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Book Cover for: America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction, Leanna Renee Hieber

America's Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger Than Fiction

Leanna Renee Hieber

Instant USA Today Bestseller

From the Bram Stoker nominated author team who penned A Haunted History of Invisible Women, the first book of its kind to investigate gothic tropes that define American lore. Here is the hidden, dark history of what frightens us - and why.

The Gothic. Brooding, atmospheric, chilling, and not always the outpouring of a feverish imagination. Reality can be even stranger as borne out in this lush and ghostly look at real people who lived--and died--amidst the trappings of the Gothic.

Fog clinging to an isolated mansion. A dangerous patriarch or an overbearing matron. Locked doors and forbidden rooms. Whispers of murder and madness. And a woman shadowed by omnipresent threats. You've guessed it. You've stumbled into a Gothic tale, and it will haunt you like a ghost.

We often think of the enduring tropes of the Gothic in terms of fiction and film--breath-catching escapes that tap into our fears, anxieties, forbidden desires, and unsettling dreams. But what if some of these chilly vibes are rooted in the experiences of real and tragic people who danced a macabre waltz with love and death? That's why we're here. Take the case of teenage Mercy Brown, victim--or was it predator?--of Rhode Island's vampire hysteria of the 1890s. Marguerite de la Roque, a French noblewoman condemned for "sexual crimes" to Canada's long-lost Isle of Demons. What happened to her and the barren landscape itself is the stuff of legend. And "Mad Lucy" Ludwell, the decidedly peculiar eighteenth-century high-society hauteur driven mad in the Virginia estate she prowls to this day. President Helen Peabody's spirit still stringently watches over her Women's College, now part of Ohio's Miami University. Ghosts of workers lost in horrific conditions while building the Hoosac Tunnel warn of imminent danger. Settle in. There are more.

Welcome to the phantom ships, haunted academic halls, menacing landscapes, and family curses of America's Most Gothic--a tour of true spectral sightings and disordered minds. But beware: it's sure to get under your skin. The haunted--and haunting--figures herein want it that way.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Citadel Press
  • Publish Date: Sep 30th, 2025
  • Pages: 416
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.40in - 5.80in - 1.40in - 1.00lb
  • EAN: 9780806543741
  • Categories: WomenSupernatural (Incl. Ghosts)Women's Studies

About the Author

Leanna Renee Hieber is an award-winning author and paranormal history expert. A regular speaker at Sci-Fi / Fantasy conventions, she's appeared on film and television on shows including "Mysteries at the Museum" and "Beyond the Unknown." She's a three-time Prism Award-winner for her debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, and a Daphne Du Maurier Award-finalist for Darker Still. After earning a BFA in Theatre Performance and a focus study in the Victorian Era, she spent many years in the professional regional theatre circuit, skills that serve her well as a speaker and a ghost tour guide for Boroughs of the Dead in New York. Leanna lives in New York, NY and can be found online at: LeannaReneeHieber.com.

Andrea Janes (she/her) is the Founder and owner of Boroughs of the Dead, New York City's premier ghost tour company, which has been featured on NPR.org, The New York Times, Jezebel, TODAY, The Huffington Post, Gothamist, The Travel Channel, CondeNast Traveler, Mashable, and more. Andrea is also the co-author of A Haunted History of Invisible Women. Visit boroughsofthedead.com.

Praise for this book

Praise for A Haunted History of Invisible Women

"Delightfully harrowing and full of spine-tingling horrors, A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN is not your average book of ghost stories. Hieber and Janes go far beyond the obvious thrills and chills, providing fascinating context and lavish detail in this incredibly empathetic book as they gently remind us not only of what we are but what we may become. You'll be thinking about this one long after you finish. Read it with the lights on!" --Deanna Raybourn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Thought-provoking and deliciously eerie, this intriguing study of phantom females not only delves into the history behind the legendary hauntings that chill our blood, but also gives detailed descriptions of real-life ghost encounters." --Leslie Rule, Bestselling Author

"This book accomplishes the impossible -to tell true stories of abuse, murder, horror, and the plight of women, and somehow make that an elegant and compelling piece of writing. This should not only be read...but taught. Brava!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Relentless and Ink

"An absolute must-buy for the spooky people of the world. Hieber, and Janes lead the reader on a guided tour of America's most fascinating and noteworthy female ghosts that is utterly brilliant and deeply compelling. The authors examine these stories with a keen feminist lens and resurrect the real women behind them with respect they were seldom afforded in life. It's extraordinary to find a book that is so chilling, yet so full of heart. You'll find yourself haunted by these stories." --Mallory O'Meara, bestselling author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon and Girly Drinks

"A Haunted History of Invisible Women is a beautifully researched and well-written observation of women's ghosts across time. From the famous to the not-so-famous, their stories and the history surrounding them both fascinate and mesmerize. If this book doesn't leave with you a sense of wonder and a healthy dose of goosebumps, check your pulse--you may already be among the spirits." --Marc Hartzman, author of Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural

"This is the book I have always wanted to read. Expert storytellers Hieber, and Janes take us on tour through the lives of real women who would become legendary ghosts adding depth to stories I thought I knew and introducing me to characters I've never met before. With wit and empathy, A Haunted History brings the spirit of these women to life. Their stories are touching, shocking, inspiring, and intimately relatable. They tell the ways women have learned to navigate their world, to thrive, and live authentically against the odds. They reveal the ways society objectifies and classifies women who defy norms and challenge the expectations of their time. These ghosts still have something to say and have much to teach. --Leila Taylor, author of Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul.

"Deeply researched and lovingly written by a powerhouse trinity of authors, A Haunted History of Invisible Women is the ultimate paranormal compendium on female ghosts of America. Not only is this a compulsively readable book, it'll send a chill down your spine while illuminating the dark shadows of a nation." --Kris Waldherr, author of The Lost History of Dreams and Unnatural Women: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women

"A Haunted History of Invisible Women looks beyond the legends of maligned female ghosts and gives us their real histories. It is both a meditation on the misogyny of a ghost-hunting culture that capitalizes on false narratives of sex and death, and a fascinating look at the flesh-and-blood women behind the ghost stories. This book is a long-overdue search for historic truth, yet it recognizes that "When it comes to ghosts, truth is as elusive as the spirits themselves." --Chris Woodyard, author of The Victorian Book of the Dead
"One of the authors is a believer and one is not, which creates a welcoming environment for both approaches. What they share is a sense of outrage at the many ways that women have been ignored, dismissed, insulted, and otherwise cruelly treated by society, and an interest in why we remember the ones that we do. I recommend this book to anyone who likes kickass women, women's history (kickass or otherwise), and a good creepy tale." --Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

"The things which truly frighten us are the things which are real. That is why women love horror: it allows us a healthy exploration of our real-life terrors. There is a sisterhood of haunted women throughout history, both actual people and fictional characters. I was thrilled to learn more about them all through the eyes of two women who are members of that sisterhood." --Ohioana Library Magazine