5 great dark novels to devour this fall

We want thrills! Gripping plots, scary characters, twists, and a wild finale… How about cozying up under a blanket to devour these new handpicked thrillers? From Michael Crichton’s (Jurassic Park) unfinished novel to Joyce Carol Oates’ latest work, an investigation set in the Wild West, and Edouard Louis writing about his brother... Here’s a spotlight on 5 literary gems you must read ASAP.

Great read : Boucher by Joyce Carol Oates

The pitch : It's the 19th century. The story begins when the eldest son of Dr. Silas Weir rejects his father’s legacy, deeming it too brutal. Dr. Weir, dubbed the “father of gyne-psychiatry,” is notorious for his violent gynecological experiments on mentally ill women. Under the guise of repairing, understanding, guiding, and curing women, the doctor conducts horrifying experiments to extract madness. When an operation goes wrong, the patients are anonymously buried behind the asylum, leaving only a distant memory of their existence. His goal? To advance science, but above all, to etch his name in history. And to do so, he’s ready to go to any length.

Brilliantly blending the doctor’s writings, those of his eldest son, and the journal of one of his patients, the author keeps readers guessing and plays with their fears, delivering a tale as horrific as it is bloody. The feverish energy, narrative propulsion, and descriptive amplitude serve as a commentary on women’s rights, the abuses of patriarchy, and the servitude of society's forgotten.

Why you’ll love it : With her now-legendary writing, Joyce Carol Oates never stops questioning the world around her, particularly the American psyche. Boucher is proof of this. Relying on authentic historical documents, the writer delves into humanity’s darkest depths and delivers an extraordinary story about a little-known part of psychiatric history in the U.S. Here, she directly draws inspiration from J. Marion Sims, an untrained doctor from the 1840s who performed experimental surgeries on women recovering from childbirth. With Boucher, the author delivers one of her best novels, alongside Blonde and Les Chutes (Prix Femina Étranger).

Great read : L'effondrement by Edouard Louis

The pitch : "I felt nothing when I heard about my brother’s death." Édouard hadn’t seen his half-brother in 9 years when he died. After his death, Édouard urgently tries to understand this unloved brother’s slow decline and forgive this homophobic brother who rejected him. To do so, he moves away from sociological analysis and social determinism, preferring to delve into the past of someone he never loved, to better explain him: he interviews the women who lived with and loved his brother, while drawing on the writings of philosophers such as Freud, Julia Kristeva, and Michel Foucault.

But who was this brother whose name is never mentioned? He spent his life dreaming big, imagining himself a world-renowned craftsman, a wealthy traveler, and loved by the father who died at his birth. But he quickly hit the harsh reality of life. To his parents, he was a failure, an alcoholic, and a depressive. Humiliated by them, abandoned by his brother, and unable to fulfill any of his dreams, hurt and fragile, he chose death at the age of just 38.

Why you’ll love it : After writing about his mother in Combats et métamorphoses d'une femme and Monique s’évade, and about his father in Qui a tué mon père, Édouard Louis now focuses on his elder brother and his slow destruction by alcohol. In L’effondrement, the author recounts his investigation to capture his brother’s personality, offering a poignant, subtle, and sorrowful account. Known for his reliance on social determinism, this time Louis shifts his focus toward psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry to show his brother’s deep-seated depression.

Great read : Éruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

The pitch : It’s 2025 on the island of Hawaii. John MacGregor, a prominent volcanologist, is training young surfers when a volcanic tremor shakes the ground. He immediately rushes to join his team: Mauna Loa is about to erupt, starting a countdown. But the imminent eruption isn’t the scariest part—it’s the state secret it’s about to uncover that frightens John. Under the volcano, chemical weapon waste buried by the U.S. Army in the 1970s is about to be released into the soil. These radioactive toxins would cause an agonizing and swift death to anyone who comes into contact with them.

What could become the greatest planetary catastrophe forces the volcanologist’s team into impossible choices. The tension mounts, and the fast pace drives a gripping plot, offering a breathtaking tale. The massive human and material losses, the suffering, and the catastrophic effects of a volcanic eruption are described with cinematic force.

Why you’ll love it : When two legendary authors combine their talents, the result is inevitably phenomenal. Michael Crichton, famous for Jurassic Park, passed away before he could continue his final script. His wife, Sherri Crichton, kept his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the perfect author to complete it. When she reached out to James Patterson, author of The Collector and Kiss the Girls, he didn’t hesitate to take on the challenge. The setting is grand, the stakes are high, the details are fascinating, and the characters are so realistic that you wish you knew them personally. A thriller of great literary scope. The only drawback? A lot of technical jargon and Hawaiian slang, which may not appeal to everyone.

Great read : Le dernier combat by Craig Johnson

The pitch: Custer’s Last Fight, painted by Cassily Adams, is the most copied painting in U.S. history, with over two million reproductions distributed annually. Every saloon, barber shop, and diner in the last century had a copy on their walls. The story ends tragically in 1946 when it disappears in a fire at the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army in Texas.

When Charley Lee Stillwater, an African American World War II veteran, dies of a heart attack, numerous art books, a mysterious small painting, and a shoebox containing a million dollars are found in his room. The small painting resembles the one that disappeared decades earlier. Could it be possible that the painting survived the fire? The plot thickens when the sheriff discovers that his old friend was stationed in Texas at the time of the fire. Add to that a crooked art dealer, a skilled forger, Russian art collectors, and an assortment of violent thugs, and you get a well-crafted and hilarious plot.

Why you’ll love it : Le dernier combat joins the long-running series of Sheriff Walt Longmire’s investigations, which began with Little Bird 20 years ago and has since been adapted into an Apple TV series. Once again, Craig Johnson dives into the myths that permeate American history. With impressive documentation on the world of art and culture, he delivers a captivating story. His fluid writing paints the portrait of quirky but interesting characters that immerse you in this prolific writer’s world. It definitely makes you want to read more!

Great read : Hildur by Satu Rämö

The pitch : Hildur Rúnarsdóttir lives in Ísafjörður, a remote town in Iceland’s Westfjords. Haunted for the past 25 years by the unsolved disappearance of her younger sisters, she works tirelessly at the town’s police station and spends her free time surfing. Two events shake her monotonous life: the arrival of intern Jakob Johanson, who loves knitting Icelandic sweaters, and a new case that will plunge her back into a past she’s trying to forget.

The body of Jón Jónssen, a pedophile and drug dealer, is found in his cabin, his throat slashed. Shortly after, prominent lawyer Heiđar Arason is brutally murdered in the garage of his luxurious Reykjavik home. Freysi Gunnarsson, a gym teacher and Hildur’s close neighbor, is pushed into a ravine near Ísafjörður. Now it's up to the investigators to find a connection between the three deaths—and possibly with the disappearance of the little girls decades ago.

Why you’ll love it : Known for her travel guides on Iceland and books on Icelandic knitting, Satu Rämö had no trouble stepping into the shoes of a novelist. With Hildur, she pens her first novel, kicking off a trilogy of thrillers set in the small town where she now resides. The characters are well-developed and made endearing by the demons they try to combat, the setting is perfectly established, and the magical fjords, nature, and harsh climate give the story a mysterious atmosphere. This first installment has been so successful in Finland that a series is already in the works.

Great Read: "Before Summer" by Lisa Gardner

For Whom? Fans of fast-paced investigations led by a strong-willed detective.

Synopsis: Welcome to Mattapan, a tough neighborhood in North Boston. Drug trafficking, counterfeit money, and identity forgery are everyday occurrences. Angelique Badeau, a young Haitian girl who arrived after the tsunami, mysteriously disappears. But why hasn't a serious, ambitious high school student, eager for a better life for herself and her little brother, returned home?

Frankie Elkin has made it her mission to find missing people abandoned by the police and their families. When she arrives in Boston, eleven months have passed since Angelique's disappearance. She reopens the case, faces opposition from the police, and distrust from the neighborhood, which disapproves of a white woman poking into their affairs.

Why You'll Love It: Lisa Gardner is a master of well-crafted thrillers. The author of "Save Your Skin" and "The House Next Door" skillfully highlights ultra-badass female protagonists. After Commander D.D. Warren and private detective Tessa Leoni, meet Frankie Elkin, a budding investigator specializing in cold cases involving minorities. The suspense builds, the book gets darker, and it's hard to put down. The best part? "Before Summer" is just the first installment in Frankie Elkin's series.

Great Read: "One Summer Evening" by Philippe Besson

For Whom? Nostalgic for the '80s, looking for a good crime novel reminiscent of good times.

Synopsis: "There was optimism, enthusiasm, cheerfulness. There was carelessness, indolence, a laissez-faire attitude, letting go." Why do stories have to end badly? Everything seemed perfect that summer: the warmth of the sun on the skin, the salty smell of the sea on wet swimsuits, the coolness of beer sipped after a day of doing nothing.

On the roads of Île de Ré, between Rivedoux and Saint Martin, Philippe Besson takes us through one of the most memorable moments of his adolescence. Philippe, childhood friend François, Christophe, Nicolas, Alice, and her brother Marc formed a group that seemed unshakeable. Except for the disappearance of one of them. That's when everything changes.

Why You'll Love It: Philippe Besson, known for "In the Absence of Men" and more recently "This is Not a Crime Story," delivers an almost autobiographical novel. Inspired by a true story from his vacations in the mid-'80s, the author captures moments of simplicity, narrates lazy summer days, and lets unease slowly settle in as the reader realizes that something serious is about to happen. With sensitivity, nostalgia, and melancholy, he takes us back to the '80s, those vacations, and the first stirrings of being 18.

Great Read: "Holly" by Stephen King

For Whom? Fans of horror and psychological thrillers that send shivers down the spine.

Synopsis: Nothing is more malevolent than what could actually happen. In this tale set during the coronavirus crisis, reality is almost scarier than fiction. Welcome to the Harris family, an octogenarian couple and former university professors—one in biology and the other in literature. Emily and Rodney are enjoying their retirement when mysterious disappearances of young people occur in their neighborhood.

When Bonnie Dahl's bicycle is found, investigator Holly Gibney agrees to come out of retirement to ensure justice is served. Little does she know that she will delve into the darkest depths of human madness. What unspeakable secrets do the walls lined with books of the Harris couple hide? Don't be fooled; the criminals are revealed in the first pages. What interests our horror king is the power of human insanity.

Why You'll Love It: After hundreds of horror novels, short stories, and other horror tales, the supernatural king completely abandons the fantastical and delivers a pure detective novel. We're delighted to see Holly, a recurring heroine from the Hodges trilogy and also present in "The Outsider." While the writer seems to borrow his tone from young adult novels, the targeted reader is quite different: Stephen King enjoys depicting our society in its total horror. And the only conclusion is this: after so many years, Stephen King has continued to stimulate his overflowing imagination and continues to take us on journeys through his brilliant mind.

Great Read: "The Outcasts" by Arnaldur Indridason

For Whom? Fans of historical crime novels with a simultaneously detestable and ultra-appealing investigator.

Synopsis: In previous episodes... Konrad is a retired inspector unable to stop poking his nose into criminal cases that his former colleagues continue to handle. It's in his blood! When a widow discovers a mysterious revolver among her late husband's belongings and takes it to the police, they quickly discover that it was used in a crime committed years ago in 1955. Inspector Konrad gets involved: this weapon worries him, the crime was never solved, and he is convinced he saw this gun in his father's hands.

In his brilliant mastery of suspense, Arnaldur Indridason takes us between past and present, lulling our vigilance to uncover the culprits. The best part? The historical aspect of this noir novel, as beyond a well-executed investigation, the author describes the dark period Iceland went through after the war when the rural and poor island abruptly entered modernity, and the Americans set up a military base.

Why You'll Love It: Arnaldur Indridason, the renowned Icelandic author, delivers the fifth volume of his Konrad series, including the excellent "The Wall of Silence." Sensitive souls, beware! Difficult living conditions, corruption, violence, abuse, zero tolerance for homosexuals, traumas, and memories impossible to forget... Throughout the investigations, the author doesn't hesitate to depict truly atrocious villains, portray Icelandic society in its darkest form, and address resolutely sordid themes.

Great Read: "The Black House" by Yûsuke Kishi

For Whom? Fans of crime novels looking for a story that stands out.

Synopsis: Shinji Wakatsuki is the model employee of an insurance agency in Kyoto. His role? Tirelessly track inconsistencies in death certificates; many policyholders are willing to make false statements for compensation. When contacted by Shigenori Komoda for an assessment at his house, he has no idea that this case would lead him to the depths of the human soul's darkness.

On-site, he discovers the body of a twelve-year-old swinging at the end of a rope. While his logic suggests suicide, his instinct tells him that something else happened in this gloomy home where the smell of death lingers. Haunted by an intimate tragedy resurfacing from his childhood, exhausted by frightening nightmares, imbued with a madness that builds up, Shinji finds himself trapped in an unhealthy spiral.

Why You'll Love It: Yûsuke Kishi had already made an impression with "Lesson of the Evil," in which, like here, he delves into the horrors and joys of the human psyche, with a cynical view of Japanese society. In this jubilant and cynical thriller, the author ventures into (very) visual gore. In the heart of this horror house, he immerses his reader in a dark fog, emerging only with a truth he would have preferred not to know. Brilliant!

There's Aiden and Blair, Rebecca and Ben, Whitney and Jacob. All are married, all live in this newly chic and residential American suburb, all have secrets. How did this child fall out of the window? Why does this neighbor barely make it into the absent neighbors' house? The mystery thickens, the suspense intensifies, and discomfort sets in until the final resolution. In a very "Desperate Housewives" vibe, Ashley Audrain explores maternal bonds, violence, and the secrets of mothers willing to do anything for their children.

Haunted by the buried secrets of his family, Nicolas Verlet leads an existence filled with questions, especially about the mysterious departure of his mother when he was very young. What really happened that day? Through his story, the back and forth between the 1970s and the search for an explanation by an adult and neglected Nicolas, we discover the various manipulations that marked his history. The characters are deep, the tension palpable: this brilliant crime novel is expertly led by Pierre Molina, who delivers his first novel with fluid and immersive narration, immersing us in an enchanting atmosphere at the heart of a dark and captivating story.

The Good Read: "Haute Couture: A Life Alongside the Greatest Couturiers" by Colette Maciet

For Whom? Fashionistas hungry for secrets about the world of fashion.

The Pitch: Paris, 1960s. Welcome to the elegant world of Parisian fashion. Colette Maciet was only 14 when she started learning the ropes, moving from workshops to workshops before becoming a premier atelier at 30. She then became the indispensable seamstress for the greatest designers such as Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Nina Ricci... An extraordinary destiny!

In an incredible journey filled with nostalgia, Colette Maciet immerses us in the heart of the golden age of French fashion. She witnesses this society in full transformation, becoming its confidante and knowing all its secrets, geniuses, flaws, splendor, and decadence. She also describes what her profession was like, from sketching to fittings to meetings with the creators. A captivating narrative!

Why You'll Love It: After four decades of loyal service to the most prestigious French haute couture houses, Colette Maciet delivers a precious testimony of this unique universe. She pays homage to all those unsung heroes, the skilled hands behind the fame of great designers. The cherry on top? Inès de la Fressange's touch, who brilliantly writes a preface worthy of such a story.

Also, check out 12 love novels to read at least once in your life and the 5 good novels of February.