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My Darling Dreadful Thing

A Novel

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Pub Date May 14 2024 | Archive Date Jul 08 2025

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Description

"Dark and decadent, with the haunting allure of a true gothic tale, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a sensation that horrifies as acutely as it delights. Johanna Van Veen is a force to be reckoned with and will stain your thoughts a brilliant shade of crimson. I adored every page."
— Rachel Gillig, New York Times bestselling author of One Dark Window

Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears. 

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos’ life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos’ backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of ‘hysterics’, Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she’ll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

"Dark and decadent, with the haunting allure of a true gothic tale, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a sensation that horrifies as acutely as it delights. Johanna Van Veen is a force to be reckoned with...


Advance Praise

"A Sapphic séance of preternatural proportions, My Darling Dreadful Thing summons a stunning new literary voice to be reckoned with. Johanna van Veen reaches beyond the veil to conjure up a gothic shocker like no other."
—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

"My Darling Dreadful Thing is a disquieting delight—an exciting and original gothic tale, told with tremendous flair."
—Cherie Priest, author of The Drowning House

"This book got under my skin, all the way down to the marrow. It's as dark as a grave and throbbing with queer desire. I won't forget it."
—Kirsty Logan, author of Now She is Witch

"A Sapphic séance of preternatural proportions, My Darling Dreadful Thing summons a stunning new literary voice to be reckoned with. Johanna van Veen reaches beyond the veil to conjure up a gothic...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781728281544
PRICE $17.99 (USD)
PAGES 384

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Average rating from 546 members


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