I really enjoyed this book. The author has a way of capturing my attention instantly. I had to keep reading just one more chapter. It was a hard one to put down. Highly recommend.

This Gothic Mystery is absolutely stunning. I couldn't put this book down. I had to know what happened. I staved up way past my bed time reading this because I had to know how it ended. This is an amazing book and one of the best books I've read this summer. 6 stars if I could.

This was just okay for me. It didn’t feel new or fresh for the genre. The beginning was slow and I felt that it took too long to get to the actual meat of the story. And even by the time it did, I still wasn’t totally invested in the character. The tone shifting between modern and historical was a little jarring sometimes. There were so many layers to this story that things really started to blend and blur in my mind. The reveals were cleverly crafted but it did feel a little convoluted at times. Without saying any spoilers, there were a lot of names/timelines/realities that I was having a hard time keeping track of it all in my brain. It was a middle of the road three star read for me personally - not terrible, not amazing, not something I’ll die recommending or probably remember in a year. I think if the synopsis sounds like something you’d love then it might be worth the read for you.

Read if you like:
🦇 Gothic murder mysteries
🔀 Converging plotlines
📚 Books about books
🏥 Asylum setting

Carol Goodman had created a haunting thriller set in shrouds of mist and the smoke from a long-ago fire. When Agnes Cory, a young copy editor, slips her own letter to author Veronica St. Clair in the correspondence her struggling publishing company sends regularly to their most famous author she does not expect a response. She is simply one of Veronica’s many readers who longs for a sequel and a conclusion to Veronica’s famous and only book, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. She is astounded when Veronica reaches out and agrees to a sequel, but only if Agnes comes to Wyldcliffe to be her transcriptionist. Agnes is soon immersed in the historic mysteries of Wyldcliffe and its many incarnations and starts to discover long buried secrets. As she transcribes, she delves into the past of Veronica, Wyldcliffe, Jayne and the infamous Red Bess, and soon realizes all is not as it seems. She fears for the safety of Veronica and realizes she may be in danger herself. The author has brilliantly woven together the past and present in a completely immersive book that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. She has created memorable characters, as well as a complex, twisting plot in this excellent gothic thriller! I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy of the book. The opinions of my review are my own.

First of all, I'd like to call out that the author pulled off one of the funniest possible moves to make in a modern gothic novel, which is to make some of the main characters...goths. Like, full on late 80s/early 90s black eyeliner white foundation torn fishnets Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith cosplaying goth kids. The audacity. I'm living for it.

I mean, did I still regularly get a little thrown out of the mysterious and spooky big house on a hill vibes by the reminder that the current timeline is 2024? Sure. And I'll go along with the weird presentation of how morbid things are celebrated - a yearly parade where townsfolk dress up as a real-life girl who was locked in an insane asylum and then hung herself, but it's cool because she's a murderer who killed one single guy? I mean, I guess (maybe Fall River, MA has an annual do where the Lizzie Borden cosplays really pop off?). I'll believe that the Weird Girls of 1994 got so horny about a gothic potboiler that they swanned around in violets and then spent three decades writing fanmail begging for a sequel while hopefully realizing they were lesbians. Maybe something like that happened with the real-life gothic pass around your junior high friend group novel Flowers in the Attic. Maybe <i>those</i> girlies, um...tried incest?

I think what frustrated me about this novel was how overstuffed it was with the layers of different narratives. So, in the present day this girl Agnes is transcribing a sequel (or prequel? I think it was a prequel but they kept calling it a sequel?) to gothic novel The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights while she's at Wyldcliffe Heights, the house that inspired Wyldcliffe Heights in the book. The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights features a ghost, Red Bess, based on a real person (i.e. the dead teenager the current residents of the town cheerfully dress up as) and real events that took place a hundred years before in the town of Wyldcliffe-on-Hudson, but the book is set in the 1990s. The other protagonist from the Red Bess era of the narrative was Josephine Hale, the real-life grandmother of the real-life author of The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights; Josephine's later life as a progressive reformer led to her working at the Josephine Hotel, a house in NYC for indigent women where the main characters of The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, one of whom is based on the author, end up staying because that's where the real-life author of the book stayed. Oh, and the narrator in the present timeline also lives at the Josephine Hotel. You got all that? I know I'm missing some stuff. Can you draw me a diagram?

They all sound like interesting stories, right? Unfortunately they pretty much all end up kinda getting short shrift as you try to figure out what you're supposed to be focusing on in every three inch deep palimpsest of a page. Which is too bad, because I could have gone for more of all of them! This is why the best gothic novels are repurposable as hardcover doorstops!

There was also one thing that reeeeeeally bothered me at the climax to the extent of kind of souring the end for me, but NetGalley doesn't have spoiler tags so you're gonna have to hit up my Goodreads for that one. But even after that frustration for me, truly the most ironic part of this novel is how it left me restlessly wanting more. Return to Return to Wyldcliffe Heights, anyone?!

My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

Agnes Corey is invited to famous author Veronica St. Clair’s estate to dictate the sequel to her bestselling book, The Secret of Wyldecliffe Heights. The eerie gothic estate was once a psychiatric hospital for wayward women where the legend of Red Bess, a serial killer lives on.
This was a creepy gothic mystery that kept me glued to the pages. Thanks NetGalley and William Morrow for this eARC that will be released July 30, 2024!

This gothic old mansion story connects the progressive era, the 1990s and modern day NYC in a way I have never seen before. A megabestseller ‘beloved by goth girls' is about to get an update and brings forth questions about what is real, what is supernatural, and what is deception.

A loved the classic collection of tropes this story plays with including the poor orphaned girl, the madwoman in the attic, the damaged spinster, the protective housekeeper, the gossiping villagers, etc all playing out fairly credibly in modern day, This story is a page turner and I throughly enjoyed it, reading it in two sittings. I did not predict where it was going, either, entirely which I appreciate in a story that is so classic in form.

I deducted a star because it was a little too pat in the end for me,

Decent Gothic mystery that offers no surprises but does a decent job with the dual-timeline. I'v e loved the "meeting your favorite author" and "sequel to the book" tropes, which is essentially the entirety of the book. Clearly there is some Deep Secret behind why Veronica has retreated to Wyldcliffe Heights, and the care her publisher provides by shielding her from all but the glowingest of fan letters is obvious. And Agnes getting the opportunity to actually transcribe Veronica's book is just too good to be true, especially since she has some Deep Secrets herself.

This is all very standard plotwise and in terms of characters. And I'm very not sure how I feel about the 90s being seen as history - we're they just yesterday? (#AmOld) But definitely a decent Gothic tale, complete with ruined tower.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Return to Wyldecliffe Heights by Carol Goodman

Carol Goodman’s *Return to Wyldecliffe Heights* starts off with a captivating and atmospheric story that immediately draws you in. However, the middle part becomes slow and bogged down, making it a struggle to get through. Despite this, the shocking and unexpected ending makes the journey worthwhile. While the book has its ups and downs, the surprising conclusion leaves a lasting impression.

"Jane Eyre meets The Thirteenth Tale in this new modern gothic mystery from two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award-winner Carol Goodman, about a reclusive writer who is desperate to rewrite the past.

Losing yourself inside of a book can be dangerous. Not everyone finds their way out.

Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, has been hired by enigmatic author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. St. Clair has been a recluse since the publication of the Jane Eyre-esque book, which coincided with a terrible fire that blinded and scarred her. Arriving in the Hudson Valley at St. Clair's crumbling estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital for "wayward women," Agnes is eager to ensure St. Clair's devoted fans will get the sequel they've been anticipating for the past thirty years.

As St. Clair dictates, Agnes realizes there are clues in the story that reveal the true - and terrifying - events three decades ago that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, and Agnes discovers terrible secrets about an unresolved murder from long ago, which have startling connections to her own life. As St. Clair's twisting tale infiltrates Agnes's psyche, Agnes begins to question her own sanity - and safety. In order to save herself, Agnes must uncover what really happened to St. Clair, and in doing so, set free the stories of all the women victimized by Wyldcliffe Heights."

I don't know... never finding your way out of a book sounds nice right about now.

Return to Wyldcliffe Heights was unputdownable from page 1 until the very last page. The suspense, the twists and turns, the plot twists, and the character development was exceptional! Author Carol Goodman truly wrote a captivating story with addictive characters and I could envision every single detail. It felt like I was watching a really, really good horror/mystery movie play out.

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley.

A junior editor at a small independent publisher, Agnes Corey embarks on a haunting journey. The reclusive Veronica St. Clair hires her to transcribe the long-awaited sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, "The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights." St. Clair, who has lived in seclusion since a devastating fire left her blinded and scarred, resides in a decaying estate in the Hudson Valley that once served as a psychiatric hospital for "wayward women." Agnes is determined to bring the sequel to life for St. Clair’s devoted fans, who have been waiting for thirty years.

As St. Clair begins to dictate the story, Agnes uncovers chilling clues about the true events that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction blurs, revealing dark secrets and an unresolved murder that eerily connects to Agnes’s own life. The twisting tale deeply infiltrates Agnes's psyche, leading her to question her sanity and safety. To save herself, she must unravel the truth about what really happened to St. Clair and free the stories of all the women who suffered at Wyldcliffe Heights.

While the premise of the book is intriguing, I found myself predicting several of the plot twists early on. Although the way everything unfolded was somewhat surprising, the characters lacked the depth and vibrancy needed to make me truly care about their fates. The characters felt lackluster, leaving me uninvested in their outcomes.

The book delivers an eerie atmosphere and an interesting plot, but it falls short of creating a strong emotional connection with its characters. It's a decent read for those who enjoy gothic mysteries and psychological thrillers, but don't expect to be completely captivated.

This cleverly plotted and executed slow burn gothic mystery delivers on the promises made by the title, cover, and synopis. I adored every shiver and spine chilling moment spent with this book. 

I fell in love with this tale of a reclusive author who has sequestered herself away at her family's crumbling estate along the Hudson river and the assistant her publisher sends to help her write a sequel to her famous book. The story immediately transported me to the gloomy halls and foggy cliffs of Wyldcliffe Heights and captivated me with the blurred reality of a story within a story and trying to piece together the actual events from the story being written. 

I love Carol Goodman's narrative style and never fail to feel immersed in both her story and her setting. The atmosphere she created here was creepy and darkly moody, and the setting was so vividly described I was transported to an old, decaying family estate located in a rural area of northern New York. 

The slow reveal mystery was skillfully executed. It had me questioning what was real and what was imagined and kept me locked into the story for fear of missing an important detail. 

Legends of curses and ghosts wandering the grounds, the dark history of Wyldcliffe Heights, and the enigma of Veronica St Clair were everything I love in gothic fiction. This book is as gothic as gothic can get, and I couldn't have loved it more. 

Thank you, William Morrow and Netgalley for providing an early copy for me to read and review.

Who is Veronica St Clair?

Is she more than what her fans see in her first book and a book that makes everyone want a sequel?



When Agnus is about to lose her job at the publishing company she works for, she does a forbidden thing.

She writes to Veronica St. Claire and asks if she would write a sequel to her very popular first book.

She didn’t expect her to reply. She expected Veronica to write back and have her boss “fire” her.

She didn’t care because she was losing her job anyway.

Much to her surprise Veronica hired Agnus to stay at Wyldcliffe Heights and write the sequel.

She was required to record as Veronica dictated and then type up everything on a manual typewriter. Nothing was to be out in cyberspace.

What a place Wyldcliffe Heights was. It is as Gothic and eccentric as the author herself.

I enjoyed meeting Veronica and hearing her story even though it was a bit confusing at times.

I also learned a new word: amanuensis. So you don’t have to look it up, it means - a literary or artistic assistant who takes dictation or copies manuscripts. (Definition taken from Oxford Languages online dictionary - https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)

ENJOY if like surprise endings and a bit of paranormal!! 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

<i>Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, has been hired by enigmatic author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights . St. Clair has been a recluse since the publication of the Jane Eyre-esque book, which coincided with a terrible fire that blinded and scarred her. Arriving in the Hudson Valley at St. Clair’s crumbling estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital for “wayward women,” Agnes is eager to ensure St. Clair’s devoted fans will get the sequel they’ve been anticipating for the past thirty years. As St. Clair dictates, Agnes realizes there are clues in the story that reveal the true—and terrifying—events three decades ago that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, and Agnes discovers terrible secrets about an unresolved murder from long ago—which have startling connections to her own life. As St. Clair’s twisting tale infiltrates Agnes’s psyche, Agnes begins to question her own sanity—and safety. In order to save herself, Agnes must uncover what really happened to St. Clair, and in doing so, set free the stories of all the women traumatized and victimized by Wyldcliffe Heights.</i/>

I’m not even sure where to start. This book Was. So. Good.

The atmosphere, Agnes’ own troubled past, the story-within-a-story, the weird mystery in the present that just slowly builds; I was absolutely blown away and glued to the pages of this novel, wondering what was going to happen next. And the interesting thing is that there are just enough clues for readers to guess some of the answers, but there are plenty of secrets left in the old mansion lurking around to leave you wide-eyed and shocked in the end.

All of the characters are fascinating in their own ways. Each has an extensive history and things are slowly revealed as the book goes along. It’s like a foggy picture that slowly reveals itself over time (an apt description once you read the book.)

I’m not really one who yearns to comb the Hudson Valley, but after reading this book, I may have to do a haunted HV tour this fall….the book really could be a very convincing tourism piece for them.

If you love gothic mystery thrillers/legends and lore/thrillers in general, I highly recommend reading this one. I couldn’t put it down. It’s another contender for book of tge year in a year full of great reads.

Man, 2024 has been a literary treasure trove!

Carol Goodman never fails to deliver a riveting, complicated, and suspenseful story and she has succeeded admirably in doing so here. Goodman excels in writing complex relationships, often mother-daughter, that span generations, and the saga of Wyldecliffe Heights certainly provides plenty of family drama. There is the horrifying secret from the past, combined with the damaged younger protagonist, combined with the creepy history of the house as an asylum that all come together to create a story that doesn’t stop.

While there are nods to Jane Eyre and The Thirteenth Tale, this is an original and cleverly plotted story that will appeal to fans of Simone St. James and Eve Chase. I’ll be adding this to my recommended Spooky Season reads this year for sure.

This is absolute gothic goodness in all its yumminess! I loved the overwhelming dark atmosphere of Goodman’s new tale that’s described as Jane Eyre meets The Thirteenth tale!

Agnes finally has the job she’s dreamed of in a publishing house as a junior editor. It’s not the most glamorous of jobs but she loves it plus, it’s the very place that published her favorite book, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. A book that carried through her darkest times and holds fond memories of her now estranged mother.

On a whim that could cost her job, Agnes writes the reclusive, now blind author, asking her to reconsider writing a sequel to her cult classic book. Noone is more surprised than Agnes when Veronica St. Clair herself accepts and request Agnes to assist her at none other than Wyldcliffe Heights!

With a wonderful cast of characters, Agnes will soon begin to wonder at the mysteries of Wyldcliffe and have difficulties separating fact from fiction. There are secrets being kept and too many tragedies that aren’t quite adding up to Agnes liking. What she finds out is, indeed, a story worth telling and a mind-blowing story that kept me invested, front to back!

The plot twists on this one, especially the biggest one, I did not see coming and I LOVE this! What a beautifully executed and chilling story! Bravo, Carol Goodman!

My thanks to @WilliamMorrowBooks for this gifted DRC!

This is a gripping psychological thriller and gothic fiction novel. It follows Agnes Corey, a junior editor, who is hired by reclusive author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 novel, *The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights*. St. Clair has been secluded since a fire left her blind and scarred, living in a decaying estate that once served as a psychiatric hospital.

As Agnes works, she discovers clues within the narrative that blur the line between fact and fiction, revealing terrifying truths about events from thirty years ago, including an unresolved murder linked to her own life. The suspense intensifies as Agnes questions her sanity and safety, realizing she must uncover St. Clair's past to save herself and liberate the stories of the women who suffered at Wyldcliffe Heights.

The novel explores themes of obsession, the overlap of reality and fiction, and the impact of trauma, set against the eerie backdrop of a crumbling mansion. The writing is atmospheric and detailed, creating a vivid, suspenseful narrative. This is a standout in its genre, offering a thrilling and unsettling journey that challenges readers to question what is real.

I was highly entertained by this book. It had an atmosphere element to it that gave it a gothic feel.
It was a story inside a story that keeps you guessing. The end had a great twist and the mystery pulled me along. Highly recommend!
Thank you

I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could. The plot was good, but I felt that the story dragged on longer than needed and there was some unrealistic aspects. But, it did keep me engaged and the writing style was good. Character development was good and had me hating/loving characters.