Fans pick 95 books like The Invited

By Jennifer McMahon,

Here are 95 books that The Invited fans have personally recommended if you like The Invited. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of The Whisper Man

Chad Nicholas Author Of The Animal

From my list on solving the mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been reading mysteries and trying to solve them before it was revealed since before I can remember. From episodes of Scooby Doo to The Bailey School Kids, I loved any mystery that I could find, and the older I’ve gotten, the more complex and darker I like the mysteries. Eventually, I started writing my own, combining it with my love of horror, detectives, and pretty much every other genre to create the kind of mysteries I was always hunting for. I hope this list helps you find a few new favorites, and maybe you’ll be up reading The Long Halloween all night, just like I was!

Chad's book list on solving the mystery

Chad Nicholas Why did Chad love this book?

The thing I love the most about this book is its incredible pacing. While it's not nearly as complex as the mystery in my previous recommendation, and the final twist is not as shocking as Shutter Island, it is a book that you pick up on a whim and get hooked so fast that you want to read the entire story in one sitting.

It wastes no time setting up its mysteries, and its dual narrative keeps the reader coming back. To me, it reads like a detective story crossed with a “beach read,” a quick and effective story that has everything a mystery fan could want.

By Alex North,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The biggest new thriller of the year - pre-order the paperback now

"The best crime novel of the decade" Steve Cavanagh

You'll hear the whispers. And then you'll hear the screams...

Still devastated after the loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the sleepy village of Featherbank, looking for a fresh start.

But Featherbank has a dark past. Fifteen years ago a twisted serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as 'The Whisper Man'.

Of course, an old crime need not trouble Tom and…


Book cover of The Photo Thief

Terry S. Friedman Author Of Bone Pendant Girls

From my list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love jewelry that calls to me. When I make jewelry, I believe some of my spirit is infused in it. Later, the buyer’s spirit takes over the piece. I believe in life after death, and I interviewed a medium who performed spirit releases, which helped me build my ghost framework. A cold case of a missing teen I knew gave me a scene I still cry about. The best mysteries have revelations of the heart. My book, even after revising many times, still makes me laugh and cry too. In my opinion, there is no clock or calendar dictating forgiveness for the living or dead. There is only hope.

Terry's book list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world

Terry S. Friedman Why did Terry love this book?

I love the supernatural, and the premise for this book is amazing: cold cases and a wall of photos that speak.

I enjoyed the psychological angle: a cop with more than the average baggage coming off bereavement leave and a woman who suffers from seizures and is medicated. I found myself questioning how reliable either was and whether either of them could solve the crime. Or was it a crime?

I loved the detective assigned to this “easy” case and the vulnerable Cassandra. When these two damaged characters teamed up, I was cheering them on. I read this in about 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down.

By J. L. Delozier,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Drawn into a wealthy family's long, sordid history, a grieving detective faces a choice: overlook a socialite's death and save his career, or risk it all for the chance to hear his daughter's voice again.

If photos could speak.
Still grieving his toddler's death, Detective Dan Brennan of the Philadelphia P.D. returns to the force and is assigned to investigate a socialite's fatal fall down her mansion's staircase. But the open-and-shut case is turned on its head when the victim's epileptic daughter alleges her mother was murdered. Her evidence? The dead. Vintage crime-scene photographs displayed on the mansion's walls have…


Book cover of The Unquiet

Terry S. Friedman Author Of Bone Pendant Girls

From my list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love jewelry that calls to me. When I make jewelry, I believe some of my spirit is infused in it. Later, the buyer’s spirit takes over the piece. I believe in life after death, and I interviewed a medium who performed spirit releases, which helped me build my ghost framework. A cold case of a missing teen I knew gave me a scene I still cry about. The best mysteries have revelations of the heart. My book, even after revising many times, still makes me laugh and cry too. In my opinion, there is no clock or calendar dictating forgiveness for the living or dead. There is only hope.

Terry's book list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world

Terry S. Friedman Why did Terry love this book?

I loved this book because of the relationship of the villain to the protagonist. In fact, as I was writing my own novel, I used Connolly’s as a model. Oh, that I could write like John Connolly. The twists and turns, the little truths about life revealed.

I like layers in my mysteries and writing that is more lyrical. Flawed protagonists appeal to me, and Charlie Parker with his wife and daughter haunting him fit that need. And then there are Angel and Louis, the bad-good guys and loyal friends of Charlie. Every detective needs loyal friends who look out for them.

Connolly’s mysteries are dark, and the level of evil disturbing, but I like that.

By John Connolly,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

EVIL TAKES MANY FORMS.
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CHARLIE PARKER HUNTS THEM ALL.

Daniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has been missing for years following revelations about harm done to the children in his care. Believing him dead, his daughter Rebecca has tried to come to terms with her father's legacy, but her fragile peace is about to be shattered. Someone is asking questions: the revenger Merrick, a father and a killer obsessed with discovering the truth about his own daughter's disappearance.

Private detective Charlie Parker is hired to make Merrick go away, but Merrick will not be stopped. Soon Parker finds himself…


If you love The Invited...

Ad

Book cover of Knife Skills

Knife Skills By Wendy Church,

"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's,…

Book cover of Ghost Tamer

Terry S. Friedman Author Of Bone Pendant Girls

From my list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love jewelry that calls to me. When I make jewelry, I believe some of my spirit is infused in it. Later, the buyer’s spirit takes over the piece. I believe in life after death, and I interviewed a medium who performed spirit releases, which helped me build my ghost framework. A cold case of a missing teen I knew gave me a scene I still cry about. The best mysteries have revelations of the heart. My book, even after revising many times, still makes me laugh and cry too. In my opinion, there is no clock or calendar dictating forgiveness for the living or dead. There is only hope.

Terry's book list on Good ghosts and really evil villains in the supernatural world

Terry S. Friedman Why did Terry love this book?

I love a book with a damaged narrator who grows stronger while solving the mystery. And what a great idea—a comedian as the narrator. Raely’s life has been a trainwreck and what happens next? A real trainwreck. Suddenly she has a new friend of the invisible variety, a not-so-welcome sidekick.

Lyons builds her ghosts, extending their capabilities to include telekinesis, which to me is the scariest of capabilities. Raely attracted some really nasty spirits who attached to her. Just when I was afraid she’d be consumed by the ghostly evil, a twist. I actually shed tears while reading this one, which is not at all what I expected.

By Meredith R. Lyons,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Death is one thing, it's what you do afterward that matters.

Aspiring-comedian Raely is the sole survivor of a disastrous train wreck. While faced with the intense grief of losing her best friend, she realizes that someone is following her-and has been following her all her life. Trouble is, no one else can see him. For a ghostly tag-along, Casper's not so bad. He might even be the partner Raely needs to fight the evil spirit hell-bent on destroying her.

Raely and her friend must learn why this demonic spirit is haunting Raely and how she can stop him before…


Book cover of Hauntings

Kit Domino Author Of White Stones

From my list on supernatural phenomena and why they shouldn’t scare you.

Why am I passionate about this?

I don’t believe in ghosts, but fascination with the supernatural has been with me since childhood, my inquiring mind constantly seeking answers. Research through books and documentaries and talking to people on the subject leads me to conclude there has to be a scientific and rational explanation for every paranormal happening. Theories abound, none are conclusive, but one accepted theory stands out, and this is explored and expanded upon in my novel White Stones. The books chosen here are excellent examples in the world of the supernatural and paranormal and are worth reading whether you believe in ghosts or not. Some just might make you change your mind.

Kit's book list on supernatural phenomena and why they shouldn’t scare you

Kit Domino Why did Kit love this book?

This book by real-life ghost hunter Peter Underwood is an amazing attempt to demystify some of the most famous haunted sites across the globe, seeking out evidence, personal and witness experiences in an attempt to explain the inexplicable. In many cases he comes up with possible answers, often using the excuse of mental instability in those witnesses to prove his argument. For me, many of his conclusions were not convincing enough, this paucity of believable truth inspiring my own research and desire to debunk the whole concept of ghosts and hauntings. From it, I have learned that though most occurrences can be explained away, there is still much in this world that defies rational logic.   

By Peter Underwood,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this fascinating account of the best-attested cases of haunting - Hampton Court, the demon drummer of Bedworth, the Wesley ghost, Glamis, Borley Rectory and many others - Britain's foremost ghost-hunter has brought to light a wealth of valuable new evidence. Using the results of his many years of research and personal investigation into ghosts and hauntings, and providing detailed plans and original photographs, Peter Underwood puts forward some exciting and startling theories which will radically change our ideas about these hauntings.

Many hauntings can be explained without resorting to the supernatural or the paranormal. The author shows indisputable evidence…


Book cover of Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood

William P. Robertson Author Of Ghosts Revisited

From my list on classic horror story collections.

Why am I passionate about this?

My Swedish grandmother first introduced me to the horror genre when I was a small boy. Her folktales of trolls and witches really fueled my imagination! Then, when I was in junior high, my father encouraged me to read Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. I didn’t get hooked on things Gothic, however, until I heard the lyrics of Jim Morrison and the Doors in high school. After college, I became a freelance writer. I quickly learned that 80% of my spooky stuff got accepted by magazines while only 10% of my general interest work was published. That said, it’s no wonder I became a horror writer! 

William's book list on classic horror story collections

William P. Robertson Why did William love this book?

The Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood features the author’s scariest tales, including “The Willows” and “The Wendigo”. Blackwood piles detail after detail atop one another until the reader nearly suffocates from the gloom and terror they create! He also squeezes much fear from isolated places like Canada and the Danube River.

By Algernon Blackwood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A woman of snow . . . a midnight caller keeping his promise . . . forests where Nature is deliberate and malefic . . . enchanted houses . . . these are the beings and ideas that flood through this collection of ghost stories by Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951). Altogether thirteen stories, gathered from the entire corpus of Blackwood's work, are included: stories of such sheer power and imagination that it is easy to see why he has been considered the foremost British supernaturalist of the twentieth century.
Blackwood's ability to create an atmosphere of unrelieved horror and sustain it…


If you love Jennifer McMahon...

Ad

Book cover of Lethal Legacy

Lethal Legacy By H.R. Kemp,

Buried Secrets. A web of deceit, betrayal, and danger. Can she survive her fight for justice and truth? Laura thought she knew everything about her late husband before he died. Now, her life and the lives of those she loves are in danger. As Laura delves into his previous role…

Book cover of The Curse She Wore

Steven Ramirez Author Of The Girl in the Mirror

From my list on ghosts, demons, and the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steven Ramirez is a lifelong fan of the movies—especially gripping thrillers and nail-biting horror. An award-winning author, he wrote the supernatural suspense series, Sarah Greene Mysteries, and the horror-thriller series, Tell Me When I’m Dead. His latest novel is Faithless, a thriller. A former screenwriter, Steven lives in Los Angeles with his family. He enjoys Mike and Ikes with his Iced Caffè Americano, doesn’t sleep on planes, and wishes Europe were closer.

Steven's book list on ghosts, demons, and the supernatural

Steven Ramirez Why did Steven love this book?

What I love best about this novel is how adept the author is at combining the traditional elements of a serial killer story with those of supernatural tales such as Peter Straub’s terrifying Ghost Story. And trust me, the combination works. If you’re in the mood to be scared, then touched by the tortured yet loyal and loving Trinity LeDoux, I suggest you stop what you’re doing and acquire The Curse She Wore.

By Jordan Dane,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Trinity LeDoux, homeless on the streets of New Orleans, has nothing to lose when she hands a wealthy, yet reclusive clairvoyant a cursed vintage necklace. 

During one of Hayden Quinn's rare public appearances, he is unexpectedly recruited into Trinity's perilous mission-a journey back through time to the exact moment of death for two very different victims. 

Hayden and Trinity, two broken people with nothing but death in common, pursue the dangerous quest to stop the murderer emulating the grisly works of a notorious serial killer. Trespassing on Fate's turf comes with a price-one they will never see coming.


Book cover of Carnacki, The Ghost Finder

Ty'Ron W. C. Robinson II Author Of Lost in Shadows: Remastered

From my list on dark fantasy books that fascinate the minds of storytellers and their craft.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m passionate about dark fantasy stories due to the fact of their characters and worlds. The eeriness of their landscapes can tell a tale of their own. Dark fantasy has always been a drawing interest for me when it comes to telling stories. I read these books mainly because of their dark fantasy worlds. The stories and characters which come to life as I read them only captivated my creativity to tell my own stories. It is my sincere desire that you take a look into these books on this list and have your creativity sparked just as my own to craft your own dark fantasy stories.

Ty'Ron's book list on dark fantasy books that fascinate the minds of storytellers and their craft

Ty'Ron W. C. Robinson II Why did Ty'Ron love this book?

Who doesn’t like ghost stories? especially when there’s an occult detective eager to solve the case. That is what Carnacki, The Ghost-Finder, presented to me.

What I loved about the short stories is that Thomas Carnacki investigates the mysteries of the supernatural, seeking to solve them with his skillset. Sometimes, the cases are just pranks by humans, others by small spirits, and even some with malevolent forces.

This collection of supernatural dark fantasy sparked my imagination. Even to the point of inspiring me to create my own occult detective character.

By William Hope Hodgson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Six tales of Carnacki the Ghost Finder, tales of the outre, the unexpected, and the unexplained from a reknowned master of the macabre, William Hope Hodgeson.


Book cover of Blue Light of the Screen: On Horror, Ghosts, and God

Tariq Goddard Author Of High John the Conqueror

From my list on combining the known with the unknown.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have spent my entire working life tied to the virtuous cycle of reading, writing, and (I hope) thinking. Since my own first novel came out over twenty years ago, I have never lost my passion for reading, as I suspect that if I did, I would also lose my passion to write, and the fascination with other people and the world that fuels it. All these books have informed, gently or severely, my new novel, High John The Conqueror, encapsulating the incongruous mix between the given and the unbelievable that I find in life, and try to employ in my own work. 

Tariq's book list on combining the known with the unknown

Tariq Goddard Why did Tariq love this book?

This is a volume that defies genre, in part a supernatural memoir, encyclopedia of horror films, and a treatise on the existence of other dimensions. I love a book that doesn’t conform to the rules and tropes of a single genre, where you basically know that what you are getting will adhere to what is or is not allowed, on the basis of the categories assigned to it by the publisher. Cronin testifies to her personal experience of ghosts, and what the nature of reality must be to support such entities. I follow her in looking to mix horror and the uncanny into supposedly banal and quotidian reality, the supernatural just another facet of life, and not a sensationalist realm that requires a world of its own. 

By Claire Cronin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blue Light of the Screen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Blue Light of the Screen is about what it means to be afraid - about immersion, superstition, delusion, and the things that keep us up at night. A creative-critical memoir of the author's obsession with the horror genre, Blue Light of the Screen embeds its criticism of horror within a larger personal story of growing up in a devoutly Catholic family, overcoming suicidal depression, uncovering intergenerational trauma, and encountering real and imagined ghosts.As Cronin writes, she positions herself as a protagonist who is haunted by what she watches and reads, like an antiquarian in an M.R. James ghost story whose…


If you love The Invited...

Ad

Book cover of Deep Roots

Deep Roots By Sung J. Woo,

After solving her first case, private eye Siobhan O’Brien is hired by Phillip Ahn, an octogenarian billionaire with his own personal island in the Pacific Northwest. Ahn, a genius in artificial intelligence, swears that Duke, his youngest child and only son, is an impostor. Is Ahn crazy, or is Duke…

Book cover of The Complete John Silence Stories

William Meikle Author Of Carnacki: Heaven and Hell

From my list on occult detective collections.

Why am I passionate about this?

Even before I found Lovecraft and Stephen King and my world turned, I was raised on Doyle, Wells, Hodgson, and Robert Louis Stevenson which gave me both a love of the "gentleman detective" era and a deep love of the late Victorian/early Edwardian historical period in general. Once you merge that with my abiding interest in all things weird and spooky, you can see where a lot of my stories come from. There seems to be quite a burgeoning market for this kind of mixing of detection and supernatural, and I intend to write more... maybe even a lot more.

William's book list on occult detective collections

William Meikle Why did William love this book?

Silence is much more cerebral than Carnacki, more prone to solve his mysteries from the comfort of his armchair over a pipe of tobacco. But don't let the leisurely pace fool you; Blackwood brings the chills like few others can, and you might find yourself looking over your shoulder more than once, or even getting up to put a stronger light on. If creeping dread is your thing, Blackwood's your man for it.

By Algernon Blackwood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Complete John Silence Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the former British writers of supernatural tales in the twentieth century, Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951) wrote stories in which the slow accumulation of telling details produced a foreboding atmosphere of almost unendurable tension. Blackwood's literary renown began in 1908 with the publication of a highly successful collection of stories, John Silence — Physician Extraordinary, featuring a "psychic doctor."
This volume contains all five of the John Silence stories from the 1908 edition plus one additional tale. Edited and with an informative introduction by S. T. Joshi, noted occult fiction authority, the stories include "A Psychical Invasion," in which Silence…


Book cover of The Whisper Man
Book cover of The Photo Thief
Book cover of The Unquiet

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,588

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the supernatural, ghosts, and Vermont?

The Supernatural 374 books
Ghosts 262 books
Vermont 52 books