The Best Winter Horror Novels — What Is Quinn Reading?

There’s something especially chilling (ba-dum-tss) about winter horror novels. I’m talking: frigid air that steals breath from lungs; blizzards and avalanches trapping people in cabins, haunted hotels, and/or rest stops; barren, icy settings that provide the perfect backdrops for stories of revenge, death, and trauma; and heavy snow and biting winds hiding whatever evil is lurking out there in the dark.

Although my favorite season to read about is probably fall, the atmosphere that comes along with a winter-set thriller is enough to make me want to camp out in front of a roaring fireplace until further notice. Along with vivid descriptions of frosty locales and ice-cold killers, they often have an extra bleak vibe that takes things to another nightmarish level. I can’t get enough. (What that says about me, is between me and my therapist, thank you very much.)

From Stephen King classics and supernatural spins on real-life tragedies, to some of the year’s most frostbitten bestsellers, you might want to grab a cozy hat and pair of gloves before scrolling through the list of books I’ve rounded up for you below. (And if you do need to warm up afterwards, I suggest cranking the heat and checking out my list of the best summer horror novels, too.)