Murder, Monsters and Madness [A #WickedGoodReads Reading List]

October is when I officially shift gears to reading all the dark, atmospheric and creepy books I can get my hands on. It’s also #WickedGoodReads Month here at GXO and we’re starting things off with 3 recommendations for #WickedGoodReads that involve Murder, Monsters and Madness.

… MURDER …

When it comes to books with a MURDER theme, Knife (Harry Hole #12), Jo Nesbo completely blew my mind this year. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the other books in the series – you don’t need to! This latest installment (published July 2019) is the BEST one so far (in my opinion) – and one that you should reach for if you like complex characters and a hook-you-from-the-beginning story.

The detective Harry Hole wakes up one morning with a ferocious hangover, his hands and clothes covered in blood.

Seriously – you don’t need to know anymore before you start reading. It will completely enthrall you from the first page – and it will almost spit you out when you’re done, leaving you completely exhausted – and either wishing for the next book – or wanting to read the other books in the series.

… MONSTERS …

Let’s give a big shout-out to MONSTER HUNTERS! One of the best I’ve read about recently is Maggie Hoskie in Trail of Lightening, Rebecca Roanhorse. She is a complete badass – and you’ll need to be in this World where monsters roam freely.

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Welcome to the Sixth World.

Trail of Lightening won the 2019 Locus Award for First Novel – and with good reason. Maggie is a complex character – girl’s got issues – and yet she continues to try to do the right thing. The World building is different from what I’m sure you’re used to – and so I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Tanis Parenteau.

… MADNESS …

Baby Teeth, Zoje Stage is so unsettling because it’s main character is so young – just 7 years old – and she has it in for her mommy.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

So, this kid has some emotional issues, and to put Baby Teeth in the MADNESS category because of her might be a bit of a stretch – but there’s no denying, she’s one creepy, deranged little bastard!

Have you read any of these books? Which #WickedGoodReads would you recommend to us for Murder, Monsters and Madness?