This Cursed House

Some houses keep their secrets. This one keeps its dead.

The dark, atmospheric Southern gothic ghost story longlisted for Goodreads’ Horror Book of the Year 2024

‘A sinister and beautifully rendered Southern Gothic, This Cursed House explores the real-life horrors of racism and trauma. Del Sandeen’s stunning debut haunted me’ Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

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Louisiana, 1962.

The Duchon estate looms over New Orleans, a decaying mansion heavy with secrets and shadows.

Jemma Barker arrives from Chicago seeking a fresh start, but she wasn’t invited — she was summoned.

Inside, the Duchon family waits, bound by a generations-old curse and convinced Jemma is the key to breaking it.

As the house begins to stir and old ghosts rise, Jemma must face the darkness that haunts both the Duchons and herself…before it consumes them all.
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Praise for This Cursed House:

‘An absolute marvel of a debut from a prodigious talent. A richly atmospheric, utterly chilling ghost story, an enthralling puzzle box of family scandals and secrets – that's also an unflinching examination of the insidiousness of racism, the horrors of colorism’ Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth

‘An enthralling, twisty Southern Gothic historical full of family secrets and century-spanning sins. A remarkable debut’ Eden Royce, award-winning author of Root Magic

‘An inglorious remnant of American history is handled so deftly that you won't believe it's Del Sandeen's first novel’ Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor