The Woman in Black

A gorgeously written, classic ghost story, The Woman in Black is a masterpiece of understated horror in the manner of the best Gothic stories of the early 20th century. More novella than novel, it became a bestseller when first published in 1983 and later was made into a stage play, a radio play, a TV movie, and a theatrical film (starring Daniel Radcliffe). This delicious, deeply chilling tale is written—adroitly and to great effect—in a mannered Victorian style, and despite its adherence to the diction and tropes of an earlier time the scares are downright hair-raising. If you don't believe a traditional haunted house story still has the power to shock and disturb, read this book now.