12 Gripping Serial Killer Novels

Alex North's first three books — The Shadows, The Angel Maker, and the New York Times bestselling The Whisper Man — were impossible to put down. In his latest, The Man Made of Smoke, North gives us another twisted tale for the ages. Here, a man named David Garvie returns to his small island community after the suspicious death of his father. Now a criminal profiler, David has not been back home in years, yet the place still haunts him — as do memories from his childhood of narrowly escaping a serial killer’s clutches. Is the monster from David’s youth still lurking in the shadows, waiting for his return? You’ve got to pick up the book to find out.

Bestselling author Peter Nichols’s small-town mystery thriller is set in scenic Granite Harbor, a close-knit coastal Maine community where a local teen is found brutally murdered at a nearby archeological site. It’s the first murder case for Alex Brangwen, the town’s sole detective. It also hits close to home: Sophie, Alex’s daughter, was best friends with the victim. Alex teams up with Isabel, who works at the archeological site and is the mother of the victim’s other best friend.

As Alex and Isabel race to solve the slaying ― motivated not just by justice but by the desire to protect their children ― they begin to glimpse Granite Harbor’s dark and secretive underbelly. When yet another body turns up, it becomes clear that a human monster stalks this once-peaceful community. Granite Harbor is a “serial killer thriller to make you shudder. It’s grisly, unsettling, and dark ― and also a beautifully written, deeply felt, and moving tale of family relationships. I loved it” (Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Fury).

Written by award-winning author Ivy Pochoda (Wonder Valley and Visitation Street), These Women is set in West Adams, a gentrifying part of southern Los Angeles where danger lurks around every corner. The novel centers on five women whose lives entwine with one dangerously obsessive man. They include young dancer Julianna, creative performance artist Marella, smart-as-a-whip vice cop Essie, and Dorian, a mom struggling to move on after her daughter’s unsolved murder. There’s also Anneke, a quiet woman who’s tried her best to shut out the rising wave of violence — until a fresh spate of murders rocks the neighborhood, making it impossible to ignore.

Oyinkan Braithwaite wowed readers around the world with her darkly funny mystery My Sister, the Serial Killer. The novel centers on the popular and beautiful Ayoola and her sister, Korede, who lives in Ayoola’s shadow. Despite Ayoola’s status as the favorite child, she possesses a twisted secret: She’s a sociopathic serial killer with a habit of eliminating her boyfriends. Luckily, Korede is a pro at cleaning up Ayoola’s blood-spattered messes. It’s a thankless task, but she knows how to get it done and move on with her day. That is, until Korede’s work crush asks for Ayoola’s number, compounding an already twisted situation. 

Dennis Lehane is the author behind some of the best crime novels in recent memory, including Shutter Island, Mystic River, and Small Mercies. In Darkness, Take My Hand, Lehane continues the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series he launched in A Drink Before the War. In this book, the team’s latest client is a successful Boston psychiatrist being targeted by the Irish mob. But they quickly realize this is not just a run-of-the-mill revenge case, as a bunch of dark secrets bubble to the surface, leading to violent serial murders that make the truth harder and harder to decipher. Darkness, Take My Hand is the second book in a six-part series, so you’ll have plenty reading to do once you finish this gritty, fast-paced novel. 

It’s impossible to talk about some of the best thriller and mystery books around without at least mentioning Riley Sager, the prolific author behind bestsellers The Only One Left, The House Across the Lake, Middle of the Night, and many others. Survive the Night is one of our favorite Sager books, as it injects ’90s nostalgia into its supremely creepy and propulsive serial killer tale. In November 1991, Charlie Jordan is in a car with Josh Baxter, a man he met on a campus ride-share board. The two are headed to Ohio, where Charlie seeks to escape the grief he feels from his best friend’s murder at the hands of the Campus Killer. Josh says he has a sick dad to care for in Ohio, but Charlie notices more and more holes in the story as the ride progresses. Ultimately, he becomes convinced that he may be in danger of becoming the Campus Killer’s fourth victim — for the killer may be behind the wheel. 

The Jigsaw Man is the first of three crime novels in Nadine Matheson’s Inspector Anjelica Henley series (so you have a built-in list of follow-up reads if you enjoy the book). Anjelica receives a new case the day she returns to active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, and it’s an especially gruesome one. Dismembered body parts from two victims have been found floating in the river, and the crimes bear a striking resemblance to those of Peter Olivier, aka the Jigsaw Killer. One catch: Peter has been behind bars for years now, which means that a copycat killer has surfaced — and Peter is not happy that this new killer is tainting his legacy. Both Peter and Anjelica want to get their hands on this copycat, but who will get to him first? 

Jar of Hearts made waves when it was released in 2018, winning multiple awards and landing on many best-of-the-year lists. The thriller centers on three best friends: Angela Wong, Georgina Shaw, and Kaiser Brody. Popular Angela went missing when they were 16, but no one ever suspected that one of her friends could be involved. Fourteen years after her disappearance, though, Angela’s remains are found, right near Georgina’s childhood home. Kaiser, now a detective with Seattle PD, determines that serial killer Calvin James, Georgina’s former high school boyfriend, killed Angela — and Georgina knew about it. Then two new bodies surface, killed in the same manner as Angela, and the case gets a lot more complex. 

If you have not yet read S. A. Cosby’s New York Times bestselling All the Sinners Bleed, what are you waiting for? This acclaimed Southern mystery has it all, from a gripping case to a richly defined setting to important social commentary on race, religion, and more. Former FBI agent Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff of Charon County, Virginia, where there have only been two murders in decades. Exactly one year after Titus’s election, a teacher is killed by a former student, who is then themselves killed by the police. The investigation uncovers horrific crimes and a serial killer who has been haunting the rural community for far longer than anyone realized. Throw in some complications — in the form of the killer’s church connection and a menacing alt-right group — and here you have something much more layered and intricate than your typical crime novel. 

Enjoy being spooked? We highly recommend Søren Sveistrup’s The Chestnut Man, a chilling Nordic noir that was turned into a Netflix series in 2021. The creepy serial killer book centers on the crimes of a psychopathic killer as he terrorizes Copenhagen. He’s known as the Chestnut Man because of his calling card: a handmade doll crafted from chestnuts and matchsticks that’s left behind at each of his crime scenes. When a fingerprint is found on one of the dolls, it leads investigators to the young daughter of a government minister who was kidnapped and killed years ago. Two warring detectives must come together to solve the case and stop the Chestnut Man from continuing his ghastly rampage. 

Thomas Harris is the author behind The Silence of the Lambs, so we really don’t think we need to sell you on his merits. Red Dragon is the first book in the Hannibal Lecter series, so it’s a necessary read for a full introduction to one of the most (if not the most) famous fictional serial killers of all time. The classic novel features William Graham, an FBI agent who is famous for capturing Hannibal; now he’s on the case of a new killer nicknamed the Tooth Fairy, who has already murdered two families. William must enlist the help of Lecter to get inside the Tooth Fairy’s mind before anyone else gets hurt. The book is just as affective today as when it came out in 1981, and it’s a must-read for all fans of twisted and propulsive serial killer books. 

Jessica Knoll is the bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive, which has garnered tons of attention in recent years thanks to its Netflix adaptation. If you loved that story, you’ll likely love this one too — and perhaps even more, since it’s not just a murderous tale but also a commentary on tabloid culture and our societal obsession with true crime. Bright Young Women opens on a Saturday night in 1978, only hours before a notorious serial killer targets a Florida sorority house. Those who do make it out alive will never be the same, including sorority president Pamela Schumacher. Across the nation, a woman named Tina Cannon is investigating her friend’s disappearance and is convinced she was killed by the so-called All-American Sex Killer. Pamela and Tina team up, leading to a wild final confrontation that you really don’t want to miss.