What scares us? What really scares us? It’s not the form outside the window or the noise in the basement. It’s not the unexplained howling or the abandoned building that might or might not be populated by angry ghosts. Or it’s not just those things. What we find most terrifying is the wondering of what those things might be and the idea that whatever darkness lurks just out of sight, it’s so powerful, so sinister that we never stand a chance. The darkness—it’s coming for us. And when it gets hold, there will be no escape.

That’s horror. And horror gets a bad rap—limping monsters, and shlocky movie effects, gore, and blood-curdling shrieks. But I have long been a fan of what I think of as smart horror. Stories that tease and explore the true nature of our fear, that walk the razor’s edge between psychological and the so-called supernatural. There’s nothing as terrifying as what is happening in our heads; we are uniquely qualified to scare ourselves senseless. After all, the most effective haunting is personal, tailored to our unique fears and vulnerabilities. What scares you? Only you can answer that. Here are some books that have terrified me. Continue at CrimeReads