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What can happen when power goes unchecked in a small town? Only a number of nightmares from the likes you wish you’d never known��

A long-time lover of Emily Carpenter’s thrillers, Gothictown was yet another example at her masterful skill. A Southern gothic thriller that oozed with a Shirley Jackson vibe, it started with quite the bang and didn’t let up from there. After all, the evocative prose was immersive, compelling, and riddled with foreboding. From the eccentric characters and intoxicating small town feel to a plot that became more and more claustrophobic with each and every page, I found myself racing through the chapters as I yearned to know all of the whos, whats, hows, and whys. You see, I wasn’t able to guess a thing before each timely reveal.

Fast-paced and addictive, I was not surprised in the least by the spellbinding allure of this unputdownable novel. Filled with twist after twist that took the plot in a direction I wasn’t expecting, it still felt wholly genuine as the events unraveled with utter precision. And as the explosive climax arrived on the scene, I found myself flying hoping against hope that the root-for-able protagonist and her adorable daughter would get through it unscathed. In fact, even the underlying paranormal subplot didn’t deflect my undying adoration. Fitting into the premise with perfection, it only added to the well-plotted storyline’s eerie, dark mood.

All said and done, it was clear from the very first twist that Ms. Carpenter had pulled off yet another home run. With unending palpable tension, a clever, strong heroine, and events that had me questioning everything and everyone, I fell for this book hook, line, and sinker in no time at all. So if you love long-buried secrets, cult-like behaviors, and an almost horror book vibe, you need to grab this one ASAP. After all, there was a bit of all of the above alongside a bingeable plot, some well-developed characters, and a creep factor dialed up to a ten. All I know is that I couldn’t put it down and read it in only a matter of hours. Rating of 4.5 stars.

SYNOPSIS:

The email that lands in Billie Hope’s inbox seems like a gift from the universe. For $100, she can purchase a spacious Victorian home in Juliana, Georgia, a small town eager to boost its economy in the wake of the pandemic. She can leave behind her cramped New York City rental and the painful memories of shuttering her once thriving restaurant and start over with her husband and her daughter. Plus, she’ll get a business grant to open a new restaurant in a charming riverside community laden with opportunity. It seems like a dream come true…or a devil’s bargain.

A few phone calls and one hurried visit later, and Billie, Peter, and six-year-old Meredith are officially part of the Juliana Initiative. The town is everything promised—two hours northwest of Atlanta but a world away from city living, a “gentle jewel�� with weather as warm as its people. Between settling into their lavish home and starting her new restaurant, Billie is busy enough to dismiss any troubling signs��

But Billie’s sleep is marred by haunting dreams, and her marriage with Peter is growing increasingly strained. Meanwhile the town elders, all descended from Juliana’s founding families, exert a level of influence that feels less benevolent and more stifling day by day.

There’s something about “Gentle Juliana”—something off-kilter and menacing beneath that famous Southern hospitality. And no matter how much Billie longed for her family to come here, she’s starting to wonder how, and if, they’ll ever leave.

Thank you to Emily Carpenter and Kensington Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: March 25, 2025

Content warning: infidelity, death of a spouse, gun and knife violence, murder