I ended up being able to read this book after publication and I'm glad I did. Very unique and interesting plot, characters, and setting. Not overly thrilling, which I actually appreciated.

Do you like your American historical novels with a horror twist? If so, you’re going to want to keep reading. This story has all the twists and spice you could possibly need, with a touch of spooky vibes.

We know the drill already; I am all for American history so of course I was intrigued. This story does a good job of painting a fairly realistic picture of colonial life in Philadelphia. I would have liked more world-building but the amount that we get is good and does a good job at keeping the reader grounded in the story (To be honest I’m just picky and love all the world-building I can get). There is a handful of astoundingly good imagery throughout the novel, and I fully appreciated the gothic vibes.

The cast of characters is fairly large, but not at all confusing. If anything, it helped create the community atmosphere within the story. It was refreshing to have so many personalities to wrangle into the story, especially with the premise being a murder mystery. I would say there wasn’t a lot of development aside from Charlotte. It was more so waiting to see everyone’s true personalities shine through. Which let me tell you, the wait is not disappointing in the slightest. I think you’ll be pretty surprised about all the twists just as I was.

If you a fan of gory horror done well, this one is for you. Just be warned of the dark trigger warnings! It was more gruesome than scary, but still a bit shock-worthy. The spice is not spicy at all. But honestly, I think that’s to be expected based on the time period.

It was not exactly what I expected, it was more of a historical fiction. well written and interesting.

A wonderful dark tale, where Charlotte having lost her mother, finds herself ensnared between cults and dark magic.
This was quite a riveting read. The story was a set in Philadelphia in 1739 and was both atmospheric with a dash of horror. The characters were believable and the plot contained sufficient twists to keep the reader engaged. This was the first time that I had read this author and based on this book will be looking out for more of their work

When a string of grisly deaths stalks Philadelphia's elite circles, Charlotte Scott finds herself drawn into a twisted world of depraved cults and dark secrets as she seeks the truth behind the murders.

I really enjoyed this. The atmosphere was great, the characters were well fleshed out, the plot was intriguing. Well done!

Charlotte Scott is a young woman living in mid-18th century Philadelphia with her father, Thaddeus, and their housekeeper Nelly. Charlotte’s mother died mysteriously years ago. She is an avid reader, socially awkward, and introverted. Her life changes when she is invited to dine with none other than Benjamin Franklin and his family. Charlotte finds herself irresistibly drawn to Ben. Naive and trying to figure out herself and find her footing in society, she becomes entangled in a murder mystery. A serial killer stalks the streets of 18th-century Philadelphia and begins targeting her loved ones. 

Crimson Cobblestones has something for everyone, romance, witchcraft, mystery, murder, conspiracies, and…erotica. While I’m not a fan of romance, Lestrange weaves in an intriguing murder mystery that held my attention. Lestrange also ends each chapter with a cliffhanger, which kept me turning the pages. 

Lestrange doesn’t shy away from gory details as she writes chapters from the point of view of a killer. She’s also adept at crafting a compelling story with enough red herrings, twists, and turns to make one’s head spin.  I admit, I did suspect who the killer was but wasn’t sure if this was the route Lestrange would go. She successfully turned my attention to other possible suspects. I wasn’t disappointed in the ending at all.


In Charlotte Scott, she created a sympathetic protagonist who embarks on a journey of both self-discovery and life discovery. Lestrange maintained a good balance between making Charlotte believable as a young woman living during the 18th century while not making her a two-dimensional stereotype. Charlotte is independent, intellectual, and assertive but still has characteristics typical of her time period. Her misjudgements are also a product of her naivete such as assuming all occultists are evil devil worshippers.

The book is a pleasure to read. Lestrange writes prose with a darkly poetic flourish. She effectively sets a mood that drips with dark gothic menace in appropriate places and is light-hearted and romantic in others. 

Marie Lestrange’s Crimson Cobblestones has a little something for everyone.  If you love murder mystery, supernatural horror, romance, and a bit of erotica, I recommend Crimson Cobblestones.

Crimson Cobblestones is currently available to preorder. Marie Lestrange’s other works include: T is for Torture, S is for Serial Killers, and the upcoming Carving Croatoan: Letters from the Lost Colony of Roanoke (2025) and I Knew Nothing But Shadows (To Be Announced). She also co-hosts and produces a podcast called Moths to the Flame.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Marie Lestrange for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Crimson Cobblestones coming out June 11, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I thought the writing was really atmospheric and dark. I loved the time period and setting. It was definitely spooky and chilling. I think Charlotte was a strong-willed character and definitely endured a lot. I loved all of the mystery and intrigue. There were definitely some crazy things that happened, but I loved the plot! I’m definitely excited if there are more books coming out in the series!

I would recommend this books to anyone who enjoys macabre, dark historical mysteries!

Crimson Cobblestones is a dark and atmospheric thriller set in 1739 Philadelphia. Charlotte finds herself caught up in a series of grisly murders that seemingly have a satanic bent.

I found this novel to be both creepy and suspenseful. I couldn’t read it at night as the graphic content and skewed viewpoints left me with a sense of dread. I’d recommend it to any reader who enjoys twisted tales and alternate versions of history.

"Crimson Cobblestones" by Marie LeStrange transports readers to a dark and atmospheric Philadelphia in 1739, where grisly deaths haunt the gaslit cobblestones. In this Gothic thriller, historical nuance merges seamlessly with chilling suspense as Charlotte, grappling with the loss of her mother, delves into a world of deceit, murder, and dark magic. LeStrange weaves a captivating tale where love and danger intertwine, leading Charlotte and her enigmatic lover, Ben, through a labyrinth of secrets. While the echoes of ancient incantations and the presence of a sinister cult add to the intrigue, the narrative occasionally struggles to maintain its momentum. Despite this, "Crimson Cobblestones" offers a riveting journey through a blurred world where the past refuses to stay buried, earning its place among Gothic fiction enthusiasts.

The author writes with feeling, and this is an atmospheric novel that evokes its time and place. It's a fascinating era.

Unfortunately, the book was categorized as Horror and the original blurb fit that genre. I'm glad to see the blurb has been revised. Crimson Cobbles will appeal to many readers, particularly those drawn to Dark Romance.

There's a strong sense of place, crimes, and suspense. For me, the featured romance was and not at all what I expected when I chose the book. If I'd known it featured Ben Franklin as a lover, I wouldn't have selected it. Nothing against him or Romance. It's simply not a fit for me. I respect the work that goes into combining genres. I wish the author and the book's audience all the best.

This book is an enjoyable read. However, I did feel as if it had too much going on and sometimes it seemed like the plot was just happening to the characters without them fully participating in it. I think some of it could’ve been left out and the book would’ve been better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Marie Lestrange has already stolen my reader heart. Crimson Cobblestones is an eighteenth century style horror mystery about a girl named Charlotte living in colonial America. With a serial killer on the loose, as it causes past trauma to reflect in the protagonist’s mind. The characters were sometimes a little too bland but the overall twist was what really drew me in. I like trying to solve the mystery before it unravels and this did not let go.

As a first time reader of Lestrange, I’m interested in future releases and hope that she keeps the historical horror elements as that was what really drew me into reading this novel in the first place.

Sinfully dark, highly recommend if you are a on the "Darker" side of tales.
The story itself is about a young women who lives in the 18th century Colonial America whose life is shattered by a series of brutal murders and sacrifices.
Highly recommend!!

I wanted to love Crimson Cobblestones based on the synopsis, but it just became too much for me. There were some really fantastic elements - beautiful language and setting, for example - that were overshadowed by too much going on in the plot. So many ideas being throw in led to a really jumpy storyline, and much of it was unnecessary to create a great story. And since it wasn't particularly long, nothing felt completely developed, including the characters, so I didn't care about them much. Overall, it's more of a dark romance than it is horror, even with the killings involved, and I'm not a huge fan of that genre.

First off, if I can make a recommendation... please update the blurb. Based on the current one there is no indication of a romance (and definitely not Ben Franklin sex scenes...). It came out of nowhere and would have influenced my decision to read/review this book. Honestly, going in blind would have been better because based on the blurb I had a preconceived idea of what this book would be and it definitely was not that.

Trying to put that aside, unfortunately this book really fell flat for me. I appear to be in the minority based on my fellow reviewers, but this book was not for me. Overall this felt less like a horror and more like a dark thriller, but was disappointingly predictable with a plot that felt choppy. There were so many elements jammed in that it felt like the plot was jumping all over the place and wasn't cohesive. The main character also didn't really seem to do anything except stumble into situations to progress the story, which is disappointing from a murder mystery. She didn't really solve anything, it just sort of presented itself to her.

I will give props for some creative kill methods, though one in particular clearly identified the killer before the "twist reveal".

I also feel like the choice to use a real historical figure was an odd one. I think it would have added more to the story to have an original fictional character - every time the historical figure's name was mentioned it really took me out of the story, especially when used in the settings of this book.

(I also feel it pertinent to mention I AM a fan of horror books with gore and violence, so that aspect of this book did not negatively impact my review).

I was hooked from the cover and so glad I got to read this book. It had that horror element perfectly that I wanted in this historical elements. The concept worked well and had a great overall feel to the story and the characters had a realistic feel and worked with the story perfectly. Marie Lestrange has a great writing style and I'm glad I got to read this.

If you've ever had sexual fantasies about Benjamin Franklin, then this is the book for you! I want to note that I found this book in the horror section, and while it does have horror elements, it is pretty much a Dark Romance, which is probably my least favorite genre. I realize that it may have been listed under various genres, but I really wish that the description would have been more clear that this is more of romance than anything. I probably would not have read it. If you're not a fan of dark romance books, I would avoid this one. This book was not for me, but I'm going to try to rate it for it is is (a dark romance).

As far as the writing goes, I do think that Marie Lestrange is a better writer than almost all dark romance writers that I have read. I do think that she has some talent and I'd say if you're a fan of Anne Rice, maybe give this one a read. I did like some parts of this. I love cult themed books and this definitely has those elements. I also loved the slow burn atmospheric descriptions. There were definitely some creepy moments in this book.

There was a significant amount of spice. I don't mind a little spice but the scenes were a bit repetitive. In one scene the author uses the word "mound" to describe lady bits at least 4 times in a page and a half. Also, I think one or two twists are great, but the ending of this book had so many thrown at you so fast, that I forgot who was who and what was happening. I know some people really love that, though. Also, I'm sorry but I was pretty grossed out by the Ben Franklin sex scenes, haha! I tried to see if I could find portraits of him young, and I couldn't so it just made the scenes that much worse for me.

I love supporting indie writers, especially women, but I really wish that there was more emphasis on this book being a romance in the description. I hope that the things that I didn't like about it may help sell it to someone else!

I loved this story it was amazing. The cover is gorgeous and I think whoever picked it has good taste. The beginning was kind of difficult to get into but the further and further I go in I loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else.

Book review: Crimson Cobblestone by Marie Lestrange.

Crimson Cobblestone is a thriller/ historical fiction novel set in the 1800s. The protagonist, Charlotte is left rightfully scared by the murder of her mother. Years later more murders pursue in front of Charlotte, leaving her to try and figure who is behind all these murders.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars ⭐️ (rounded up to 4 stars)

Opinion: when I saw this on Netgalley, I was instantly interested. A thriller and historical fictions? Absolutely up my alley.

This book had many beautiful lines and was written well. The pacing is slightly off, especially towards the end. I was like “wait, why is this happening all of the sudden,” for many of the event.

I liked the main protagonist, and as traumatized as she was, I felt she could have shown a bit more emotion.

Kind of a spoiler, but this book does have smut, which I wasn’t expecting. It came out of nowhere honestly, and I was shocked. I have no problems with smut, but it just caught me off guard.

Overall, this is a fun book and it reads really quickly. I also liked the decals on the pages and the few images we get to see in the ARC. I hope to read this again after it’s published.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 very solid stars

What a fun and rare (for me anyway) experience of a really good historical horror!
Everything about this book just works. I think I would’ve enjoyed it a bit more if it was just a little longer and explored a few more details, but otherwise I loved it.