I decided in 2025 that I would add some more contemporary Gothic romances to my diet, and one of the best I read was “The Widow of Rose House” by Diana Biller.
Set in Gilded Age New York, this is the story of Alva Webster, the widow of the title, who has returned to the United States from Paris to start a new course on life. She’s purchased a dilapidated and supposedly haunted mansion in Hyde Park with plans to remodel it and turn the remodeling project into a book. Every time she hires workers to tackle the job of fixing the mansion, though, they scatter in terror.
Enter Professor Samuel Moore, a member of an eccentric scientific family and a dedicated investigator of the paranormal. He convinces Alva to let him uncover the secrets of Rose House and, if possible, quiet its restless spirits.
There are, of course, complications, like the appearance of Alva’s brother-in-law, who has blackmail on the mind, and the rumors of Alva’s wicked ways in Paris that have her shunned by society. And there’s romance, too, with the charming Professor Moore cautiously wooing a wounded and apprehensive Alva.
The characters made this book a great read: the Moore family are an absolute hoot, a collection of charming mad scientists with no sense of decorum; Alva is canny and cautious and highly perceptive; and the ghost itself, when finally revealed, is tragic and sympathetic. I have Biller’s “The Brightest Star in Paris” in my TBR, and I hope it’s just as charming as “The Widow of Rose House.”
