2. The Woman In Black - Susan Hill
If it's a terrifically horrifying ghost story that you're looking for then The Woman in Black is the book for you. The novella focuses on Arthur Kipps, a solicitor who has been sent to a small English town to get the affairs in order of an old woman who has recently died. Alice Drablow was a widow who lived alone in a big property that can only be reached when the tide is low. As the house is so difficult to get to Arthur decides it will be easy if he just stays at the house until he has finished his job, but he soon realises there is something much more sinister going on in the town of Crythin Gifford. During his stay at the house, Arthur hears various unexplained noises and even sees the mysterious Woman in Black. Deciding he needs to know more about this woman he asks local people in the town to gather information but his attempts are met with fear. Eventually Arthur receives some of the answers he is looking for but what is revealed is much more sinister than what he first imagined. Without a doubt, The Woman in Black will haunt you long after reading it. The Woman in Black's unexplained appearances and the consequences she has on the little market town are more than your average ghost story and it is truly one of the scariest books ever written.