The House Built on Alligator Bones (Dutton 2026) by Sophia Huneycutt is an endlessly fascinating, utterly riveting Southern Gothic tale with all the classic elements of the genre, but it has even more to offer thanks to its unique twist. With an atmospheric Florida setting and more than enough visceral horror, The House Built on […]
“Gothictown” by Emily Carpenter
January 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Most times in life when things seem too good to be true, they are. Such is the case in Emily Carpenter’s latest novel, Gothictown (Kensington, 2025). If you liked Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery,” you are bound to enjoy the mysteries hidden behind the innocent façade of Gothictown. Carpenter begins the novel with brief […]
“Lisbeth,” by Marina Brown
September 21, 2017 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Claire Matturro As with her stunning debut novel, Land Without Mirrors, Marina Brown has, with her newest book, Lisbeth, plumbed the emotional truths of diverse and conflicting characters as they struggle through chaos, peril, and change. Lisbeth is a big, bold, intense, and intensely complex Southern Gothic, with lyrical writing, lushly described settings, […]
Allen Mendenhall Interviews Emily Carpenter, Author of “The Weight of Lies”
July 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
AM: The Weight of Lies is a thriller that critics have labeled as “Southern Gothic.” Are they right? EC: I wholeheartedly endorse the Southern Gothic label. There are some other elements at play in the book—bits of romance, horror, and family drama—but overall, I’d really hoped for that delicious moss-draped, muddy, “there’s-something-off-about-this-place” feel you get in […]
“Charlotte’s Story,” by Laura Benedict
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Charlotte’s Story (Pegasus Crime, 2015), by Laura Benedict, takes your classic Southern gothic novel and spices it up a notch with a whodunit. If you like gothic and mystery, this spooky tale is sure to entertain. The story takes place in 1957 in Old Gate, Virginia, on a picturesque estate complete […]
“Dollbaby,” by Laura Lane McNeal
April 1, 2015 by 2 Comments
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Dollbaby, Laura Lane McNeal’s debut novel, is a Southern gothic tale with the requisite decaying mansion, locked rooms, long-held secrets, and a sometimes eccentric, sometimes just plain crazy owner named Fannie. Almost-twelve-year-old Ibby Bell finds herself deposited at the door of her grandmother Fannie’s “Queen Anne monstrosity” in New Orleans after […]