beach read—a glittering Korean Gothic from Monika Kim, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Eyes Are the Best Part.”
The Solitude by Catriona Ward. June 22nd, Tor Nightfire. “Set in a near future dystopia, Catriona Ward delivers a brutal and terrifying examination on the true nature of monstrosity . . . and the enduring power of vengeance.”
This Is Not An Exorcism by Ivy Fang. July 20th, Tor Nightfire. “This Is Not an Exorcism by Ivy Fang is a darkly funny, visceral debut about a Chinese American con woman posing as an exorcist, until one job becomes terrifyingly real – perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix, Monika Kim, and T. Kingfisher.”
Rainbow Capital by Chuck Tingle. August 10th, Tor Nightfire. “USA Today bestselling author Chuck Tingle plunges readers beneath the glittering surface of ambition in Rainbow Capital, a surreal nightmare where every opportunity comes with a price.”
Eat Crow by Mallory Pearson. August 10th, Blackstone Publishing. “From #1 bestselling author Mallory Pearson comes Eat Crow—a sapphic horror akin to Micah Nemerever’s These Violent Delights that explores desire both empowering and grotesque, art as love and as violence, and the beauty and darkness of sisterhood.”
Swallerjaw by Tif Robinette. August 17th, Tor Nightfire. “Tif Robinette’s Swallerjaw blends swamp-drenched, occult horror with generational trauma and twisted faith in a stunning southern gothic horror debut.”
The Halloween Party by Christopher Golden. August 24th, St. Martin’s Press. “From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden comes an atmospheric, speculative horror novel about an annual Halloween party where the lines between reality and myth are dangerously blurred.”
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