Mystery Readers Journal has done several theme issues, including one in 2008 on Crime for the Holidays. Here's a updated list of crime fiction set during Halloween. It doesn't include ghost stories, vampires and horror, not really! Please let me know any titles I've missed. Glad to add them. And, if you'd like to contribute a Guest Blog, let me know.
Green Water Ghost by Glynn Marsh Alam
Witches Bane by Susan Wittig Albert
Antiques Maul by Barbara Allan
Far to Go by May Louise Aswell
Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun by Kathleen Bacus
Trick or Treachery: A Murder She Wrote Mystery by Donald Bain and Jessica Fletcher
The Spirit of Murder by Laura Belgrave
The Long Good Boy by Carol Lea Benjamin
Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bentley
Watchdog by Laurien Berenson
Death of a Trickster by Kate Borden
Post-Mortem Effects by Thomas Boyle
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Hunt Ball by Rita Mae Brown
Death on All Hallowe'en by Leo Bruce
Wycliffe and the Scapegoat by W.J. Burley
Death Goes Shopping by Jessica Burton
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Ann Campbell
The Charm Stone by Lillian Stewart Carl
The Wizard of La-La Land by R. Wright Campbell
The Halloween Murders by John Newton Chance
Death with an Ocean View by Nora Charles
Frill Kill, Tragic Magic, Photo Finished by Laura Childs
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
Lost Souls by Michael Collins
Not in My Backyard by Susan Rogers Cooper
Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
A Catered Halloween by Isis Crawford
Silver Scream by Mary Daheim
Fatal Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany
Throw Darts at a Cheesecake by Denise Dietz
Trick or Treat, The Halloween Murder by Doris Miles Disney
A Map of the Dark by John Dixon
Ghostly Murders by P. C. Doherty
Died to Match by Deborah Donnelly
Cat with an Emerald Eye by Carole Nelson Douglas
Not Exactly a Brahmin by Susan Dunlap
The Bowl of Night by Rosemary Edghill
Door of Death by John Esteven
The Witchfinder by Loren D. Estleman
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Dead Ends by Anne C. Fallon
Sympathy For The Devil by Jerrilyn Farmer
Dead in the Pumpkin Patch by Connie Feddersen Blackwork by Monica Ferris
Scary Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
The Lawyer Who Died Trying by Honora Finkelstein
The Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Halloween Murder by Shelley Freydont
Trick or Treat by Leslie Glaister
Mommy and the Murder by Nancy Gladstone
A Few Dying Words by Paula Gosling
Hell for the Holidays by Chris Gravenstein
Nail Biter by Sarah Graves
Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham
Trick or Treat by Kerry Greenwood
Quoth the Raven, Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam
Southern Ghost by Carolyn Hart
Hide in the Dark by Frances Noyes Hart
Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter
The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman
Murder on the Ghost Walk by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
Long Time No See by Susan Isaacs
Murder Among Us by Jonnie Jacobs
A Murder Made in Stitches by Pamela James
The Violet Hour by Daniel Judson
Wed and Buried by Toni L.P. Kelner The Animal Hour by Andrew Klavan
Ghastly Glass by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Death Knocks Twice by James H. Lilley
Halloween Flight 77 by Debbie Madison
Satan's Silence by Alex Matthews
Tricks: an 87th Precinct Mystery by Ed McBain
Poisoned Tarts by G.A. McEvett
Death on All Hallows by Allen Campbell McLean
Trick or Treat Murder, Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier
Dancing Floor by Barbara Michaels
Monster in Miniature by Camille Minichino
The Violet Hour by Richard Montanari
Dead End by Helen R. Myers
Nightmare in Shining Armor by Tamar Myers
Hatchet Job by J.E. Neighbors
Retribution by Patrick J. O'Brien
Halloween House by Ed Okonowicz
The Body in the Moonlight by Katherine Hall Page
Twilight by Nancy Pickard
Murder at Witches Bluff by Silver Ravenwolf
Poltergeist by Kat Richardson
Death Notice by Todd Ritter
Spook Night by David Robbins
A Hole in Juan by Gillian Roberts
Magnolias, Moonlight, and Murder by Sara RosettScared Stiff by Annelise Ryan
Death of Halloween by Kim Sauke
Mighty Old Bones by Mary Saums
Murder Ole! by Corinne Holt Sawyer
Dance of the Scarecrows by Ray Sipherd
The Sterling Inheritance by Michael Siverling
Recipe for Murder by Janet Elaine Smith
Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
In the Blink of an Eye, Halloween Party by Wendy Corsi Staub
Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson
Mourning Shift by Kathleen Taylor
Inked Up by Terri Thayer
Charlie's Web by L.L. Thrasher
Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trochek
Murder by the Slice by Livia J. Washburn
Five-Minute Halloween Mysteries by Ken Weber
The Scarecrow Murders by Mary Welk
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells
Ghoul of My Dreams by Richard F. West
All Hallow's Eve by Charles Williams
Killer See, Killer Do by Jonathan Wolfe
All Hallow's Evil by Valerie Wolzien
Short story mavens don't worry: Here's a list of Halloween Mystery Short Stories:
Trick and Treats edited by Joe Gores & Bill Pronzini
Asking for the Moon (includes "Pascoe's Ghost" and "Dalziel's Ghost") by Reginald Hill
Murder for Halloween by Cynthia Manson
The Haunted Hour, edited by Cynthia Manson & Constance Scarborough
Murder for Halloween: Tales of Suspense, edited by Michele Slung & Roland Hartman.
Mystery for Halloween (an anthology), edited by Donald Westlake
I love this list. Holiday reading is a favorite of mine -- it gets me in the mood for the season. Lots of interesting titles here, making a decision is going to be difficult.
ReplyDeleteDid this post sound choppy? I think Twitter is getting to me. I find myself talking in abbreviated sentences these days.
140 characters or less :-)
ReplyDeleteGREAT list! Very comprehensive. I think you've just about covered EVERY Halloween book EVER written. Ha! Lots of stuff I've never read. Wow. What to choose?!
ReplyDeleteI am picking some titles from your and reserving at the library. But I probably won't get them read by Halloween. What the heck, I'll have some Halloween reading for Thanksgiving. ;)
Who would have thought there were so many!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for another excellent list of seasonal mysteries
ReplyDelete