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[BEST & WORST '13] Top 10 Horror Novels of the Year!

6. (Tie) The Darkling, by R.B. Chesterton (April 1; Pegasus)
This House is Haunted, John Boyne (October 8; Other Press)

These slow-burn ghost stories are equally good, and they have too much in common not to share a spot on this list. Both are deeply rooted in the gothic tradition, and if you like one, you’re virtually guaranteed to dig the hell out of the other. R.B. Chesterton is the alias for Carolyn Haines, the author of a cheeky series of novels about a female P.I., while John Boyne wrote The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which Miramax made into a heart-crushing movie. But strange minds think alike. The authors did some sort of Vulcan mind meld for their respective ghost stories, resulting in a killer double-feature custom-made for fans of movies like The Others and The Orphanage.