Another wonderful story by Tim McGregor and when I say wonderful, you should understand that I mean emotionally harrowing, viscerally involved, all while being backed into a corner with blood up to your elbows. Be wary of reading this book if you have a cough as I did. I kept getting nervous that I had whatever was plaguing the people in the book. HEARTS STRANGE AND DREADFUL had me THAT engaged in the story.
See, McGregor has a way of making you feel like you are living in the setting of his story, whether it is in the early 1800’s as a deadly illness sweeps through town as in this story, helping Victor Frankenstein on a remote island as in Eynhallow, working an ice cream stand while falling in love with a witch as in Wasps in the Ice Cream, or working as a comic book artist in NYC in the early 1970’s as in Taboo in Four Colors. He does more than just set the scene, he makes you feel like you are living it along with the characters. I am so happy that I still have a few more of his books to read.
Raw Dog Screaming Press is republishing this book in May 2026 and I’m glad that more people get to experience it

In Hearts Strange and Dreadful, we are immersed in an atmosphere dripping with dread and trepidation. What at first seems like a deadly outbreak of a highly infectious and deadly disease in a small town turns into something much more sinister and horrifying. In the hands of McGregor, every detail is beautifully crafted and the slow burn reveal of what is happening in the town is worth the wait.

Our main character, Hester, is easy to relate to. She feels like an outcast for many reasons (orphaned, scarred, unusual). She is constantly trying to fit in and to be loved, and she desperately wants to save her family and the entire town. It seems that she could find some semblance of belonging if she could accomplish this feat. I was always rooting for her.

Let's talk about the ending: my initial feeling was disappointment. The story just...ends. Nothing clearly explained. If anything, it seems like a not happily ever after ending. But upon reflection, I think it's brilliant. The thought of what continues to happen to these characters is TRUE HORROR. And I believe the entire book is a setup for our imaginations to take us to this dreadful conclusion. I highly recommend this to fans of historical horror with beautifully dark atmosphere.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

The historical horror aspect of Hearts Strange and Dreadful combined with the early-1800’s New England setting caught my attention and the author's solid track record cemented it. Hester Stokely, an orphan who lost her parents in a fire, lives with her aunt and uncle in Wickstead, RI. Death rides into town one day in the form of a sickly man on a horse, and the novel unfolds from there.

McGregor interweaves the threads masterfully, slowly unfurling a quiet horror rife with creepy atmosphere, great characterization, and a touch of paranoia as the mystery of what’s happening in Wickstead is revealed. The main element that successfully contributes to the atmosphere is the isolation conveyed surrounding the town. The relative distance to any other towns delivers the kind of small-town horror we get in books like Todd Keisling’s Devil’s Creek but with an added layer of being completely disconnected from the outside world. Whatever is happening, no one out there can help or save them.

The characterisation feels very genuine to the time period. Writing a first-person POV from a teenage girl in 1821 is arguably a bold move, but it pays off. McGregor provides insight to Hester Stokely that couldn’t have come any other way. The characters surrounding her, from her Uncle Pardon to Will and Henry, all feel fully fleshed out and move the story into a place that makes us suspect McGregor knew what he was doing from the first word.

I won’t go on about the end of the book for fear of spoilers, but if you begin and feel as though the story is moving too slow, do yourself a favor and stick with it. The set-up is utterly necessary for the payoffs that come later and the emotional weight they bring with them.

Hearts Strange and Dreadful is something of a perfect storm. An intriguing premise brought to life by vibrant characters who make the reader care when events ramp up ultimately resulting in an ending that requires the reader be invested, or it doesn’t work. A gamble on McGregor’s part, but one that pays off in spades.

Tim McGregor never disappoints. This has been proven at this rate. I loved Eynhallow last year when it was released. There is something magical in his writing, especially in his gothic fiction. And Hearts Strange and Dreadful is nothing if not a triumph of gothic horror. Hester is a wonderfully human and sympathetic MC. You
can't help but want her to succeed. No doubt the stakes are so high. The horror is slow building but the pay off makes up for it and more. This was a delight to devour!