Sometimes the Monsters are Men

The scariest books to me are those that realistically portray horrible situations.  These psychological thrillers often deal with abuse, kidnappings, and death. These books portraying monsters of the human variety are definitely for older teens and adults.

Desert Angel by Charlie Price
In the California desert, fourteen-year-old Angel is on the run from the man who abused her, killed her mother, and intends to kill her too.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
After being abducted when she was ten and abused for five years by her kidnapper, Ray, Alice's only hope of freedom is in death, but her only way to achieve such an escape is to help Ray find the next girl for his collection.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.

Sold by Patricia McCormick
A novel in vignettes, in which Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old girl from Nepal, is sold into prostitution in India.

Tenderness: A Novel by Robert Cormier
A psychological thriller told from the points of view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girl who falls in love with him.