The Thirteenth Tale

Cover of The Thirteenth TaleRecently, I have found that my book choices have been a little disappointing - in fact I could categorically state that they have not captured my imagination at all!  A sad state of affairs.  But that was before I came across The Thirteenth Tale...  During my short Christmas holiday I spent any free time actively seeking out a quiet 'nook or cranny' where I could sit down and catch up with the action going on at Angelfield House

the imposing home of the March family - fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie, her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild, untamed twins

YES, a Gothic mystery that has got me page-turning with great speed.  Oh, I love a good Gothic novel - Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Henry James's Turn of the Screw, and Susan Hill's The Woman in Black to name but a few.

Cover of Bellman & BlackWritten by Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale has received a 4-star-rating in our catalogue and has elicited around 60+ positive comments by readers. I've started to look at ratings and comments in earnest, although I like to think that I am not swayed too much by opinion - I don't want to miss something that I might enjoy. Setterfield's latest offering, Bellman & Black, sounds promising and I might be persuaded to give it a whirl.

What 'haunting' reads would you recommend? And, tell me, do you read the comments in the catalogue? If so, do you let them guide your selections?