28 books like The Matthew Corbett Novels

The Last Season recounts the disappearance of ranger Randy Morgenstern in California’s High Sierra. A legend in the NPS for his devotion to wild places, Morgenson spent more than 25 seasons as a backcountry ranger in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks before disappearing without a trace in 1996. An introspective sort who knew every corner of the territory he patrolled, Morgenson left behind a tantalizing mystery that writer Eric Blehm turns into a page-turning, psychological thriller. Did he fall off a cliff? Was he murdered? Did he take his own life? As a young ranger, I read this book late into the night under the hissing gas light of my duty station. We’ve had campers vanish in our wilderness—and a ranger die in the line of duty—so every page rang true. 

Set in the rainforest of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, this book centers on the bizarre murder of a man killed with an ancient weapon not used for the last ten thousand years. Mysterious tales of Sasquatch sightings circulate around the investigation. Only by pressing deep into the rainforest and sleuthing firsthand can the heroes capture the culprit of the crime. While reading this novel, I could feel the cold rain dripping off the tree canopy, and could smell the ferns and moss and hanging lichen of the rainforest. Coincidentally, right after reading this book, I went camping in a remote corner of Washington State. I found myself jumping at the sudden trill of a red squirrel and feeling the shadows of night press in on me. The book had come alive in my mind.

I tore through this gripping mystery, set in the world of wildlands firefighting, in one sitting. I felt like I was on the fire line with the characters, could feel the heat of the blaze. With the terrible fires that have been raging lately in the west, if readers want to get a feel for the obstacles, sheer bravery, and fear firefighters face battling a wildlands blaze, this book is a must-read. The mystery plot, clever and twisting, kept me guessing, while the main character, national park ranger Anna Pigeon, is a stalwart, strong character I could truly get behind.

This one scared me. Who wants to think about dying during a hiking trip?! Yet, while I’d never wanted to conquer Mount Everest, I did long to undertake other (less extreme) adventures.

Reading Jon Krakauer’s account of his Everest experience inspired me to continue to dream big about other outdoor excursions more suited to my personality. I credit this book as one reason I wasn’t afraid to start hiking and backpacking long-distance trails—mostly solo—when I was in my 50s.

Werewolf James Bond killing Nazis in World War II. I’ll say it again: Werewolf James Bond killing Nazis in World War II. What more do you need to know?

Robert R. McCammon’s 1989 horror-adventure imagines the classic Gothic monster of the werewolf as a spy traversing a crumbling Nazi-occupied Europe. The book has an incredible sense of scale and incorporates both stomach-churning body horror and blistering action sequences, including a set piece on a train filled with deadly Saw-style traps and a shootout inside a Parisian opera house.

The Wolf’s Hour is ridiculous, and I love it for that. I love that it isn’t afraid to delve into the cheesier elements of the Gothic genre, without letting that detract from the real-world horrors of what the Nazis did. I’ve always felt that many of the best Gothic stories have some form of monster vs. man, with man being revealed as… show more.

At first, Martin’s novel appears to be an account of a Victorian housemaid’s daily life, but after a couple of chapters, her employer’s name—Dr. Jekyll!—is revealed, and a third of the way in, his friend Mr. Hyde is mentioned, and by then, the true nature of the story is unmistakable.

I loved how Martin subtly incorporated familiar details from Stevenson’s novella but filtered them through Mary’s innocent, unwitting perspective. Always, the story remains firmly Mary’s; I welcomed her moral sense and opinions as a counterweight to Jekyll’s arrogance. 

Of all the books on this list, Quint stays truest to its source material.

I admired how Lautner recreated Quint’s distinct voice for the narrative and molded the details of this prequel to fit references the character shared in the film Jaws.

Lautner tells the story of how Quint came to Amity Island, blending a Hemingway-esque action sequence with flashbacks to his days and nights in the shark-infested ocean following the Indianapolis sinking. The Indianapolis sequences are inspired by actual survivors’ testimony, adding a harrowing realism to the novel that impressed and captivated me. 

This book about an isolated woman who gets caught up in Frankenstein’s quest to build a bride for his creation is actually more horrifying before Victor shows up.

The description of the Orkney Islands is stark and moody, infusing the story with atmosphere. The details of an 18th century woman’s life and its hazards are devastating. I sympathized with Agnes in her frustration, despair, and betrayal, and I celebrated her striving for autonomy.

Mostly, I appreciated how McGregor brought to life a narrow section of Shelley’s original story.

Using Poe’s short story as a springboard, McCammon places the modern-day Usher family—armaments magnates plagued by both hereditary illness and a monster prowling the woods surrounding the family estate—into a creepy Southern Gothic that mixes familial backbiting with mystery, magic, and genuinely shocking horror.

I particularly loved the epistolary chapters revealing the Ushers’ historical evil deeds. I read this at Halloween and it created the ideal spooky tone for the season. 

This book tore me out of a reading slump and reminded me what good writing looks and viscerally feels like in my body.

It is dark, dangerous, gory, and completely bingeable. I loved the depiction of religion and faith – and the way it was used as both a weapon, shield, and prison by different characters. The romance was spicy and devastating. The stakes, impossibly high. The characters…utterly unforgettable.

One of the few books I will make time to re-read over and over, both to study to improve my own writing, and simply to just ruin myself in – over and over again.