Books like Victorian Psycho — picked by fans

I’ve never read another book that got under my skin like A Head Full of Ghosts.

I felt unsettled, not just by the horror, but by the way Tremblay made me question memory, faith, and family. I remember finishing it and just sitting there, trying to figure out what was what. It’s rare for a book to make me feel compassionate and terrified at the same time. 

That’s why I recommend it: because it doesn’t leave you when you close the cover. It lingers, and I love that.

I love this book because it proves fear does not have to shout to own the room.

Shirley Jackson makes dread feel elegant, patient, and almost polite, which somehow makes it worse. I admire how much she trusts atmosphere, silence, suggestion, and character discomfort.

That is the kind of horror I respect most: not just “what is happening?” but “why does everything suddenly feel wrong?”

I love this book because it made me laugh when I least expected it.

The wit is so sharp it almost feels like a weapon against the darkness creeping in at the edges. I remember grinning at one line and then, two pages later, feeling the walls closing in.

That balance of humor and horror made me feel like the story was written for someone like me, someone who finds the grotesque easier to face when it comes with a crooked smile.

I couldn’t stop thinking about this book because it was suffocating.

The idea that "groupthink" could weigh on everyone so much that they learn to live with something terrifying, and still choose cruelty over kindness, unsettled me more than any jump scare. I remember setting it down one night and realizing what I was witnessing: a trainwreck in slow motion.

It reminded me how horror works best when it holds up a mirror, and sometimes what stares back is uglier than a monster, or in this case, a witch.

Before settling into the chronicle of the title character, this first entry in the Undertaker series (from the author of the much longer-running Edge books as well) follows a circuitous course involving an unfaithful wife and a vengeful husband. I won’t spoil the surprises along the way, but the Undertaker himself pushes the Western antihero to its limit. He’s all but emotionless, very nearly a sociopath, but with a certain competence and honor that gives him an appeal. (Even though he’s further saddled by the lame catchphrase ‘Bye-bye.’) I actually find his semi-autistic callousness more bearable than Steele’s more willful nastiness, since it seems the Undertaker was simply born the way he is, rather than choosing it.

You’ll recognize certain plot points from these books remixed into my book, though I found the Undertaker’s continued lack of character development a bit grating from one book to the next. That’s the… show more.

This book is a wickedly twisted ride! Picture this: a cold and ruthless anti-hero named Killian, who’s as dangerous as he is irresistible, and Glyndon, who finds herself irresistibly drawn into his dark and chaotic world. The chemistry between them? Let’s just say it’s intense enough to spark a fire—and then throw some gasoline on it! What really kept me glued to the pages was their electrifying, almost toxic connection.

The tension between them is off the charts, and you never quite know what to expect next. Killian is unapologetically brutal, playing psychological mind games that had me on the edge of my seat. It’s raw and definitely not for the faint of heart, but I couldn’t put it down!

Windsor Horne Lockwood III, otherwise known as Win, is Myron Bolitar’s psychotic sidekick in Coben’s long-running series. Win is pure antihero.

He and Myron have been best friends since they roomed together at college. Win is from ‘old money’ and doesn’t try to hide it, he runs Lock-Horne Investments & Security, and is an expert in martial arts and weapons. Other than Myron and Myron’s business partner, Esperanza, and maybe half a dozen others, he has no emotional attachment to humans.

Despite his psychopathy, Win is a very funny character, and his loyalty to his few friends is absolute. Win is the second book on the list in which the sidekick has gotten a book all to themselves and it was a joy to read.

This is a great, innovative new type of storytelling – that from the side of a monster protagonist. He’s more than just an antihero, he’s a certified, evil, people eating, gold grabbing, demon rising monstrosity – that you can’t help but route for. Prepare for having the meaning of the words ‘shinny’ and ‘tasty’ change forever in your eyes. This is a very different type of story told from the perspective of a greedy, evil, man-eating monster, and you can't help cheer for him along the way. Boxy is the funniest, most uncomplicated-complex character I've ever read, and as he meanders through life, causing a cataclysm event in his wake – all he really wants is shiny and tasty things.

I personally love twisted relationship books, especially when the antihero is hard to distinguish. This book deals with a marriage that is far from typical. I can't say more without spoilers, but take my word that this makes for a fabulous suspenseful read. If you read a book that makes you want to kick and scream when you finally "get it" then this is a perfect read for you. All I can say about Black Lies is expect the unexpected!

I was blown away by the scale, intensity, and singular obsession of Tau's journey.

I loved that the protagonist is not naturally gifted with magic or combat divinity; instead, he earns every single drop of his lethal skill through agonizing, repetitive sacrifice. The military training sequences felt raw, exhausting, and fiercely authentic.

I found myself cheering out loud during the sparring trials because the stakes felt so intimately personal. It is one of the most visceral, adrenaline-fueled military fantasy novels I have ever experienced.