I tried Earthquake Weather. I must have been tired or something, because I lost patience waiting for something to happen. I’ll try Anubis Gates – I’ve seen recommendations for that one elsewhere, but a Doper rec carries more weight. 
Earthquake Weather is the third book in the world created in Last Call, and then Expiration Date. And is the weakest of the three books, I’m afraid. I know I wasn’t that thrilled with it, and I knew all the recurring characters. I can undestand why you, as someone who’d not read the earlier books, would feel even less patience.
A scary story thread from a few years ago.
The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James kept my parents awake for a couple of nights; I found it at about age 5 and wouldn’t stop reading it, even though I had the screaming heebie-jeebies when the lights went out.
And you just can’t go wrong with H. P. Lovecraft, or any of the collections in his genre by other authors.
It’s a very different kind of scary/creepy than most books, but Mark Z. Danilewski’s House of Leaves is a fascinating read. Starts off slow, but it’s creepy as hell.
I see that M.R. James has been mentioned already. Sheridan Le Fanu and E.F. Benson are two of my other favorites, if you haven’t run across them (as I’m guessing you have), although they don’t qualify as “new,” exactly. TGASS by Clive Barker kind of made the same impression on me as it has on others. I liked “Weaveworld” much better.
Try browsing through www.horrormasters.com a bit. They publish new fiction, as well as carrying a database of a few thousand stories and poems (a new one every day). There’s a link to their Modern Horror Writers at the bottom of the home page. PDF format, but a treasure trove nonetheless.
It’s not a bad read, but I’m a little surprised that he didn’t get sued by Peter Straub over A Winter’s Haunting. It has about as many plot points in common with If You Could See Me Now(1977) as Dan Brown’s Book is supposed to have with that Blood book… If you haven’t read Straub’s older works, you might like them. Floating Dragon, Mystery, Shadowland etc.
Horror novels not in this thread that I’ve read in the past three years and liked a lot include:
The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
**Strangewood ** by Christopher Golden (really love this one)
The Others by James Herbert (Once… on the other hand, yuck)
The Visitation by Frank Peretti (he’s not really a “Christian author”, despite the hype.)
The Oath by Frank Peretti
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz
The Taking by Dean Koontz
The Face by Dean Koontz (I got re-caught up on Koontz last year!)
The Presence by John Saul
Gozu Tashoya, I’m not much for experimental (if that’s the right word) fiction. Or maybe I’ve heard too many people say House of Leaves was too much work. I might be too lazy to tackle that one.
Dijon Warlock, I’ll browse that site, thank you.
elfkin477, I loves me my Peter Straub. I haven’t read James Herbert for awhile. I liked his early stuff and then tried to read 1948 and thought it was pretty awful. Saul’s okay. I don’t care for Koontz. I’ll check out the Doris Lessing title. Thanks.
I haven’t seen these mentioned yet, so here goes:
Child Across the Sky by Jonathon Carroll - semi surreal & creepy
The Paper Grail or The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock - semi goofy, but I found the main bad guys in each very effectively understatedly creepy
I’m okay with semi-goofy, I think. Does that mean the plot is unbelievable, but the writing and/or the characters are interesting enough to make up for it? Randall Boyll’s books are like that. You’re going “Nuh UH” but you keep reading anyway, and you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time.
Bumping this thread – I don’t have much book buying money, but these recommendations prompted me to ask about trading on another board.
So far I’ve scored Personal Demons by Christopher Fowler, Earthquake Weather by Powers, and the grand prize – Anubis Gates and Dinner at Deviant’s Palace (hardcover limited editions even) – which are coming to me from Romania. !!
My trades were books by Jack Ketchum, Kathe Koja, Davis Grubb, John Farris, R. Scott Bakker, and Sean Stewart.
I love the internets!
Have you read In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien? He’s the guy who wrote The Things They Carried. He’s not known as a horror writer and this is not a straight-up horror book either, but it’s mysterious and creepy and very good. If you read it, let me know. I’ve been looking for someone to discuss it with for years now.
I’ll try it. One of the people I’m trading with mentioned this book. Now two? That means something. Thanks.
Try this one: Under the Skin, by Michel Faber.
I read it five years ago and it is still vivid to me. It is unconventional horror, with some science fiction added. Thoughtful and beautifully written, too. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I felt immensely sad, other times I felt a bit sick.
I knew I should have kept that book. It sat on the shelf for years, and I ended up trading it for something. 
I don’t read horror, but a very creepy fantasy book is Garth Nix’s awesome Sabriel. You said you liked Coraline, so I knew you wouldn’t be insulted by a book that is sometimes considered YA.
This book is probably my most recommended book in history by now. It’s simply spectacular and very creepy.
Congrats! I’m glad you’re so eager to try Powers. I hope you like him as much as I do. And that limited edition of Anubis Gates is a lovely book. (I’ve got a copy, myself. And no, it’s not for sale or trade. In fact, I think I know what I’ll read on my way to sleep tonight…)
If you liked Due’s “The Good House,” try her novels “My Soul to Keep” and “The Living Blood”. As much as I liked The Good House, I thought these were better.
And I highly recommend pretty much anything by F. Paul Wilson…he’s mostly horror with a smattering of Sci-Fi. The later “Repairman Jack” novels are serialized so for prime enjoyment start with the earlier titles and work forward, The Keep and The Tomb are both excellent.
Of all the novelists I read, I would have to say that he and Jeffrey Deaver are the 2 that never disappoint.
Barbara
jsgoddess, I love YA stuff. I’ve read Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen – the trilogy really delivered. I have another Nix book in the TBR, Shade’s Children.
Accidental Yuppie, I like Wilson. I really liked The Keep (even the movie), The Tomb, and The Touch but I haven’t read any Repairman Jack stuff yet.
When my finances improve, I’m going to read some more Due. I usually don’t buy new, and her titles are pricey even on the secondary market.
I just remembered another writer I’d like to recommend – Midory Snyder. The Innamorati is wonderful historical fantasy, and The Flight of Michael McBride is a nice horrific western, of all things. I think horror and westerns are a nice mix, but nobody’s doing that except for maybe Joe Lansdale and Tim Lebbon.
I spelled that wrong – it’s Mydori Snyder. Worth checking out.