Victoria Grandolet by Henry Bellamann

Eerie mystery and relentless horror face a young bride who tries to reconstruct the setting of an ancient tragedy that still haunts her husband and his family. This story is mainly concerned with the spirit of a house and its influence upon a new mistress. The great mansion casts a spell of fear upon a young woman who feels herself inadequate to cope with an evil past. White Cloud, the Louisiana mansion of Bellamann’s tale, induces emotions of domination and conquest in the young woman who married its owner. Styled by most as a romantic southern gothic novel, you need to add a bit of the psychological thriller to the mix. Victoria is not what she seems, or is she? Is the house haunted, or as one of the servants remarks “…if this house don’t like somebody, it won’t take him in.” Very interesting read, a 1943 New York Times bestseller here newly re-published. Readers of Kings Row will want to check it out. “A tense, dramatic story... reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s 'Rebecca'... recommended.” --Library Journal