You are a radio host for the small town of Gallows Creek. The start of your late-night show, The Scream, is simple enough. That is, until you get the call from a local woman. She is whispering, breathing down the phone. She sounds terrified. Live on air, she tells you she is being hunted. Hunted by who? A serial killer. He is outside of her home, and she needs your help.
This is how the story begins in Killer Frequency, an interactive horror fiction game where players act as Forrest Nash, a late-night radio host in a small American town. During his radio show, he receives a call from a frantic caller asking for help while she is being hunted by the legendary Whistling Man, a serial killer who haunted the town in the 1960s.
Released in 2023, this first-person horror game has the player help callers while uncovering the secrets of Gallows Creek. If you like the sound of that and you are wondering if there are any books with a similar vibe to the game, we’ve got you covered. Here are ten books with similar themes and tones:
Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout
If you are looking for a story based around the radio DJ and their callers, then Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout is what you are looking for. This novel follows a call-in radio show, called Ghost Radio, where callers share their ghost stories and paranormal encounters live on air. Joaquin is the hip melancholy host fielding calls from believers and detractors. However, when the underground radio station gains popularity, it’s soon clear that maybe not all of their listeners are among the living.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
One of the best parts of Killer Frequency is the story of a small town with a big secret. If you are looking for something with that vibe, why not try out Lily Anderson’s Undead Girl Gang? This YA mystery is about Mila, who investigates the death of her best friend and two other girls, all of whom have died under mysterious circumstances.
However, when the town starts to report the murders as a suicide pact, she knows that her best friend would never do such as thing, she begins to investigate their deaths only to find that there is a lot more than what the authorities are presenting.
The Six Stories Series by Matt Wesoloski
Any of the Six Stories books could be under this entry, but let’s go with a broad description for now. Six Stories is a series about Scott King, an investigative journalist from the podcast named Six Stories.
Each book follows an unsolved mystery from the past. In a series of six interviews, readers explore the story from six different points of view. In the background, there is always something else lingering behind the scenes.
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Another small town with a hidden secret. The town of Black Spring, New York is routinely terrorized by the ghost of the Black Rock Witch. The witch, Katherine van Wyler, was put to death in 1664 and will randomly appear in places throughout Black Spring.
The townsfolk track her progress using the mobile app called Hex, so they can avoid her. However, when a group of teens, unhappy with the set-up put in place to safeguard the town against the witch, decide to broadcast what is happening to the town to the world, things take a more sinister turn.
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
Welcome to Night Vale, a small town hidden in the middle of a desert and home to many people, supernatural beings and shadowy governments alike. Based on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale which follows Cecil Palmer, a radio DJ who has to report on the strange goings on around the town, this book follows two of Night Vale’s residents, a 19-year-old pawnbroker who never gets old and a teenage boy who can shapeshift.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Are you looking for a masked killer that likes to terrorize a small town? Try My Heart is a Chainsaw, a novel about Jade Daniels, a young woman who is obsessed with slasher movies. When the killing starts, she shows that all that time watching horror movies was well spent.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Killer Frequency is heavily focused on the callers trying to survive a killer, and wondering if they will be his next victim. The main protagonist of Survive the Night by Riley Sager makes their book the perfect pick.
Charlie decided to drop out of college due to the murder of her friend at the hands of the Campus Killer. Since Charlie isn’t a driver, she joins a ride-share where she meets Josh. After initially getting along, some comments from Josh begin to make her nervous and she is reminded that the killer is still out there, and she could be riding with him.
Run on Red by Noelle W. Ihli
Every call that comes into The Scream in Killer Frequency has the thrill of a game of cat and mouse. For that heart-pounding thrill ride, Run on Red by Noelle W. Ihli will have your attention from start to finish. It follows two college girls named Laura and Olivia as they embark on a journey to a party.
While driving along a rural country road, they find themselves being followed and then chased by a truck, turning their once pleasant trip into a nightmare game of cat and mouse. Laura and Olivia have to try and outwit their pursuer and fight for survival. The only difference is that they don’t have a witty radio host to help them survive.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
In Killer Frequency, one of the callers is a teenager. Her friends are being stalked by the Whistling Man during a house party. If you like the idea of teenagers being attacked by a serial killer during a party, then Ten by Gretchen McNeil is what you are looking for. This young adult mystery novel follows a group of friends who head off to enjoy a house party on an island.
When a killer begins to pick the friends off one by one, the teenagers begin to turn on each other. A little different from how the teens act in the game, but it still has the same overall vibe.
Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt
Finally, if you like the idea of characters revisiting a mystery, then Something Bad Wrong might be a good read for you. This book is about a True-crime podcaster who returns to Deeton County, North Carolina in order to investigate a case that her grandfather was trying to solve in 1972, but failed. She uses the notes that he left behind, trying to solve the crime that may have destroyed his career.
These are just a few books that have the vibe of the video game Killer Frequency. Whether that is following tales that are similar to the callers, or part of the overall story, hopefully, this list will be a great find. So, have you played Killer Frequency? Have you read any of these books? Do you have any books to offer that has a similar feel to the game? Comment below and let us know!