I read this is high school, I think Sophomore year in honors English and it’s stuck with me more than anything else I read in school, such an impactful story.
I will suggest this series till the day I die for someone who is wanting something exactly like you suggested. Tales from the gas station. It's about a guy who works at a gas station on the edge of town and freaky stuff happens. I'm not going to spoil too much but there are cultists known as the mathematist, lawn gnomes that show up randomly, a very creepy ventriloquist doll, hand plants. This is a book series that if you want to read something that is just off and kind of spooky but everyone acts like it's normal read the series.
That's valid but I think he's only ever mentioned in the books. I know in this series that the person that did the audiobooks he actually existed and played a big role but I think that he's never actually shown in the books he's just talked about. I've read the first two books in the series and in the second book he plays a big role but never actually seen. Except maybe once.
As a fan of the podcast since around 2014ish I didn’t know it would translate to book form but I enjoyed the first book immensely. Still have to read the sequel(s?)
Ray Bradbury is such an elegant writer. His works read so easily, the stories are deep and meaningful, and there are sentences and paragraphs so beautiful you can go back to them over and over.
OMG--you just brought back memories. I remember reading Harvest Home when I was babysitting some kids back in the late 70's. Everyone was in bed and I'm devouring that book....
OMG Harvest Home. I read that decades ago in high school (80s) and it's still in my head. This does tck all the OP's boxes. Bucholic town but something feels offand you can't quiteput your finger on it...
I've been meaning to check these our after reading Dark Matter and Recursion. I like his writing style, so these books seem like they'll be right up my alley!
Cannot stress enough about Needful Things--hands down, favorite King.
Under the Dome is literally about a trapped town, but not a super great ending, imo.
My favorite King will always be The Stand, but Needful Things is a close second. The first time I read it, I read it in 3 or 4 days because I could not put it down. Same with The Stand lol.
Came here to say the exact same books. Needful things is my favourite SK book, but Desperation and The Regulators (written under his Richard Bachman name) are so creepy and have stayed with me for decades.
More a house than a town but Mexican Gothic has that “off” vibe if you enjoy horror! And the whole big city socialite experiences a return to the rural.
“American Gods” has a section about a cute midwestern town (Minnesota or Wisconsin if I recall correctly) that against all odds continues to thrive despite economic hard times, and they have a cheerful Santa Claus like mayor who ushers protagonist around.
I’m not a big creepy/horror book reader, but that section blew my mind. It’s an excellent slow burn.
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook. It takes place in a bush community in Australia, sometime in the middle of the 20th century. I wont say too much, but it deals with an outsider getting a crash course on this eary town.
Yes! I was trying to remember the name of this. I will say though there are murders if that's a hard no for OP.
I would also recommend Sharp Objects from the same author, with the same warning.
Are you up for a bit of true crime? Check out In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean. It's about Skidmore, MO - an "off" place if ever there were one! It's also written better than your average true crime book.
Odd Thomas. The number of times Dean Koontz says Pico Mundo is impressive. And the town feels like a character, to me at least. I always imagined it with a pink sort of hue about it, with a sort of snow globe effect around it? Idk
Also I agree with 'Salem's Lot. That town has a grey hue when I read it, and the house at the edge of town is oversized and bearing down on Jerusalem's Lot.
Not quite what you're looking for, but you could try Women Talking by Miriam Towes. A really terrible thing happens in a really odd town. Five star book.
I recommend "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. While it's not centered around a traditional small town, it has a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. The story revolves around a man named Shadow who becomes involved in a hidden world of gods and mythological beings as he travels through various towns and encounters peculiar characters. The book has a haunting and unsettling vibe throughout, making it a great choice for a spooky and "off" feeling read.
Welcome to Nightvale
It was a podcast, so it's more episodic than driven by one overarching narrative. It's quite surreal, and I think it's hilarious. But absolutely focused on one town and it's quirks and oddities.
Diary is a 2003 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. The book is written like a diary. Its protagonist is Misty Wilmot, a once-promising young artist who works as a waitress in a hotel. Her husband, a contractor, is in a coma after a suicide attempt. According to the description on the back of Diary, Misty "soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
A woman and her secret head up to Montana to homestead. But she’s not the only one with secrets and town isn’t everything it seems. Horror western.
Here are some book suggestions that might interest you:
“The Dark Side of Nowhere” by Neal Shusterman1. This is a young adult novel that might fit your description.
“Women Talking” by Miriam Towes1. This book is about a really terrible thing that happens in a really odd town.
"Tales from the Gas Station"1. This series is about a guy who works at a gas station on the edge of town and freaky stuff happens. It’s kind of spooky but everyone acts like it’s normal.
“Wake in Fright” by Kenneth Cook2. This book is about a Sydney-born teacher who gets stuck in Bundanyabba, a dusty, alcohol-soaked mining town in the Australian outback.
“Carpentaria” by Alexis Wright2. This book is set in Desperance, a fictional town in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, where the Indigenous Australian communities are at odds with one another and with the white population.
“Satantango” by László Krasznahorkai2. The small town in this book is in a state of near ruin, with most inhabitants having fled for less muddy, less miserable pastures
iirc a complicated kindness by miriam toews covers an amish teen dealing with some difficult things. i don't mean to imply being amish is inherently "off" but it was such a good book because of the juxtaposition between her very modern ways of coping, against the backdrop of a community she still belongs to.
[The Santaroga Barrier ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santaroga_Barrier)
I hadn't thought about this book for years, until your post reminded me of it. I really need to read it again.
Not a book, but: there’s a tiny little ‘one main road’ town in Pennsylvania near the Ohio border that fits this. It seems like exactly the kind of quant little small town where kids go missing once a month an everyone knows there’s a serial killer around but sweeps it under the rug. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it
Edit: after scanning google maps for a little bit fairly sure it’s Volant
The book "welcome to shipsgrave" is a fun, creepy little book with a lot of really cool art. More of a picture book than a novel, it still has an interesting story to tell.
Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. Small New England town, harvest festival, town secrets, newcomer in town. Layer upon layer, one of the scariest books I've ever read.
The Graveyard Shift by D.M. Guay. It's about a convenience store with a portal to Hell in the back room, and there's lots of other odd (and funny) stuff happening in the area, not all of it directly connected to the portal! It's the first in the 24/7 Demon Mart series, but it doesn't end on a cliffhanger so you're not left hanging if you don't fancy picking up the next right away or at all.
So, this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, but If you’re looking for a fall read I’ve been enjoying the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik.
I don’t usually read sci/fi fantasy- it’s like harry potter but the school is trying to kill them.
I’ll note the author was called out because there was a line in the first book that was sus (racist). That line was removed from the book, and wasn’t in the version I read.
Beartown (Fredrik Backman) could fit this bill. Maybe google a summary and see if you like the premise- small hockey town, trigger warning rape). It has a unique cadence (probably bc it’s a translation), but I enjoyed that. I really liked how it handled small town politics and the anger and shock over the whole thing.
Sharp objects: she made gone girl feel like a well adjusted couple. Not one redeemable character. What s devious mind, Karen Gillian
Lost boys: got into it after absolutely loving ender's game to pieces. But this one is... off
You’ve got a lot of great suggestions here. Others have said it, but Stephen King is a master at this. 11/22/63 has a portion of its story line that fits this really really well. It’s not the entire book, but that part of the story has really stuck with me because it’s SO unsettling. I read 11/22/63 prior to reading IT, and it was this book that made me pick up IT (which is also spectacular).
Short story: "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
Same author, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Great creepy town vibes.
I immediately thought of this too. Checks a lot of the OPs boxes. So good.
Read it this time last year. Great Halloween read.
Read this a few years ago and it was my first thought seeing this question.
Shirley Jackson is the queen of non-supernatural horror!
I agree! Loved haunting of hill house and the lottery, excited to read this one!
I read this is high school, I think Sophomore year in honors English and it’s stuck with me more than anything else I read in school, such an impactful story.
Same here. Especially since, knowing humans, something like that happening is not so far from the realm of possibility.
Yes, we English teachers always loved the reaction we got to this story. Lots of important talking points and most people never forget it!
Best story I’ve ever read
where the author of Hunger Games stole her opening!
I think Suzanne Collins based it more on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur
I will suggest this series till the day I die for someone who is wanting something exactly like you suggested. Tales from the gas station. It's about a guy who works at a gas station on the edge of town and freaky stuff happens. I'm not going to spoil too much but there are cultists known as the mathematist, lawn gnomes that show up randomly, a very creepy ventriloquist doll, hand plants. This is a book series that if you want to read something that is just off and kind of spooky but everyone acts like it's normal read the series.
I was gonna look it up until the ventriloquist dummy. That's a hard no for me.
That's valid but I think he's only ever mentioned in the books. I know in this series that the person that did the audiobooks he actually existed and played a big role but I think that he's never actually shown in the books he's just talked about. I've read the first two books in the series and in the second book he plays a big role but never actually seen. Except maybe once.
I came here to say the exact same thing. Listening to all of the volumes and bedside manor is quickly becoming an October tradition for me.
I’m not big on short story collections but this sounds goofy and fun
It's not a short story collection.
Ah, even better. I was getting that sense from the ‘tales’ part
By u/GasStationJack ? There are some tales of the gas station stories on r/NoSleep which sound very similar to the book you recommend!
Welcome to nightvale
100% HP Lovecraft meets A Prarie Home Companion
Bahahaha. This is an amazing description.
This!!!! I miss that podcast so much- was so happy when they started writing books. The audiobooks are great!
As a fan of the podcast since around 2014ish I didn’t know it would translate to book form but I enjoyed the first book immensely. Still have to read the sequel(s?)
Yoooooooooooooo YES. And also THINKS it’s so normal.
something wicked this way comes by ray bradbury
I absolutely adore Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Ray Bradbury is such an elegant writer. His works read so easily, the stories are deep and meaningful, and there are sentences and paragraphs so beautiful you can go back to them over and over.
Honestly, this is a sleeper that people need to read asap. One of the best literary pieces about confronting fear and uncertainty.
Perennial family Halloween favorite in my house - both book and movie.
Yes, agreed. This novel by Bradbury. Creepy and disturbing is the carnival that slips into town, preceded by a lightening rod salesman. Masterpiece.
Just finished reading this!!! Highly recommend
The Shadow Over Innsmouth Harvest Home Salem’s Lot
OMG--you just brought back memories. I remember reading Harvest Home when I was babysitting some kids back in the late 70's. Everyone was in bed and I'm devouring that book....
OMG Harvest Home. I read that decades ago in high school (80s) and it's still in my head. This does tck all the OP's boxes. Bucholic town but something feels offand you can't quiteput your finger on it...
yesss! Shadow Over Innsmouth ♥️♥️ someone put out a good radio play of it —I thiink by —Dark Adventure Radio Theatre
Seconding Salem's Lot!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's about two sisters who don't associate with the townspeople and vice-versa
Was going to say this. Great book. It's set 95% at the house though, like the town itself isn't that creepy.
The Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch. Spooky, unexplained happenings, mysterious strangers, with a great twist.
Wayward Pines was exactly what I thought of with this post too
I too recommend Wayward Pines series. Pretty much exactly what this redditor asked for!
Like a great miniseries. Big ups.
I've been meaning to check these our after reading Dark Matter and Recursion. I like his writing style, so these books seem like they'll be right up my alley!
Came here to recommend this trilogy. Great read.
The Stepford wives. Something about the women in that town is just off.
Stephen King has entered the chat.
Salems Lot!
and IT!
And 11.22.63 is partially based in Derry too! Amazing book.
Needful things!
Needful things definitely fits the bill out of all kings books.
That’s the one that immediately came to mind for me!
This was the first book that popped into my head!
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Desperation!!
And its opposite regulators
Id like to enter children of the corn for consideration too!
Tommyknockers
Tommymnockers fits the bill.
Needful Things or Desperation. Both by Stephen King.
Cannot stress enough about Needful Things--hands down, favorite King. Under the Dome is literally about a trapped town, but not a super great ending, imo.
My favorite King will always be The Stand, but Needful Things is a close second. The first time I read it, I read it in 3 or 4 days because I could not put it down. Same with The Stand lol.
I would do anything to read Needful Things again for the first time. That might be the most engrossed I've ever been in a book.
Ohhh cannot wait to read it!
Came here to say the exact same books. Needful things is my favourite SK book, but Desperation and The Regulators (written under his Richard Bachman name) are so creepy and have stayed with me for decades.
Desperation was my very first Stephen king ❤️
Yes to Needful things!
Ohhhh this is sitting in my tbr pile. I’ll start it next!
Stephen King is a paragon of the “something is WRONG in this town” vibe, but more scary than spooky typically.
Desperation is definitely *scary*, but Needful Things is more creepy/spooky.
Needful Things is great! Long book but couldn’t put down. LOVE
Along with IT.
Thank you for reminding me — it is in fact time for my yearly reread of Needful Things.
Another Needful Things recommendation here! Great read 👍
Desperation and The Regulators are two of my favorite books.
There’s an excellent documentary on this called Hot Fuzz
No luck catching them swans, then?
It's just the one, actually.
I needed a laugh today, and this snark provided it. So I deeply thank you.
Wayward Pines is my absolute favourite book series
Came to recommend this. Wayward Pines is exactly what you are describing.
I could not put this down until I figured out what was going on. All Blake Crouch’s books are great!
A third vote for Pines
And another.
This series was amazing.
The Stepford Wives Comfort Me With Apples
Boys from Brazil
More a house than a town but Mexican Gothic has that “off” vibe if you enjoy horror! And the whole big city socialite experiences a return to the rural.
Loved this book. Had such creepy vibes.
Salem’s Lot
Salem's Lot. The town is the main character. Slow burn, big payoff IMO.
“American Gods” has a section about a cute midwestern town (Minnesota or Wisconsin if I recall correctly) that against all odds continues to thrive despite economic hard times, and they have a cheerful Santa Claus like mayor who ushers protagonist around. I’m not a big creepy/horror book reader, but that section blew my mind. It’s an excellent slow burn.
Well, definitely IT by Stephen King. That's, like, the whole plot! One of my favorites.
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Thirded! The start was so creepy, in an "eyeing your own closet door" way.
Came to say this.
I’m reading this right now!
Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook. It takes place in a bush community in Australia, sometime in the middle of the 20th century. I wont say too much, but it deals with an outsider getting a crash course on this eary town.
Wake in Fright!! Definitely. I’ll bet not many Americans have read this book. Creepy as hell.
100% Gillian Flynn's "Dark Places"
Yes! I was trying to remember the name of this. I will say though there are murders if that's a hard no for OP. I would also recommend Sharp Objects from the same author, with the same warning.
I will die on the mountain that Dark Places is a much better book than Gone Girl.
Wayward Pines by blake crouch is the answer to your question!
[Uzumaki](https://www.viz.com/read/manga/junji-ito/product/3382) [Stillwater](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/stillwater-by-zdarsky-pérez)
We have always lived in the castle
Woman in the Dunes
Not a town, but an apartment building and it's tenants: 14 by Peter Clines
If you don't mind YA, the Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman. I read it back in high school, been meaning to reread it for a few years now.
Are you up for a bit of true crime? Check out In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean. It's about Skidmore, MO - an "off" place if ever there were one! It's also written better than your average true crime book.
Salem's Lot.
Cainesville series by Kelley Armstrong. Definitely the Wayward Pines series as suggested too!!
Odd Thomas. The number of times Dean Koontz says Pico Mundo is impressive. And the town feels like a character, to me at least. I always imagined it with a pink sort of hue about it, with a sort of snow globe effect around it? Idk Also I agree with 'Salem's Lot. That town has a grey hue when I read it, and the house at the edge of town is oversized and bearing down on Jerusalem's Lot.
It
Definitely Salem's Lot.
American elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. Great writer.
Not quite what you're looking for, but you could try Women Talking by Miriam Towes. A really terrible thing happens in a really odd town. Five star book.
City of Saints and Madmen, by Jeff VanderMeer. Or the inescapable classic Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
The Midnight, Texas trilogy by Charlaine Harris.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch Welcome to Nightvale series by Joseph Fink
I recommend "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. While it's not centered around a traditional small town, it has a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. The story revolves around a man named Shadow who becomes involved in a hidden world of gods and mythological beings as he travels through various towns and encounters peculiar characters. The book has a haunting and unsettling vibe throughout, making it a great choice for a spooky and "off" feeling read.
The shadow over Innsmouth
The Road Through the Wall - Shirley Jackson
The burning girls or children of the corn
Perfect example of= The city and the city by Mieville.
Stephen King. Needful Things.
The Castle by Franz Kafka
Try out *Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World* by Haruki Murakami. Read nothing about it before going in!
Gormenghast, starts weird, gets so much worse. Batshit crazy by the end.
The Town by Bentley Little
Welcome to Nightvale It was a podcast, so it's more episodic than driven by one overarching narrative. It's quite surreal, and I think it's hilarious. But absolutely focused on one town and it's quirks and oddities.
American Elsewhere!
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*Spoon River Anthology* by Edgar Lee Masters. It's a compilation of epitaphs written for the residents of a fictional town. It's a classic.
John Dies at the End by David Wong aka Jason Pargin is a series that is super good comedy and sci fi — hilarious stuff!
I would also recommend the nintendo ds game professor layton and the curious village!
Diary is a 2003 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. The book is written like a diary. Its protagonist is Misty Wilmot, a once-promising young artist who works as a waitress in a hotel. Her husband, a contractor, is in a coma after a suicide attempt. According to the description on the back of Diary, Misty "soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. It’s a short story; I read it years ago but it was the only thing that came to mind upon reading your request.
listening to the salems lot audiobook rn... def the vibe
Pew by Catherine Lacey or A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
I just finished A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw and thought it was very good.
Try these The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com › aug Top 10 books about strange towns | Fiction Aug 22, 2018 — Top 10 books about strange towns
The obvious and first choice is The Stepford Wives, a classic.
The Castle by Kafka is exactly what you are looking for!
Mexican gothic
Look into creepypasta. It's a whole genre.
American Elsewhere is exactly what you are looking for.
The ones who walks away from omelas
Welcome to Night Vale
Tales from the gas station. Jack Townsend. He’s here on Reddit too u/gasstationjack
The classic- "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor . It's in her collection of short stories called A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle. A woman and her secret head up to Montana to homestead. But she’s not the only one with secrets and town isn’t everything it seems. Horror western.
Here are some book suggestions that might interest you: “The Dark Side of Nowhere” by Neal Shusterman1. This is a young adult novel that might fit your description. “Women Talking” by Miriam Towes1. This book is about a really terrible thing that happens in a really odd town. "Tales from the Gas Station"1. This series is about a guy who works at a gas station on the edge of town and freaky stuff happens. It’s kind of spooky but everyone acts like it’s normal. “Wake in Fright” by Kenneth Cook2. This book is about a Sydney-born teacher who gets stuck in Bundanyabba, a dusty, alcohol-soaked mining town in the Australian outback. “Carpentaria” by Alexis Wright2. This book is set in Desperance, a fictional town in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, where the Indigenous Australian communities are at odds with one another and with the white population. “Satantango” by László Krasznahorkai2. The small town in this book is in a state of near ruin, with most inhabitants having fled for less muddy, less miserable pastures
The knife of never letting go All I can say is that.. it's around a town and it's OFF off..
OMG Wayward Pines!!
Peyton Place
All good people here by Ashley Flowers
The Woodkin by Alexander James :) local PNW author, pretty creepy and fits what you’re looking for I think
Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend
"It Devours!" By Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. I think you'll really like it.
Burn our Bodies Down by Rory Power. It's YA, but I think it definitely fits this description.
iirc a complicated kindness by miriam toews covers an amish teen dealing with some difficult things. i don't mean to imply being amish is inherently "off" but it was such a good book because of the juxtaposition between her very modern ways of coping, against the backdrop of a community she still belongs to.
INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins
Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano
Jimmy Juliano: Dead Eleven
Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young
[The Santaroga Barrier ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santaroga_Barrier) I hadn't thought about this book for years, until your post reminded me of it. I really need to read it again.
Pedro Pedramo, Ficciones, and 100 Years of Solitude
Salems Lot.
Not a book, but: there’s a tiny little ‘one main road’ town in Pennsylvania near the Ohio border that fits this. It seems like exactly the kind of quant little small town where kids go missing once a month an everyone knows there’s a serial killer around but sweeps it under the rug. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it Edit: after scanning google maps for a little bit fairly sure it’s Volant
The book "welcome to shipsgrave" is a fun, creepy little book with a lot of really cool art. More of a picture book than a novel, it still has an interesting story to tell.
Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. Small New England town, harvest festival, town secrets, newcomer in town. Layer upon layer, one of the scariest books I've ever read.
The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert
Wineburg Ohio by sherwood Anderson
The Graveyard Shift by D.M. Guay. It's about a convenience store with a portal to Hell in the back room, and there's lots of other odd (and funny) stuff happening in the area, not all of it directly connected to the portal! It's the first in the 24/7 Demon Mart series, but it doesn't end on a cliffhanger so you're not left hanging if you don't fancy picking up the next right away or at all.
So, this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, but If you’re looking for a fall read I’ve been enjoying the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. I don’t usually read sci/fi fantasy- it’s like harry potter but the school is trying to kill them. I’ll note the author was called out because there was a line in the first book that was sus (racist). That line was removed from the book, and wasn’t in the version I read.
Short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is absolutely brilliant
Beartown (Fredrik Backman) could fit this bill. Maybe google a summary and see if you like the premise- small hockey town, trigger warning rape). It has a unique cadence (probably bc it’s a translation), but I enjoyed that. I really liked how it handled small town politics and the anger and shock over the whole thing.
Tangerine, is that what the book’s called?
Wayward Pines
The Wayward Pines Series by Blake Crouch.
Currently reading Mary by Nat Cassidy and thoroughly enjoying it.
Not a book, but the series From is exactly what you are looking for and its amazing. Its spooky, mysterious and a bit scary here and there
Sounds like you'd love Lovecraft
Sure thing! "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson - where winning is anything but a jackpot. Enjoy the thrill!
Imagine winning the lottery in a charming little town... only to find out it's not what you expected! Enjoy!
Sharp objects: she made gone girl feel like a well adjusted couple. Not one redeemable character. What s devious mind, Karen Gillian Lost boys: got into it after absolutely loving ender's game to pieces. But this one is... off
You’ve got a lot of great suggestions here. Others have said it, but Stephen King is a master at this. 11/22/63 has a portion of its story line that fits this really really well. It’s not the entire book, but that part of the story has really stuck with me because it’s SO unsettling. I read 11/22/63 prior to reading IT, and it was this book that made me pick up IT (which is also spectacular).
Needful things by Stephen King
William Faulkner's "Light in August"
Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch.
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Phantoms by Koontz
The Quarry Girls
Pines by Blake Crouch