Scottish Authors: 8 Spooky Books to Read in October

By The Scots Magazine -

Discover your new favourite Scottish authors with this list of spooky and thrilling reads for October. From horror to cosy crime, these novels set in Scotland’s gloomy landscapes are perfect for autumn.

This brief selection was taken from the October issue of our magazine where we review our favourite Scottish books every month.

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A Haunting In
The Arctic
C.J. Cooke
£16.99
HarperCollins
Glasgow-based author C.J. Cooke is back with another chilling read, just in time for Hallowe’en ghost story season.

The novelist, whose previous bestselling book The Lighthouse Witches was nominated for an Edgar Award, has shown an incredible talent for exploring superstition, folklore and trauma in her work.

This time around she’s telling the fascinating story of the Ormen – a whaling ship which sets out to sail from Dundee at the start of the 20th century.

As the ship battles through the unforgiving North Sea towards the Arctic, Nicky Duthie awakes. She’s been attacked and dragged there against her will. It’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something which only she can give them…

Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.

Cooke skilfully tells the story through three different timelines – 1901, 1973 and in the present day, with urban explorer Dominique travelling to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck on the northernmost tip of Iceland.

As she attempts to unravel the ship’s secrets and share them with her TikTok followers, Dominique discovers that she’s not alone.
Something’s there with her, and it’s seeking revenge.

Often when authors skip between characters, time and place, the action can slow down, but every time period and voice is as compelling and enthralling as the next in this novel.

Cooke’s stunning prose is truly bewitching to read. Her characters are fully drawn, and it’s important that despite the thrilling nature of the story, each person’s plight is handled sensitively and with empathy.

Gloriously Gothic and hauntingly beautiful, A Haunting In The Arctic is guaranteed to send a shiver up your spine this October. Miss it at your peril.

The Murmurs
Michael J. Malone
£9.99
Orenda

Annie meets a man on her first shift as a care worker and has a terrifying premonition that he’s going to die. The curse which has trickled through the generations in her family is set to wreak havoc once again… A supernatural chiller by Ayr-based author Malone.

Dark Encounters
William Croft Dickinson
£12
Polygon

This spine-tingling collection of short stories brings the haunted landscape of Scotland to life. From a demonic text that leaves readers strangled to the murderous spectre of a feudal baron, this brilliant but unnerving book is guaranteed to lift hairs on the back of your neck.

The Coiled Serpent
Camilla Grudova
£14.99
Atlantic Books

The Edinburgh-based author of Children Of Paradise brings us a collection of wonderfully peculiar tales in her trademark surrealist style. She takes us on incredible journeys from an explosion in a custard factory to a venomous garden in a Margate museum.

Atlas Of Paranormal Places
Evelyn Hollow
£22 (Hardcover)
Ivy Press
A global tour of over 50 locations by Edinburgh-based Hollow uncovers fascinating paranormal activity. With a foreword by Uncanny writer Danny Robins, this atlas dives deep into shocking unexplained phenomena.

Hunger
Samuel Best
£4.99 (Paperback)
Self published
Steven and Claire have a nice life with their new baby and fixer-upper house. But when Steven finds a box under the floorboards, he awakens something ancient which threatens all he holds dear. A dark thriller from the Glasgow-based writer.

The Torments
Michael J. Malone
£9.99 (Paperback)
Orenda Books
Ayrshire author Malone brings us the Gothic follow-up to The Murmurs. Annie hides away in an ancient lochside dwelling. Inside, the voices merely buzz, but when she steps outside they torment her all over again. Then her adoptive mother arrives, begging for help…

The Book Of Witching
C.J. Cooke
£16.99 (Hardcover)
HarperCollins
In this spellbinding thriller, Erin is found on a beach in Orkney with catastrophic burns. How did she get them? How did her boyfriend end up burned alive? And what binds Erin to Alison Balfour who stood trial for witchcraft in Orkney, 400 years earlier?