October Reads: 5 Sinister Stories For That Halloween Spirit

 

While Halloween is by no means my favorite holiday, it is nevertheless an important part of October and can be a lot of fun to celebrate. I'm not exactly a gal who reads horror books or watches a lot of scary movies, but I am a mystery buff and especially enjoy stories with creepy characters and spooky settings. In honor of Halloween I'd like to share some of my favorite classic books that will maybe make you look over your shoulder a bit. Some I read years ago but they stuck with me as a little more disturbing than your average mystery book. What are your favorite spooky stories this time of year? 

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

Amazon Book Summary:

I threw the piece of paper on the fire. She saw it burn ...Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and there he dies suddenly. In almost no time at all, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - turns up in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, sophisticated, mysterious woman like a moth to the flame. And yet ...might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Amazon Book Summary:

Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. The battle begins between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Amazon Book Summary:

Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to an isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…

A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon

Amazon Book Summary:

Lord John Grey, a lieutenant-colonel in His Majesty’s army, arrives in Jamaica with orders to quash a slave rebellion brewing in the mountains. But a much deadlier threat lies close at hand. The governor of the island is being menaced by zombies, according to a servant. Lord John has no idea what a zombie is, but it doesn’t sound good. It sounds even worse when hands smelling of grave dirt come out of the darkness to take him by the throat. Between murder in the governor’s mansion and plantations burning in the mountains, Lord John will need the wisdom of serpents and the luck of the devil to keep the island from exploding.

The White Witch of Rose Hall by Herbert G. De Lisser

Amazon Book Summary:

A very striking and curious story, founded on fact, of the West Indies of the early nineteenth century. Robert Rutherford is sent to the Islands to learn the planter's business from the bottom. He becomes an overseer at Rosehall, the property of a young widow, Mrs Palmer, whose three husbands have all died in curious circumstances. She takes a violent fancy to Rutherford, who is also embarrassed by the attentions of his half-caste housekeeper, Millicent.

His housekeeper is urging him, with some success, to fall in with West Indian habits, when Mrs. Palmer arrives. Millicent defies her and threatens her with the powers of Takoo, an Obeah man. Mrs. Palmer, herself skilled in Obeah magic, puts a spell on the girl, which Takoo's rites, shattered by the white woman's stronger magic, are powerless to remove.

A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry

 

Publication Date: October 26, 2010

Length: 208 pages

I have almost finished reading all of Anne Perry's Christmas books. They are short and easy to read in one sitting, especially on a cold winter day by the fire, or in this case, a hot summer day in June.  Each book is its own separate story so you do not need to read them in any particular order. It is helpful to have read some of her Monk or Pitt books though because some of the minor characters in those books take center stage in the Christmas ones. 

A Christmas Odyssey concerns the character of Henry Rathbone. He is the father of Oliver Rathbone, a prominent lawyer who features often in her other books. Henry has been asked to look into the disappearance of his friend's son, Lucien. It seems Lucien has rejected a life of wealth and privilege for the dark underworld of drugs and sexual deviance. This being the Victorian era it is impressed upon the reader just how private the search for Lucien must be kept since no self respecting member of society would even acknowledge the "underworld" much less know anything about where to look for a fallen relative. Henry enlists the help of his friend Hester Monk who is a major character from Perry's Monk novels and is quite familiar with shady and marginalized people she comes into contact with as a nurse and owner of a clinic operating to serve the downtrodden, forgotten citizens of the poorer part of town. 

Through Hester, Henry is able to gain the trust and assistance of former brothel owner Squeaky Robinson and they set out to retrace Lucien's steps and see if they can gain any insight into where he may have gone. Their search takes them to the darkest places imaginable. They are accompanied by a doctor, Crow, who is not a credentialed doctor per se due to his own personal struggles, but nonetheless is a compassionate man who wants to help those in need who cannot afford medical services or, due to the nature of their occupations, would rather not be helped by a licensed professional. Henry, Squeaky, and Crow together meet up with Bessie, a young girl who has maintained some semblance of innocence despite being forced to live underground to survive with nefarious people in appalling conditions. She leads them through a maze of contacts as well as a literal maze of tunnels and rooms, helping them to untangle the trail of events that led Lucien to cease contact with his family. During the search it is discovered that a mysterious figure aptly named "Shadwell" is pulling the strings behind the lives and fates of those underground.

When evidence of two murders is discovered, everyone is frightened for Lucien as well as their own survival. It is obvious that Shadwell is watching their every move and if they are to make it out alive with Lucien intact it will take all of them working together to move quickly and cleverly to outwit the evil that poisons the lives of the inhabitants of this very sad, forgotten part of their city.

I will admit this is probably the darkest Anne Perry novel I've read thus far. She always tends to weave that element throughout her stories which adds suspense and excitement because you realize quickly her books are not meant to be what one would call "cozy" mysteries. This one seemed to be even more shocking than usual in that the vivid descriptions of drugs, sexual deviance, and intimidation were especially pronounced. She never writes graphically enough to be called sensational but it was just a tad more realistic and frightening than her usual work. Perhaps this is why she is so good at what she does. I wanted to look away, but I had to know how it ended!

The best part of Perry's books is that in the end evil is punished and good rewarded. In the Christmas books she develops the plot to a point where you think you'll never be able to see the holiday spirit in it but by the last page you are feeling happy, contented, and festive. Because this book was so much of a downer throughout it was remarkable that by the last page I had happy tears in my eyes at the resolution, making me glad I'd stuck with it to the end. I have never been sorry for picking up an Anne Perry book and this one is no exception, just be aware it can be a depressing slog at times. She definitely has written more uplifting Christmas books but they are always a fun read and the clues and mystery are revealed in a way that keeps your mind guessing.