The best books that capture the horrors of the workplace

Heide Goody Author Of Oddjobs
By Heide Goody

Who are we?

We've been writing together for over ten years now. A theme that we’ve come back to lots of times is the horrible workplace with its bosses from hell. Feedback from readers tells us that the ways in which we’re made miserable at work are universal and it can be fun to examine them in fiction. We doubled down on the theme in the Oddjobs series of books. We both love to read and write horror, and we spend time with lots of horror authors, so this list came together very easily.

We wrote...

Oddjobs

By Heide Goody, Iain Grant,

Book cover of Oddjobs

What is my book about?

Unstoppable horrors from beyond are poised to invade and literally create Hell on Earth. It’s the end of the world as we know it, but someone still needs to do the paperwork.

Morag Murray works for the secret government organisation responsible for making sure the apocalypse goes as smoothly and as quietly as possible. Trouble is, Morag’s got a temper problem and, after angering the wrong alien god, she’s been sent to another city where she won’t cause so much trouble. But Morag’s got her work cut out for her. She has to deal with a man-eating starfish, solve a supernatural murder and, if she’s got time, prevent her own inevitable death.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Horrorstör

By Grady Hendrix,

Book cover of Horrorstör

Why did I love this book?

You think your job is terrible? As terrible as working in a giant IKEA-like furniture store with its own weird company philosophy and product names you can’t pronounce? And what if a strange malevolent presence haunts the place every night, soiling furniture, and leaving cryptic horrid messages? This very much tongue-in-cheek story follows a band of employees who have the deeply unenviable job of guarding the store overnight. What happens is a mind-bending dimension-hopping lesson in why minimum wage is never enough.

Horrorstör

By Grady Hendrix,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Horrorstör as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's a classic old-fashioned haunted house story - set in a big box Swedish furniture superstore. Designed like a retail catalogue, Horrorstor offers a creepy read with mass appeal-perfect for Halloween tables! Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Bracken glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofabeds-clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-til-dawn shift-and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Wolf Hunt

By Jeff Strand,

Book cover of Wolf Hunt

Why did I love this book?

Even the simplest jobs can turn out to be horrible. George and Lou are the nicest, most amiable underworld thugs you could meet. They just want to get their delivery job done and then go out for some beers and bowling. Except, the thing they don’t know is that their delivery consignment is a very angry werewolf. When it escapes, they are forced into a cat-and-mouse chase across Florida. No paycheck can be worth the horror and torment that Jeff Strand’s bloody comedy puts them through.

Wolf Hunt

By Jeff Strand,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wolf Hunt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two thugs. One innocent woman. And one VICIOUS frickin' werewolf.

Meet George and Lou, thugs for hire. The kind of intimidating-yet-friendly guys who will break your thumbs, but be polite about it. Their latest assignment is to drive across Florida to deliver some precious cargo to a crime lord. The cargo: a man in a cage. Though Ivan seems perfectly human, they’re warned that he is, in fact, a bloodthirsty werewolf.

George and Lou don’t believe in the supernatural, but even if they did, it’s daytime and tonight isn’t the full moon. Their instructions are straightforward: Do not open the…

Explore
Topics
Genres

The Atrocity Archives

By Charles Stross,

Book cover of The Atrocity Archives

Why did I love this book?

Possibly the most perfect fusion of horror and the workplace, the Laundry Files books show us a bureaucratic British intelligence service where even reading a training manual wrong will result in your brains leaking out of your ears. A fusion of Cold War spy novels and Cthulhu-ish horror, The Atrocity Archive introduces us to put-upon spy/clerk Bob Howard. It’s uncertain whether endless form filling, petty managers, or horrors from the dark side of the moon are most likely to drive him mad.

The Atrocity Archives

By Charles Stross,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Atrocity Archives as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Brilliantly disturbing and funny at the same time' Ben Aaronovitch on the Laundry Files

'Tremendously good, geeky fun' Telegraph on the Laundry Files

NEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ACTIVE DUTY . . .

Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe - but then he went and got Noticed.

Now, Bob is up to his neck in spycraft, parallel universes, dimension-hopping terrorists, monstrous elder gods and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it…

Explore
Topics
Genres

The Stranger Times

By C. K. McDonnell,

Book cover of The Stranger Times

Why did I love this book?

In this absurdist horror comedy, The Stranger Times is a newspaper that reports on all of those “Bat-faced boy ate my cat!” stories that proper newspapers ignore. The press office is utter chaos, perpetually on the brink of collapse, and the editor is a foul-mouthed drunkard with a painful past. It’s not surprising that, faced with all of this, new reporter Hannah has trouble understanding what her job is meant to be. When she discovers that the newspaper has stumbled onto a true story of demonic horrors, it’s up to her to save everyone’s lives. And her own career.

The Stranger Times

By C. K. McDonnell,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Stranger Times as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny' proclaimed ADAM KAY, author of the No.1 bestselling This is Going to Hurt
'A filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise' said the GUARDIAN
JASON MANFORD thinks it's 'Hilarious. You'll never look at Manchester the same way again.'
The Chronicles of St Mary's series author JODI TAYLOR declared 'I loved this . . . great premise - great story - great characters . . . hugely enjoyable.'
And THE TIMES called it 'ripping entertainment from start to finish.'

There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in…

Explore
Topics
Genres

I Am Not a Serial Killer

By Dan Wells,

Book cover of I Am Not a Serial Killer

Why did I love this book?

John is a teenager who is starting to work in his family’s business, which is a mortuary. He is concerned about how much he enjoys being around death, and worries that he might be a sociopath. His concerns take a back seat when a murdering demon comes to town and John’s the only one who seems to know what is happening. A surprisingly warm and engaging book, given the subject matter. It’s also been made into a film.

I Am Not a Serial Killer

By Dan Wells,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Am Not a Serial Killer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I Am Not A Serial Killer is now a major film starring Christopher Lloyd and Max Records. This is the first title in the thrillingly dark John Wayne Carver series.

John works in his family's mortuary and has an obsession with serial killers. He wants to be a good person, but fears he is a sociopath, and for years he has suppressed his dark side through a strict system of rules designed to mimic 'normal' behavior.

Then a demon begins stalking his small town and killing people one by one, and John is forced to give in to his darker…

Explore
Topics
Genres

5 book lists we think you will like!

The best UK urban fantasy books that aren’t set in London
The best books that explore night’s tantalizing and terrifying potential
The best books that will creep you out in the best possible way
The best gateway books into the horror genre
The best books on women’s experiences in WW1

Interested in serial killers, haunted houses, and werewolves?

9,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about serial killers, haunted houses, and werewolves.

Serial Killers Explore 249 books about serial killers
Haunted Houses Explore 64 books about haunted houses
Werewolves Explore 124 books about werewolves