Gothic novels are chock-full of haunted castles, mustache-twirling villains, damsels in distress, dashing heroes, and supernatural elements of all shapes and sizes. If you’ve read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you’ve read what most contemporary readers call “Gothic.” But Stoker was actually late to the genre party; Dracula was published in 1897, while the first true Gothic…
Tag: mystery/thriller
The Castaway Lounge Is Gritty, Gory, And Good
It’s 1986, and Jackson “Applejack” Woods would rather be anywhere else than this carcass of a town. After years of living on the wrong side of the law, he’s determined to get on the straight and narrow that leads to somewhere — anywhere — else. Things go from bad to worse when a young pole…
The Long Drive: Ancient Gold and Murder
Lately I’ve been on a mystery kick. It started with After the Funeral and has expanded to include a favorite of mine since high school, Clive Cussler. Strange how listening to characters in a book murder each other makes me feel less murder-y on my commute. Spartan Gold, by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood (Read…
Review: After the Funeral
No one in the Abernethie family can throw cold water on a moment quite like Cora Lansquenet. She’s always been in the habit of speaking uncomfortable truths at inopportune moments, but no one expected this habit to rear its head the same afternoon as Cornelius Abernethie’s funeral. “But he was murdered, wasn’t he?” Everyone —…
Review: Time Riders
Liam is aboard the Titanic in 1912; Maddy on a doomed plane in 2010; Sal trapped in a fire in 2026. Each is saved from death at the last moment, but they can never return to their own time. History is in danger, and they’ve been recruited to protect it. The trio are TimeRiders, dedicated…