The best books to keep you on the edge of your seats

Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer of murder mysteries, it goes without saying I’m a fan of whodunits. But I’m also a fan of horror stories and those tales that keep me turning pages and looking into the shadows. So in my newest book, I wanted to combine the two. That is, mixing scares and thrills with a whodunit and adding a big dose of Latino culture and characters. In a lot of my work, I write about the culture with which I grew up. I also love to tap into the Mexican myths and folk stories I heard as a kid then revamping and retelling them into something new.


I wrote...

Under the Blood Moon

By Patricia Marcantonio,

Book cover of Under the Blood Moon

What is my book about?

Guadalupe, New Mexico is usually a pretty quiet town. That is until everything starts going to hell with a series of bizarre murders. Not to mention, a demon gives birth at a park. A boy disappears in the middle of a swimming pool. Rattlesnakes invade the town. Asked by his best friend, the sheriff, to assist in the investigation, Prosecutor Matthew Riley suspects a high-end resort development is at the heart of the crimes. But he also discovers a conspiracy of the living has opened the door for an ancient evil seeking revenge for old and new betrayals that threaten his own family.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Red Dragon

Patricia Marcantonio Why did I love this book?

From the outset, this book grabs you by the throat with mystery, horror, and crime. Not necessarily in that order. The story provides plenty of scares with the twisted work of the serial killer, the Tooth Fairy. But you’re also touched by the humanity of the victims and the man trying to catch the killer and the effect the hunt has on him and his family. Additionally, we’re introduced to the unforgettable and infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter. That alone makes it worth the read.

By Thomas Harris,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Red Dragon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of "Silence of the Lambs" and "Black Sunday", this is the book that introduces the most famous serial killer of them all - Hannibal Lecter.


Book cover of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Patricia Marcantonio Why did I love this book?

While zombies have become a bit commonplace these days, this novel is not. It’s written in a nonfiction style that’s even more effectively scary with its tales from around the globe of how a zombie invasion took hold of the world and how the world survived the best it could. As a result, the story comes off as real life instead of fiction, which makes it all the more terrifying. As if we are reliving the bad memories of an apocalypse.

By Max Brooks,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked World War Z as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginning of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse.

Faced with a future of mindless man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the ten-year fight against the horde, World War Z brings the finest traditions of journalism to bear on what is…


Book cover of The Graveyard Book

Patricia Marcantonio Why did I love this book?

From the starting pages of how a toddler survives the murder of his family, you won’t let loose of this book. How Nobody “Bod” Owens finds his way into a cemetery and is raised by the supernatural residents there, such as ghosts and other creatures. All the while, Bod is sought by his family’s killer. And talk about edge-of-your-seat moments, such as when Bod ventures beyond the Ghoulgate. But what also keeps you reading are the great characters and what’s going to happen to Bod next in his graveyard home. Gaiman is a master of fantasy and humanity.

By Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked The Graveyard Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing his entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?


Book cover of Mockingjay

Patricia Marcantonio Why did I love this book?

Talk about nonstop. The final book in the Hunger Game series sends Katniss Everdeen on one thrilling and scary journey after another. Through war zones, as the rebels fight Capitol forces and right into the heart of the Capitol, above and below ground. She and her crew face not only human fighters but the horrific engineered mutts and traps. Emotionally, it’s no picnic either because her Hunger Games partner Peeta has been brainwashed to kill her. Then there’s all the political intrigue. Whew. I stayed up into the night to read this because the story wouldn’t let go of me.  

By Suzanne Collins,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Mockingjay as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The final book in the ground-breaking Hunger Games
trilogy.
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games
twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena
alive, she's still not safe.

The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss.

And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one
else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not
the people of District 12.



now a major feature film starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
& Liam Hemsworth



OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES…


Book cover of 30 Days Of Night

Patricia Marcantonio Why did I love this book?

The graphic novel is one rush of scares and thrills. Set in the city of Barrows, Alaska where the sun doesn’t rise for thirty days during winter, the place becomes the perfect grounds (feasting, that is) for a group of vampires. And these monsters aren’t sparkling and pretty by any stretch. It’s up to Sheriff Eben Olemaun to survive with a group of townspeople, but the how and they why they do is one great story, aided by atmosphere illustrations.

By Steve Niles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 30 Days Of Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Collects all three issues of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT from Steven Niles and Ben Templesmith!
The story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.


You might also like...

The Blue Prussian

By Eve Penrose,

Book cover of The Blue Prussian

Eve Penrose

New book alert!

What is my book about?

The Blue Prussian is a spellbinding story told by Blake O’Brien, a beautiful, young executive with a globetrotting career. Blake returns to her native Manhattan from San Francisco after escaping—or so she thinks—her marriage to a dashing man who turned out to be a prince of darkness. She had been hoping for a fresh start but learns that she has been poisoned with thallium—a deadly neurotoxin referred to as the poisoner’s poison.

Blake is treated with the only known antidote—Prussian blue—the same synthetic pigment with the deeply saturated hue used in dazzling masterpieces like The Starry Night and The Great Wave. Almost unfathomably, the alchemist who invented Prussian blue was the rumored inspiration for Mary Shelley’s character, Dr. Frankenstein. The similarities to Blake’s financier ex are striking as his true nature is revealed—including the discovery of a secret room in the brooding Victorian home where they lived their married life together.

The stylish enclaves of Beekman Place in New York City, Nob Hill in San Francisco, and the Mayfair neighborhood in London provide the backdrop as this chilling tale of treachery and betrayal unfolds. Blake’s resolve triumphs, and the camaraderie of her loyal and charismatic friends fortifies her as she takes the reader on a tantalizing international pursuit to try to catch her poisoner, who is known to the FBI as The Blue Prussian.

The Blue Prussian

By Eve Penrose,

What is this book about?

"A modern-day Gaslight"

The Blue Prussian is a spellbinding story told by Blake O'Brien, a beautiful, young executive with a globetrotting career. Blake returns to her native Manhattan from San Francisco after escaping—or so she thinks—her marriage to a dashing man who turned out to be a prince of darkness. She had been hoping for a fresh start but learns that she has been poisoned with thallium—a deadly neurotoxin referred to as the poisoner's poison.

Blake is treated with the only known antidote—Prussian blue—the same synthetic pigment with the deeply saturated hue used in dazzling masterpieces like The Starry Night…


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