Hestor Fox is now known for her lush, historical fantasies. But, before that? Gothic mysteries. The former museum curator and historical archaeologist built her career on tales woven through the macabre. Let me point to the original three that launched her career – The Witch of Pale Harbor, The Witch of Willow Hall, and Orphan of Cemetery Hill. These are all excellent novels that express the dreaded and dreary themes of the Gothic genre alongside the macabre tones of Edgar Allan Poe.
- The Witch of Pale Harbor: Psychological suspense mixed with the foreboding of an isolated New England town in the 1830s. Fox captured me with her spirited language and vivid imagery – from one of the very first scenes when the protagonist finds himself exploring his new parish. The sense of claustrophobia intensifies as suspicion grows around a reclusive governess. Small-town judgment and hysteria blend well here.
- The Witch of Willow Hall: Critically, the best-rated of her original three gothic stories. Three sisters flee scandal and take refuge in their family’s retreat, Willow Hall. Guess what? It’s haunted with a terrible curse that sustains the sisters with palpable dread and a psychological toll that bellows heavy like a grandfather clock.
- The Orphan of Cemetery Hill: Rich with the Victorians’ death obsession and an intense psychological terror mystery. We move on to Boston in the 1840s. What could possibly plague someone who works as a medium and facilitates seances? It’s all about helping others…until someone from her past appears as a result of this activity. The protagonist must now confront secrets of her own. What transpires is a confrontation of the dark secrets of her own identity.
Eerie whispers of a classic Gothic tale mixed with atmospherically convoluted moral struggles that thrust characters into conundrums and challenge their own code – that’s what you get here.
Which novel will you be checking out? Each title is linked to their BCCLS page, so go ahead and make your reservation.
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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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