The Bad Seed by William March (1954)

Mrs. Penmark, left alone while her husband is away on business, begins to notice that her daughter Rhoda is not like other girls. Best know for its campy (but still chilling) movie adaptation, this well-crafted psychological horror novel is a worthy companion to Shirley Jackson's The House on Haunted Hill.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (2009)

Another dark, gothic novel by Flynn about a woman who was the sole survivor of the massacre of her family in 1985. Her brother went to jail for the crime, amidst claims of Satan worshipping, but as the money from the her memorial fund runs out, she hooks up with a "kill club" who try to solve mysteries. Told in alternating chapters from the present day and the past, and through alternating viewpoints. Flynn has an amazing gift for description, for suspenseful writing and clever turn of phrase.  See also Sharp Objects and Gone Girl by Flynn.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (2005)

A dark, gothic tale of a young Chicago reporter who gets sent back to her small Missouri town to report on the murder and disappearance of little girls. The trip brings up all sorts of emotional ghosts of her troubled childhood. Chilling and suspenseful right up to the satisfying conclusion.  See also Dark Places and Gone Girl for more compelling, chilling fiction.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (2003)

Written as a series of letters to her estranged husband, this is the story of a woman whose son grows up to be a school shooter. Fascinating exploration of what went so terribly wrong with Kevin--from the early days of her marriage to his childhood and beyond. Hypnotic and horrifying.