Haunted houses book series in reading order

by Karen White

by Marcia Thornton Jones

R.L. Stine

589 books• 64 series

Robert Lawrence Stine, born October 8, 1943, is an American novelist who writes horror fiction for children. Goosebumps, the series Stine created, sold more than 400 million copies in 35 languages and grew into a franchise of two television series, video games, comics and two feature films. Fear Street, Stine's horror sequence for teenagers, passed 80 million copies and was adapted for film. Stine has been called the Stephen King of children's literature. The listing runs to 590 titles, from How to Be Funny (1978), published as Jovial Bob Stine, to How to Train Your Dummy, scheduled for 2027.

Marcia Thornton Jones, born July 15, 1958, is an American writer of children's books and the author or co-author of more than 135 elementary chapter books, picture books and mid-grade novels. Named among them is The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids; other work was co-written with Debbie Dadey, who carries a credit on 7 of the 125 catalogued titles. The listing opens with Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots (1990) and ends with Writing for Kids (2019). Further series include Ghostville Elementary, Bailey City Monsters, Barkley's School for Dogs and Keyholders. The books are short, at a median of 75 pages, and subjects name monsters, ghosts, teachers and humorous stories.

Heather Graham is the name under which Heather Graham Pozzessere, an American writer born on 15 March 1953, publishes mainly romance fiction; Shannon Drake is a further pen name. Graham's work has been published in about 25 languages, with more than 75 million copies printed. The catalogue records 311 books from Tender Taming (1983) to Destiny Rising (2026). Krewe of Hunters, Harrison Investigation, Cafferty & Quinn, Alliance Vampires, Keepers: L.A., New York Confidential and Finnegan Connection are among the Graham series. Subjects span historical, paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance.

Ghosts and New Jersey settings recur across E.J. Copperman's mysteries. Seven series sit in the catalogue, led by the Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries, which opened with Night of the Living Deed in 2010, and joined by Jersey Girl, Asperger's Mysteries, Fran and Ken Stein Mystery, Mysterious Detective, Agent To The Paws Mysteries and Haunted Paint Store Mysteries. Copperman has published 32 books, the most recent being Where There's Smoke... (2026).

Karen White writes about family secrets, old houses and the women who inherit them. 36 catalogued books run from In the Shadow of the Moon (2000) to That Last Carolina Summer, with Whispers of Goodbye (2001), Falling Home (2002), After the Rain (2003), The Color of Light (2005) and Pieces of the Heart (2006) among the early titles. The Tradd Street series turns on a real estate agent and a haunted historic property; Royal Street and Falling Home form separate groupings. The Birds on Newcomb Boulevard is scheduled for 2027.

Douglas Clegg writes horror and dark fantasy, and was an early mover in electronic publishing. Haunted houses, vampires and the contest of good and evil run through the subject headings, and the work divides into Harrow House, Vampyricon, the Chronicles of Mordred, Criminally Insane and Dark Coming of Age. The catalogue holds 40 titles from The Halloween Man (1988) to The Poisoner's Garden and Others: Selected Poems (2019), at a median of 359 pages, with the 2000s the densest decade. Goat Dance (1989), Neverland (1991) and Naomi (1998) sit on the list.

Mary Downing Hahn writes ghost stories and mysteries for young readers. Born in 1937 and once a school librarian, Hahn published The Sara Summer in 1979 and has 41 catalogued books through The Old Willis Place (2024). Wait Till Helen Comes and Stepping On The Cracks are among the best known titles, and the Gordy Smith books form the one named series. Ghosts, witches, stepfamilies and family life recur as subjects.

Phil Rickman wrote supernatural and mystery novels, publishing under the pen names Will Kingdom and Thom Madley as well as his own. Merrily Watkins, a woman priest in England, is the recurring figure, and exorcism, ghosts and the occult run through those books. 30 catalogued titles span Candlenight (1991) to The Echo of Crows (2026), among them The Wine of Angels (1998), Midwinter of the Spirit (1999) and A Crown of Lights (2001). The John Dee Papers and the Grayle Underhill and Bobby Maiden novels sit alongside. Rickman, born in 1950, died in 2024.

James Herbert

25 books• 3 series

James Herbert (1943-2013) was an English horror writer. The Rats (1974) opened the catalogue and gave its name to a series about mutated rats, continued in Lair (1979) and Domain (1983). The Fog (1975), The Survivor (1976), Fluke (1977), The Spear (1978) and The Dark (1980) followed in quick succession. Haunted houses and ghosts run through the later work, where David Ash is Herbert's recurring character. Twenty-five titles are catalogued, closing with Ash in 2012. Herbert designed his own covers and publicity, and the books have sold 54 million copies in 34 languages.

Sarah Rayne writes suspense and horror built on old buildings and their histories. The first ten novels appeared as Bridget Wood from 1982, among them Mask of the Fox (1982), Wolfking (1991) and Sorceress (1994). Under her own name Rayne heads four series: Nell West and Michael Flint, Phineas Fox, Wolfking and Theater of Thieves. Haunted houses, missing persons, twins and secrecy recur across 39 books dated 1982 to 2025, at a median 279 pages. Rayne is the daughter of an Irish comedy actor, was educated at a convent where she wrote plays for the Lower Third, and spent years in amateur theatre; her books have also been published in America, Holland and Germany.

Sport drives Rich Wallace's fiction for young readers. Basketball and soccer supply most of the plots, with teamwork, sportsmanship, competition and self-confidence among the listed subjects, across the Winning Season, Kickers, Game Face and Up2u series. Wallace's 43 catalogued books start at Riding Time and Wrestling Sturbridge in 1996 and end with Race Against Time: The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle to Save Twelve Innocent Men (2021). Volumes are short, at a median of 117 pages.

Across 194 catalogued books, Danielle Steel writes contemporary romance and family drama: love stories, marriages, widowhood and the turns that reshape a life. The run starts with Going Home (1973) and continues through Celebration, with 24 Hours scheduled for 2027. Steel's catalogue also holds children's picture books, short stories and non-fiction beside the standalone novels that make up most of it.

Kay Hooper, born in 1957, is a New York Times bestselling American author credited with more than 60 books. The catalogue counts 86 Hooper books between Lady Thief (1981) and Curse of Salem (2021), several early titles appearing under the name Kay Robbins. Subjects include romance, suspense, the Loveswept imprint, psychics, serial murders and the fictional investigator Noah Bishop. Series include the Bishop Files, Hagan, Shamrock Trinity and Once Upon A Time..., and no new title has been listed since 2021.

John Saul wrote horror and suspense. Thirty-six catalogued books run from Suffer the Children (1977) to House of Reckoning (2009), taking in Punish the Sinners (1978), Cry for the Strangers (1979) and Comes the Blind Fury (1980). The Blackstone Chronicles is the one linked series. Supernatural events and serial murder recur as subjects. No new Saul title has appeared since 2009.

Juliet Blackwell writes cozy mysteries. The Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series are the two named series, and standalone novels and novellas sit beside them. The catalogue counts 30 books from Secondhand Spirits (2009) to The Séance Garden (2026). Witches, magic, San Francisco, vintage clothing, remodeling and women business owners appear in the subject tags.

Bentley Little writes horror. Thirty-nine catalogued books run from The Revelation (1989) to City Hall (2025), taking in The Mailman (1991), The Summoning (1993) and Night School, also published as University (1994). Most of the list is standalone. Haunted houses, Arizona settings and the struggle of good against evil recur as subjects, at a median length of 389 pages.

Richard Carl Laymon (14 January 1947 to 14 February 2001) was an American writer of suspense and horror fiction, particularly splatterpunk. The Cellar (1980) opens the Laymon catalogue, and The Woods Are Dark (1981) follows; Your Secret Admirer (1980) appeared under the name Carl Laymon. The Beast House Chronicles is among the series on record, with standalone novels and short fiction also listed. The newest title is Short Stories: The Mystery and Men's Magazines (2014). Subjects include haunted houses, vampires, stalkers, serial murders and California.

Ann M. Martin

446 books• 24 series

Ann Matthews Martin, born August 12, 1955, is an American writer of children's and young adult fiction and a Smith College graduate. The Baby-Sitters Club, first published in 1986, is the series Martin is known best for, and Martin remains involved with the series and its spin-offs. The catalogue lists 446 books, beginning with Inside Out and Bummer Summer in 1983. Related lines include Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries, California Diaries, Kids in Ms. Colman's Class, Main Street and Doll People. Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter: A Graphic Novel (2025) is the newest listed title.

Wilkie Collins

88 books

Wilkie Collins, born William Wilkie Collins on 8 January 1824 and died on 23 September 1889, was an English novelist and playwright. The Woman in White (1860) is an early sensation novel; The Moonstone (1868) set out much of what the modern detective novel came to do, and stands as an early example of the police procedural. Collins was the son of the London painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, spent two years in Italy and France from the age of twelve, learned Italian and French there, and worked at first as a tea merchant. The catalogue holds 88 titles, from Iolani; Or, Tahiti as It Was (1840) onward, with the 1850s the heaviest decade.

Angie Sage, born 20 June 1952, is an English author of children's books. Septimus Heap, the TodHunter Moon trilogy and Araminta Spook (published as Araminta Spookie in the United States) are Sage's series. The catalogue lists 42 books, starting with Monkeys in the Jungle (1989) and ending with Midnight Train (2021). Subjects include magic, wizards, apprentices, ghosts, haunted houses and picture books.

Katie Alender writes horror and supernatural fiction for young adults. Bad Girls Don't Die (2009) names her one series and opens it, with From Bad to Cursed (2011) and As Dead As It Gets (2012) following. Four standalone books complete the catalogue: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer (2013), Famous Last Words (2014), The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall (2015) and The Companion (2020). Ghosts, haunted houses, possession, sisters and high schools are the recurring subjects, at a median 320 pages.

Gertrude Chandler Warner (April 16, 1890 to August 30, 1979) was an American author who wrote mostly for children. Warner wrote the original book of The Boxcar Children, published in 1942, and the next 18 books in the series. Earlier catalogued titles include The House of Delight (1916) and The World in a Barn (1927), and Surprise Island (1949) and The Yellow House Mystery (1952) came after The Boxcar Children. Orphans, brothers and sisters, and mystery stories are among the subjects. The catalogue also carries Boxcar Children lines such as Adventures of Benny and Watch and Boxcar Children Great Adventure under Warner's name.

Joan Holub, born in Texas in 1956, has written and illustrated over 180 children's books and also publishes as Rita Book and Brad Bucks. The catalogue lists 184 Holub titles from If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution (1987) to This Little Engineer (2023), with a median length of 48 pages. Subject tags include Greek mythology, Greek goddesses, stories in rhyme, schools and ants. Holub series include Goddess Girls, Mini Myths, Ant Hill, Doll Hospital, Young Princesses Around the World and Smart About History.

Two names cover this catalogue: Chris Jordan on the thrillers and Rodman Philbrick on the children's and young adult fiction. Randall Shane heads one series, with J.D. Hawkins, T.D. Stash and Connie Kale heading three more; missing children, survival and private investigators recur in the subjects. Freak The Mighty, the House on Cherry Street and the Werewolf Chronicles sit on the younger side. The listing holds 50 books, from Shadow Kills (1985) to Wild Wave (2024).