8 of the Best Gothic Mystery Novels

I’ve spoken at length about my love of the gothic genre, whichever variant it comes in. Gothic horror? I’m in. Gothic romance? Shut up and take my money. Gothic mysteries? Well, why didn’t you just say so? Mystery plots hit differently when placed against the backdrop of a Victorian manor or a crumbling abbey. The stakes are twice as high. Sleuthing paired with classic Gothic tropes? Whether they’re played off as straight up Gothic or subverted (like the not-so-naive ingenue), my answer is the same: yes, yes, yes. When I set out to write this post, I purposefully chose from a mix of classics and more contemporary novels. This is not meant to be a list of all the best Gothic mysteries: any genre that’s a few hundred years old would resist such an endeavor. I left out giants like The Mysteries of Udolpho, not because they don’t belong in this list, but because I wanted it to capture the genre’s longevity. The classics are among the best, no question, but that’s no reason to ignore the great books that have come out since. After all, Gothic mysteries have changed and shifted… as literary genres are wont to do. Shall we take a look? Get 15% off annual All Access memberships for a limit...