A spate of new gothic novels, with haunted shipwrecks, frightening hospitals, strange cliff homes and more…
The Salvage by Anbara Salam
Marta is a salvage diver and marine archaeologist, a rare profession in the early 1960s. She has been hired to dive and search a wreck off the coast of Scotland, and assess the feasibility of bringing up some artifacts. The captain was a local hero and his ship was lost as he was returning from an expedition. The small town wants to create a museum and perhaps invite some tourism to their rocky outcropping.
But Marta is being harassed by shadowy figures and her own dark past. Her mission is endangered by townspeople who don’t want the captain’s remains disturbed, by ghosts that haunt her dives, and by the memory of someone she couldn’t save.
Set against the backdrop of Soviet threat and a burgeoning space age, the town finds itself stuck between a thousand years of heritage and the promise of a changed future. It’s murky and slow and deliciously creepy.
My thanks to Tin House Books for the advanced copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Tin House
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Print length: 384 pages (English)
ISBN-10: 1963108477
The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling
The discomfort in a gothic tale often stems from our inability to escape our bodies. The mind is stuck and has to endure whatever our flesh and bone is subjected to. Margaret is a smart, vibrant person until she is struck by a rare, destructive autoimmune disease. There are only a handful of people ever known to have it. After her diagnosis, she presumes she will see herself deteriorate, painfully, with little ability to slow it.
Then, she is offered a chance to enter a radical clinical trial. It’s incredibly experimental, but she has no other medical options. She is required to live in a residential wing of the hospital, where a special crew of doctors, nurses, and experts will essential destroy her immune system, then rebuild it.
For the first time since her symptoms began, she is believed–and taken care of. Soon, though, she will be gaslit in new ways while in their care.
It’s tense and unnerving–and a bit frustrating to see the protagonist sort of give in. But in that way, it sort of mirrors an infection. Slowly at first, then all at once.
My thanks for St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Print length: 304 pages (English)
ISBN-10: 1250340756
The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor
Emily Grace is not one to be trifled with. She is an incredibly competent carpenter and historic restoration expert. She can wield a power tool or an antique hand tool with equal expertise. Yet she finds herself on a windswept rocky outcropping of an island, restoring the midcentury modern mansion of a eccentric billionaire with a missing wife.
But with most aspects of her personal life in tatters, she doesn’t have many options. A chance to really put her skills to use, in a quiet location with no distractions would probably help her clear her head. She can add private home of super rich guy to her resume, maybe even earn back a little self-confidence.
Unsurprisingly, odd things begin happening around the house. Wet footprints appear, items disappear, figures appear in windows, lights glow from empty rooms, and townsfolk warn Emily Grace about the missing wife. Still, she tries to keep her head down, to the work bench, and complete the job. Then things get too wild to ignore.
My thanks to Severn House for the advanced copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Severn House
Publication date: May 21, 2026
Print length: 288 pages (English)
ISBN-10: 1448318882