BOOKS: Mysterious and spooky books to read this Halloween

Halloween season is the perfect time to read mysteries, end-of-the-world, dystopia and horror stories

Compiled by Mary Jeneverre Schultz

As autumn escorts in rustling leaves, shorter days, sweater-type weather, it’s time to curl up with a book. Let’s look at these recent and/or soon-to-be released books by Asian and Asian American authors.

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

Hardcover: $23 | 224 pages Published by Penguin Books ISBN 9780143136026

Voyeurism, manipulation and obsession are part of this book’s theme. In a suspenseful narrative, the author tells the story of workplace politics and social structures through rumors and innuendos that becomes a page turner for the reader.

Daily, the Woman in the Purple Skirt sits on the same park bench as part of her routine. Unaware, someone is watching her – the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who stays out of sight and observes her. Luring her to a job as a hotel maid, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan recruits her. Shortly after, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss. Everyone knows it. With all eyes on the Woman in the Purple Skirt, no one is paying attention to the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. Perhaps, everyone should be watching the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan.

My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa

Hardcover: $26 | 372 pages Published by Berkley ISBN 9780593335086

The book follows Sri Lankan-American woman, Paloma Evans, as she tries to discover who murdered her roommate after all evidence of his death has been erased. Recently cut off from her parents’ funds, she decides to sublet the second bedroom of her San Francisco apartment to Arun, who recently moved from India. She then finds him face down in a pool of blood. She flees the apartment but by the time the police arrive, there’s no body—and no evidence that Arun ever even existed in the first place. Paloma is terrified this is all somehow tangled up in the desperate actions she took to escape Sri Lanka so many years ago.

We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen

Hardcover: $28 | 336 pages Published by MiraBooks ISBN 9780778331391

Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories—a power he uses to hold up banks to buy coffee, cat food and books. Zoe is also searching for her past and using her abilities of speed and strength…to deliver fast food. And she’ll occasionally put on a cool suit and beat up bad guys, if she feels like it. When the archrivals meet in a memory-loss support group, they realize the only way to reveal their hidden pasts might be through each other. As they uncover an ongoing threat, suddenly much more is at stake. With countless people at risk, Zoe and Jamie will have to recognize that sometimes being a hero starts with trusting someone else—and yourself.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Paperback: $16 | 316 pages Published by Berkley Prime Crime ISBN 9780593201671

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant and must deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longganisa, Lila takes on this twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block.

Lies We Bury by Elle Marr

Paperback: $16 | 286 pages Published by Thomas & Mercer ISBN 9781542026192

Two decades ago, Marissa Mo escaped a basement prison—the only home she’d ever known. At 27, Marissa’s moved beyond the trauma and is working under a new name as a freelance photographer. But when she accepts a job covering a string of macabre murders in Portland, it’s impossible for Marissa

not to remember. Everything is eerily familiar. To determine the killer’s next move, Marissa must retrieve her long-forgotten memories and return to a past she’s hidden away. But she won’t be facing her fears alone. Someone is waiting for her in the dark.

Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Paperback: $16 | 295 pages Published by Berkley ISBN 9780593333037

What happens when you mix one “accidental” murder with 2,000 wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on three generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family? You get four meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue! When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her aunties to help get rid of the body. But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

Reprieve by James Han Mattson

Hardback: $16 | 403 pages Published by William Morrow ISBN 97815266535631

When Bryan, Jaidee, Victor and Jane team up to compete at a full-contact escape room, it seems simple. Hold your nerve through six terrifying challenges; collect all the red envelopes; win a huge cash prize. But the real horror is unfolding outside of the game, in a series of deceits and misunderstandings fueled by obsession and prejudice. And by the end of the night, one of the contestants will be dead. A startlingly, soulful exploration of complicity and masquerade, Reprieve combines the psychological tension of classic horror with searing social criticism, deeply layered individual narratives to present a chilling portrait of American life.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Hardcover: $28 | 304 pages Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780063072640 Release date: January 2022

For fans of Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven, a spellbinding and profoundly prescient debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague—a daring and deeply heartfelt work of mind-bending imagination from a singular new voice. In 2030, a grieving archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika crater, where researchers are studying secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus.

Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang

Hardback $23 | 357 pages Published by Custom House ISBN 9780062855282

Julia Lerner is living in Moscow, a recent university graduate in computer science, when she’s recruited by Russia’s largest intelligence agency. She’s then in Silicon Valley as COO of Tangerine, one of America’s most famous technology companies. One afternoon, Alice Lu discovers some unusual activity. The closer Alice gets to Julia, the more Julia questions her own loyalties. Page-turning cat-and-mouse chase and hilarious satire, Impostor Syndrome is a shrewdly observed examination of women in tech, Silicon Valley and the rarely fulfilled but ever-attractive promise of the American Dream.

The Secret Talker by Geling Yan

Hardback: $19 | 150 pages Published by Harpervia ISBN 9780063004030

Hongmei is the perfect Chinese wife: beautiful, diligent, passive. Glen is the perfect American husband: intelligent, caring, well-off. From the outside, Hongmei and Glen’s life in the San Francisco Bay Area seems perfect. But at home, their marriage is falling apart. Post-its left on the fridge are their primary form of communication. A psychological story at its core, The Secret Talker elegantly examines how repressed desire and simmering silence can upend even the most idyllic marriage. As Hongmei pursues her stalker, her identity and agency come into question, and the chase curveballs into a captivating journey of self-actualization.

How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

Paperback $18 | 352 pages Published by Bloomsbury ISBN 9781547603978

This Young Adult thriller follows scholarship student Nancy Luo and her friends at an elite Manhattan prep school after their bestfriend-turned-rival Jamie Ruan is found dead. But once Jamie’s death is ruled a homicide, and an anonymous figure threatens to expose everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets on the school’s social media app, Nancy decides to find the real killer—even if it’s one of her friends. This book contains depictions of abuse, self-harm, violence, parental neglect, panic attacks, drug use, mental illness. Please read with caution.