Monday, November 09, 2026

Seven top horror novels set in the American South

Del Sandeen lives in northeast Florida, where she works as a copy editor and writes speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in FIYAH: Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction and Gay Mag and on the Nightlight podcast.

She is the author of This Cursed House and These Walls Remember.

At CrimeReads Sandeen tagged seven "favorite horror books which just so happen to take place in the hot and sticky South, where the gators aren’t even the scariest things you’ll find." One title on the list:
Daryl Gregory, Revelator

In 1940s Tennessee, Stella has been leading an unconventional life as a bootlegger. When she has to come home, she’s forced to confront her past when she meets young Sunny. Both Stella and Sunny have to face their family history and more importantly, the god they’ve served for generations. This dual-timeline novel is a mix of folk horror and very twisted religion.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue