Review: America's Most Gothic - Haunted History Stranger than Fiction

Review: America's Most Gothic - Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction - Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes - September 2025

I'm absolutely delighted to share my thoughts on America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction by Leanne Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes. This atmospheric gem arrived as a physical ARC from Kensington Publishing, and honestly, it couldn't have found a better home on my nightstand.

One of my reading goals for 2026 is tackling at least twelve non-fiction books ,one per month and I'm thrilled to report I'm right on track. This beauty marks my second non-fiction read of the year, and what a wonderfully eerie way to continue this journey.

As a writer for Gothic Bite Magazine US, I've spent countless hours researching historical crimes, peculiar criminals, poison rings, and architecturally strange buildings. The weird, the wacky, the downright spine-tingling , demons, hauntings, unexplained phenomena , all of it fascinates me endlessly. When I first glimpsed this book, it practically whispered my name from across the room.

What makes this collection so captivating is how the author duo weave together the familiar tropes we adore in Gothic fiction - fog-shrouded mansions, dangerous patriarchs, locked rooms, whispers of murder with the startling revelation that reality often surpasses our darkest imaginings. These aren't fictional heroines escaping brooding estates; these are real people who lived, loved, and died amidst genuinely Gothic circumstances.

The authors introduce us to hauntingly memorable figures: teenage Mercy Brown, caught in Rhode Island's vampire panic of the 1890s; Marguerite de la Roque, exiled to Canada's terrifying Isle of Demons for her "sexual crimes"; and "Mad Lucy" Ludwell, still prowling her Virginia estate centuries later. Each story is presented with care and richness, honoring these tragic souls while sending delicious shivers down your spine and causing you to fall down the rabbit holes of research.

What I particularly appreciate is how accessible and engaging the writing feels like settling in for ghost stories with knowledgeable friends on a fog-draped evening. The book doesn't just catalog hauntings; it explores the very real anxieties, desires, and social constraints that shaped these Gothic realities.

America's Most Gothic has absolutely gotten under my skin in the best possible way. It's a beautiful reminder that truth can be stranger and more haunting than fiction, and these ghostly figures deserve to have their stories told.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kn8jUs