Guest post written by The Gallagher Place author Julie Doar
Julie Doar grew up in the Hudson Valley with her family, where she enjoyed exploring the rolling countryside. After graduating from Rice University, she worked as a Starbucks barista by day and a ghostwriter by night. She currently teaches middle-school English at a charter school in Brooklyn. The Gallagher Place is her first novel.
About The Gallagher Place: A layered exploration of family secrets, sibling misconceptions, and an unsolved murder in this chilling debut set in New York’s Dutchess County. Out 2 December 2025.
At the end of the year, as the days grow shorter, my reading mood shifts towards the thrilling, the ominous, and the murderous. It was in November, when I was in the throes of such urges that I first thought of the premise for my novel The Gallagher Place. The novel is set in the Hudson Valley, at the end of autumn – a time and place that seemed ready-made for a chilling story of secrets and families haunted by the past. I wanted to create the kind of book that would scratch the autumnal itch in the way the following genre reads have done for me. When the weather turns and the leaves are dry and cracking underfoot, these are the books I turn to.
The It Girl & The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
For page-turning suspense, Ruth Ware is eternally reliable. The It Girl and The Lying Game both explore the messiness of adolescent friendships, and both kept me up late, desperate to find answers.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
In a similar vein, The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, centers on a group of female Cambridge students, all seemingly transfixed by the young male classics professor. When one of the girls ends up dead, the aunt of another student starts chasing down the obvious culprit. But is it ever really the prime
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
While not technically a thriller, Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome presents a chilling wintry landscape. It is not nearly as glamorous as Wharton’s other works, but Wharton is as biting as ever. The short novel’s stark depiction of an unhappy couple, isolated on a farm, is almost delicious in its misery. The ending features a plot twist that made me gasp aloud in astonishment when I first read it.
The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
For a cozier mystery, I suggest The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith. Set in Edinburgh, it has the feel of a classic Agatha Christie, led by the charming casual sleuth Isabel Dalhousie. The mystery careens through twisted cobble-stone streets and in and out of Edinburgh cafes. This one is to be read under a blanket on a rainy day, a cup of tea at hand.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
I don’t usually endorse messing with masterpieces, but Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is a truly excellent addition to the world of Pride and Prejudice. James combines Jane Austen’s most adored characters with her own savvy for penning mysteries, and the result is an eerie and addicting mystery. (There’s also a stellar 2013 BBC miniseries adaptation.)
The Witches by Stacy Schiff
If you’re craving something on-the-nose for the season, The Witches by Stacy Schiff is a riveting historical account of the Salem witch trials. Schiff seamlessly switches between criminal records, courtroom drama, and the insidious gossip of a small community. She paints a vivid picture of people living on the edge of a vast and dark wilderness, which helps readers to understand that the idea of witches flying to convene in the woods did not feel so far-fetched. In fact, it seemed an obvious occurrence.
The Secret Place & Broken Harbor by Tana French
My mystery recommendation list would not be complete without the reigning queen of the genre, Tana French. Any one of her novels will do, but I love The Secret Place. It presents the theory that any group of teenage girls have the potential for witchcraft…or at least running into things that go bump in the night. My current favorite French is Broken Harbor, simply because it pushes readers to confront the unhappy reality that sometimes the monster is not clawing at the door, but already in the house.
