Thursday, February 16, 2023

The best, creepiest old houses in fiction

M. E. Hilliard is a librarian who started out in retail merchandising. After twelve years of mergers, consolidations, and moves around the country, she went to graduate school and got a Master of Library Science degree.

Originally from the Connecticut shoreline, she has never lost her love of quaint small towns, big cities, and fashion, so she indulges that in her writing. ‍

A life-long lover of mystery fiction, Hilliard currently lives and works in Florida.

Her new novel is Three Can Keep a Secret.

At CrimeReads Hilliard tagged seven favorite creepy old houses in fiction, including:
The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay

When library director Lindsey Norris learns that the library is to receive a generous bequest from a wealthy local family—their extensive book collection—she’s thrilled. When she visits the old family Victorian to take inventory and discovers a skeleton in a secret room accessed via a bookshelf, she’s both horrified and curious. Using her research skills and a volume of Poe left as a clue by the deceased, Lindsey unravels a decades-old mystery. If, like me, you’ve always yearned for your very own library with a set of set of bookshelves that slide open to reveal a secret anything, this is your book. The ghost cat is a happy bonus.
Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue