Some Gothic chills to cool down your summertime reading

As it is the midst of summer, with the scalding weather that comes with this season, this is a great time to stay inside and read. Keeping cool next to a fan and/or AC gets even easier with a nice chilling book flavored with Gothic flair to take a dive into.

A fine example of that is The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis(now out in paperback), the first in a series of mysteries featuring the literary sisters Bronte as detectives, with their brother Bramwell on hand as their assistant.

The first mystery the Bronte ladies have to tackle is the disappearance of Elizabeth Chester, the second wife of distraught husband Robert, whose governess Matilda was a former schoolmate of Charlotte and Emily.

Matilda found the bedroom of Elizabeth drenched in blood yet no body was discovered. Since the first Mrs. Chester died under suspicious circumstances, she fears the worst and asks her old friends to look into the matter. Since Charlotte and Emily, along with Anne, are seeking some inspiration for their bookish pursuits and truly concerned for the residents of Chester Grange, they take up the case and make inquiries that could lead them to answers as well as real danger.

I had the pleasure of reading this book earlier this year(thanks to my local library) and even if you are not overly familiar with the Bronte sisters' full set of works, this suitably spooky tale is a good way to get to know them better indeed:

If you prefer a hardcover for sturdier shade, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic has much to offer. When 1950's socialite Noemi goes to visit her newly married cousin Catalina on the behalf of her concerned father, the reception she receives at High Place, the decaying mansion home of the Doyle family, is far from welcoming.

As her stay goes on, Noemi grows to share those parental worries about Catalina's decreasing mental and physical state, not to mention the underlying strangeness of her cousin-in-law's family. A twisted method to the Doyle madness surrounds her yet Noemi is bound and determined to get to the source of all of this menace before it can destroy her and Catalina.

Already, this sharply sinister novel has become a best seller with both critical and reader reviews of praise following in it's wake. I have no doubt that this book will be become a major player on those best books of the year lists to come:

Meanwhile, we have another dazzling debut before us with Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. Set in 1996, college student Ines feels that she is most fortunate to be at the titled school, seeing as how it's alumnae roster includes
renowned writers, scientists and political figures.

However, all attendees are required to shut themselves off from the outside world for three years(no summer breaks)-no music, TV or even contact with family allowed. Since Ines is trying down to live down some of her past extracurricular activities from her last school, she is willing to give what seems to be an austere lifestyle a chance.

This strict adherence turns out to be not as strict in some regards, which leads Ines to be sent to the Restoration Center where the "cure" is far worse than any perceived problem. Can she break free of the strange group experiment that is this school or will Ines be the all too perfect case study here?

This certainly sounds intriguing, with a blend of The Secret History meets Frankenstein in a modern terror tale that makes you shudder while turning pages:

Granted, many folks still think that Gothic lore is only fitting for Halloween but as this trio of fear filled fiction shows, that particular slice of genre can always be in literary style. Hopefully more Gothic themed stories will flourish due to such new stories as these and no doubt, the sisters Bronte will make their presence well known as this trend takes center stage: