Gothic Tropes in The Hound of the Baskervilles

I have written before about how detective fiction (and the mystery genre more broadly) emerged out of the Gothic. I even touched briefly on this particular book. But today I want to give a much more in-depth examination of the Gothic elements in Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, first published in serialized form in 1901–2.  Continue reading Gothic Tropes in The Hound of the Baskervilles

Review of The Sleepless—A Debut Sci-Fi Thriller

The Sleepless coverWhat would you do if you had twenty-four waking hours per day? As tempting as that prospect sounds, journalist Jamie Vega learns that these extra hours aren’t necessarily all they’re cracked up to be in Victor Manibo’s debut, The Sleepless, a sci-fi thriller which came out last year. Continue reading Review of The Sleepless—A Debut Sci-Fi Thriller

Review of The Spare Man—Murder Mystery in Space

The Spare Man coverDon’t you hate it when someone gets murdered on your honeymoon? To make matters worse, Tesla’s brand new husband gets accused of the crime in The Spare Man, a brilliant sci-fi mystery thriller from Mary Robinette Kowal, which came out last year.  Continue reading Review of The Spare Man—Murder Mystery in Space

Review of Lavender House—A Queer Murder Mystery

Lavender House coverWhen the police would rather beat you than help you, who do you call in to solve a murder? The queer communities of 1950s San Francisco are the backdrop to a murder mystery in Lev A.C. Rosen’s latest novel, Lavender House, which came out in October. After being drawn to this book’s gorgeous purple cover every time I passed it, I finally picked it up and it’s been one of my favorite reads of the year! Continue reading Review of Lavender House—A Queer Murder Mystery

Review of Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile coverCan you believe I had never read an Agatha Christie novel before? As the reigning queen of the detective novel scene for much of the twentieth century, Christie’s contributions to the genre are immeasurable. She gave us two of the best-known detective characters after Sherlock—Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—and some of her major works such as Murder on the Orient Express have been adapted so many times over that they’ve become cultural touchstones. Despite all this, and my love of mystery novels dating back to my earliest reading years, I just had never gotten around to picking up one of Christie’s classics. Thankfully, the Romancing the Gothic book club has been working hard to improve my literary education. Last month we read Christie’s 1937 novel Death on the Nile. And I have to say, I’ll definitely be coming back for some more Poirot! Continue reading Review of Death on the Nile

Review of The City Beautiful—Jewish Historical Fantasy/Thriller

The City Beautiful book cover“The body cannot sustain two souls….” A young Jewish immigrant is possessed by the dybbuk of his murdered friend in Aden Polydoros’s debut YA novel The City Beautiful. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since Aden first announced his book deal several years ago! As a Jewish teen growing up, I rarely got to see my culture reflected in anything other than “issue books” about the Holocaust, so I’ve been delighted by the recent uptick of Jewish-inspired YA fantasy with books like Spinning Silver and The Sisters of the Winter Wood. But The City Beautiful is the first book I’ve encountered that really reaches into the deep well of Jewish folklore and draws up its horror elements. The City Beautiful comes out tomorrow, October 5.  Continue reading Review of The City Beautiful—Jewish Historical Fantasy/Thriller

The Gentleman and the Thief Review

A music teacher who moonlights as a sneak thief and a penniless gentleman with a knack for uncovering secrets—what could possibly go wrong? The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden is the sequel to The Lady and the Highwayman, one of my favorite books from 2019. I’ve been keeping this cozy historical romance at the ready to serve as a comfort read during this dark and dreary winter, and I’m so glad I did. This book had everything I’ve come to expect from the Dread Penny Society series: an abundance of mystery, a sweet courtship between two lovable protagonists, and a clever interplay with the uniquely Victorian literary phenomenon of the penny dreadful. If you need to keep the love going post–Valentine’s Day, I can’t recommend this series enough! Continue reading The Gentleman and the Thief Review

Happy 90th Birthday, Nancy Drew!

The girl detective is officially a nonagenarian. Well, her book series is anyway. Tomorrow, April 28, marks the 90-year anniversary of the publication of the first Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) by Carolyn Keene. As a young child, I devoured my way through the library’s entire shelf of Nancy Drew mysteries, and I’m sure that the gloomy settings, air of suspense, and plucky heroine had long-lasting effects on my literary taste. So, I want to take today to celebrate the legacy of Nancy Drew.

The Secret of the Old Clock cover Continue reading Happy 90th Birthday, Nancy Drew!

The Lady and the Highwayman Review

The Lady and the Highwayman coverWant some romance with a side of literary rivalry? How about if it’s set in the Victorian era and features that aptly named mode of early horror fiction—the penny dreadful? The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden, which came out earlier this month, is a delightful historical romance that pushed all the right buttons for me. If you love Victorian literature, bold heroines, and sweet couples solving mysteries together, then this is the perfect book to curl up with on a cool autumn day! Continue reading The Lady and the Highwayman Review

Review of The Invited—Helpful Hauntings

The Invited coverWould you intentionally invite spirits into your home? What about if you knew they had an important message for you? Jennifer McMahon explores these questions in her latest horror novel, The Invited, which comes out tomorrow, April 30. If you’re a fan of haunted houses, historic ghosts, and women who defy expectations, you won’t want to miss this one! Continue reading Review of The Invited—Helpful Hauntings