A lineup of new horror books is set to release throughout May 2026, featuring haunted houses, supernatural clones, and werewolf transformations. Publishers including G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Tor have announced titles promising chills from mind-bending plots. Highlights include stories of ghostly secrets and quests for eternal youth gone wrong.
Accumulation by Aimee Pokwata releases May 5 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Stay-at-home mom Tennessee “Tenn” Cherish moves into a big house in upstate New York with her husband Ward and two children. Strange events plague her family, raising questions about the house or her sanity. Ward is often away for work, leaving Tenn alone amid the disturbances. But Won’t I Miss Me by Tiffany Tsao also arrives May 5 from HarperVia. In a climate-ravaged world, parents birth superior clones that consume them, but protagonist Vivi experiences defects leading to exhaustion and desperation. The novel blends speculative horror with influences from The Substance and Nightbitch. The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean, set in WWII Hong Kong, follows ghost-talker Mercy Chan confronting a deadly spirit in Kowloon Walled City on May 5 from Tor. Other May 5 releases include She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang, a gothic tale in Manila, and I Know A Place by Nat Cassidy, a short story collection. Later titles feature Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger on May 12, where tech executive Elle battles perimenopause-like werewolf changes, and Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey on the same date. The Dorians by Nick Cutter reimagines Frankenstein on May 19, while I’ll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel closes the month on May 26, drawing from the Linda Taylor story.