America's Most Gothic: Haunted History by Andrea Janes and Leanne Hieber Book Review

 

America's Most Gothic: Haunted History by Andrea Janes and Leanne Hieber Book Review 

America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea James. For this particular book, I’m not sure what I thought I was getting. I actually thought I had already reviewed it, but when I looked back through my videos, it wasn’t there. Since my written review is on Goodreads, I figured I’d go ahead and record this again.

The Gothic—brooding, atmospheric, chilling—is not always the outpouring of feverish imagination. Reality can be even stranger, as seen in this ghostly look at real people who lived and died amidst the trappings of the Gothic: fog clinging to isolated mansions, dangerous patriarchs, overbearing matrons, locked doors, forbidden rooms, and whispers of murder and madness. This book explores real-life stories that feel like Gothic fiction.

It includes tales like teenage Mercy Brown, victim of Rhode Island’s vampire hysteria of the 1890s; Marguerite Delaroche, a French noblewoman condemned for crimes to Canada’s long-lost Isle of Demons; and “Mad Lucy Ledwell,” an 18th-century woman said to still prowl her Virginia estate. 

There are also stories about haunted colleges, cursed landscapes, and spectral warnings. The book offers a tour of true hauntings and psychological mysteries that aim to unsettle the reader.

The book is expected to be published on September 30, 2025, and runs about 416 pages. It’s structured in thematic sections, beginning with A Wild and Forboding Landscape, then Dead Ships and Dark Dreams, among others. The two authors alternate writing each chapter, sharing their takes on various stories that mix folklore and history.

While I appreciated the concept, the writing style didn’t engage me as much as I’d hoped. I expected haunting narratives but instead found essays that leaned heavily into a first-person, reflective tone. There were even personal anecdotes—like a Thanksgiving dinner—inserted mid-story, which pulled me out of the Gothic mood.

I had hoped for something like The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson—historical storytelling that combines mystery and myth. While America’s Most Gothic does blend folklore and history, it lacks the tension and atmosphere I associate with true Gothic horror. The stories felt more like informative essays than eerie tales.

The book’s sections include The Wild and Forboding Landscape, Woman on a Journey, The Haunted House, The Hidden Chamber, Mysterious Omen, An Open Crypt, and A Family Cursed. Of these, I found The Haunted House and The Hidden Chamber most interesting. The chapters on ghost ships and mysterious omens were also intriguing, especially one about “resurrection Mary” and crossroads ghosts, which ties into familiar folklore motifs.

However, I wish the stories had been told in a more narrative-driven, chilling way. The essays could have benefited from tighter editing to remove unnecessary personal tangents. That would have helped deliver the “America’s Most Gothic” feel promised by the title.

In the end, I gave it four stars. It’s a solid read for those who enjoy historical accounts with a Gothic edge, but it’s not truly horror. If you’re looking for spooky atmosphere or emotional intensity, this might not completely satisfy. Still, it’s an interesting collection of eerie histories and American folklore.

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