Gothic Historical Fiction

Clara grew up believing that her mother's family had disowned them. But the grandmother Clara never knew is now entreating her to visit Thurnley Hall, the family seat in Yorkshire. The old lady is on her deathbed and anxious to disclose vital family secrets before it's too late - for Clara's unborn child may be cursed with a horrible fate.

A Cambridge historian is found drowned, clutching a glass prism in her hand. The book she was writing about Isaac Newton's involvement with alchemy remains unfinished. When her son, Cameron, asks his former lover, Lydia Brooke, to ghostwrite the missing final chapters of his mother's book, Lydia agrees and moves into Elizabeth's house. Soon Lydia discovers that the violence that has fallen across present-day Cambridge may have its origins in the troubling evidence that Elizabeth's research has unearthed.

No matter what her family and friends say, Jenny knows she will never fall in love again. How can she, when her childhood sweetheart was one of the countless killed at Waterloo? So when the Earl of Danfield proposes a marriage of convenience, it seems the perfect solution. He will secure his inheritance, and she will be spared the necessity of being paraded in society, forced to dance and flirt and do all the things her broken heart cannot do. His proposal will give her what she wants most. Peace

Ten-year-old Helen and her summer guardian, Flora, are isolated together in Helen's decaying family house while her father is doing secret war work in Oak Ridge during the final months of World War II. At three Helen lost her mother and the beloved grandmother who raised her has just died. A fiercely imaginative child, Helen is desperate to keep her house intact with all its ghosts and stories. Flora, her late mother's twenty-two-year old first cousin, who cries at the drop of a hat, is ardently determined to do her best for Helen.

Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it's not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardø, to be tried and condemned as a witch. Zigri's daughter Ingeborg sets off into the wilderness to try to bring her mother back home.

This Mary Shelley's classic short story, The Invisible Girl, is perfect for the fall season. Henry and Rosina's Gothic love story is a classic.

Paris, 1750. In the midst of winter, as birds fall frozen from the sky, a new maid arrives at the home of a celebrated clockmaker and his clever, unworldly daughter. But rumours are stirring that Reinhart's uncanny mechanical creations - bejewelled birds, silver spiders - are more than mere automata. That they might defy the laws of nature, perhaps even at the expense of the living. But Madeleine is hiding a dark past, and a dangerous purpose - to discover the truth of the clockmaker's experiments and record his every move, in exchange for her own chance of freedom.

Disowned by the cruel father who has always despised her, she has nowhere to turn until she is taken under the wing of a glamorous relative she never knew: the former Duchess of Ellsworth, who has scandalized society by remarrying soon after her first husband's death. At the opulent seaside estate of Ellsmere, Oriel thinks she has found a safe haven - but the darkly handsome young duke, Herron, believes otherwise. Haunted by the death of his father, he suspects that Ellsmere is sheltering a murderer.

A historical fiction book set in 17th century Netherlands and other vivid geographical locations during the tumultuous era of the mid-1600s. "Cross and Curse" sweeps you off to the small town of Terneuse, situated on the tranquil bank of the Scheldt river. Here, in a forlorn cottage, resides a widow on the descent of her days and her spirited son, Kevin Rosemont. This sweeping saga follows Kevin's journey as he unearths a suppressed family secret linked to an age-old maritime curse - a legacy tied to his father, a sailor believed to have perished at sea. Sail into the Darkness As the plot ...

Shattered Innocence by H. Wilhelm Starkweather is a gripping psychological fiction novel set against the tumultuous backdrop of Revolutionary America. This evocative tale delves into the complexities of love, betrayal, and the human psyche, painting a vivid picture of the era's struggles and the internal conflicts of its characters. Step into a world where innocence is shattered by the harsh realities of war, and the quest for personal truth leads to unexpected revelations. Explore the intricate relationship between Montraville and Valerie as they navigate the trials of love and duty. ...

The Mill in The Village by H. Wilhelm Starkweather is a gripping psychological fiction novel set in the ancient city of Winton in Hampshire, during a haunting period of familial conflict and dark secrets. The primary genre of the book is Psychological Fiction. This compelling tale invites readers into a mysterious and atmospheric setting where the past and present collide, exposing the shadowy corners of the human psyche. A mill steeped in ancient curses and family secrets. Three brothers entangled in a web of psychological turmoil. A mysterious girl with a supernatural aura who disrupts ...

Madness of the Water by H. Wilhelm Starkweather is a psychological fiction book set in early 19th century London. The novel unfolds against the backdrop of an exclusive gambling club, exploring themes of madness, loss, and the human psyche. This psychological fiction masterpiece delves into the minds of its characters, presenting a gripping narrative that blends historical and psychological elements. In this intense and thought-provoking journey, readers are taken deep into the intricacies of human emotions and motivations. An exclusive gambling club in 19th century London where fortunes ...

"Dog days and the fresh bodies are arriving once again." So begins the fall term at South Carolina Medical College, where Dr. Jacob Thacker is on probation for Xanax abuse. His interim career - working public relations for the dean - takes an unnerving detour into the past when the bones of African American slaves, over a century old, are unearthed on the campus. Out of the college’s dark past, these bones threaten to rise and condemn the present.

At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees.

Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret—she can see spirits. Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not. He has two handsome sons, the wry and dashing Thomas and the dark and somber Owen. Anne feels sure her prayers have been heard. Until the terrifying night she stumbles upon a tortured spirit roaming the dark halls of Northfield.

El fantasma de la Ópera es la historia de un tenebroso personaje, quien, a pesar del tormento que le provoca su fealdad, lucha por vivir para satisfacer su pasión por la belleza.

It begins with a rumor, an exciting whisper. Anything to break the tedium of the harem for the shah's eldest daughter. People speak of a man with a face so vile, it would make a hangman faint, but a voice as sweet as an angel's kiss. A master of illusion and stealth. A masked performer known only as Vachon. For once the truth will outshine the tales. On her birthday the shah gifts his eldest daughter, Afsar, a circus. With the circus comes a man who will change everything.

Deep in the French countryside - as the country reels through rebellion, beheadings, and starvation - a goat herder named Odette is trying to survive. Just that is on her mind - survival. Since she marched to Versailles with a group of Parisian women to protest the high prices of wheat, her life has spun out of control. She's fled the capital for the countryside. But what will happen to her? Can she stay in the Dordogne, where the kindly farmers have taken pity on her?

Even before the rumors about the Mansfield girls begin, Little Nettlebed is a village steeped in the uncanny, from strange creatures that wash up on the riverbank to portentous ravens gathering on the roofs of people about to die. But when the villagers start to hear barking, and one claims to see the Mansfield sisters transform before his very eyes, the allegations spark fascination and fear like nothing has before.

Set in regency-era Scotland along the beautiful shore of Loch Lomond, Prince of Foxes is based on the Scots tale of Gold Tree and Silver Tree, with Lord of Horses moving down to the dark streets of London and based on the tale of The Kelpie’s Bride. King of Forever, the final story in the trilogy, is set in the faerie realm itself and is based on the tale of Tam Lin and the myth of Hades and Persephone. Fall in love with the series listeners have described as delightful, compelling, and enchanting.