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Paulette Kennedy

Paulette Kennedy Writing historical fiction for the romantic-at-heart reader who craves page-turning twists and a touch of the supernatural, Paulette Kennedy infuses her stories with realistic detail to create a cinematic, immersive experience for the reader.

As a history lover, she can get lost for days in her research—learning everything she can about the places in her novels and what her characters might have experienced in the past.

Originally from the Missouri Ozarks, Paulette now lives with her family in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles. In her free time, she enjoys tending to her garden, knitting, and finding unique vintage treasures at thrift stores and flea markets.

Genres: Historical, Historical Mystery, Mystery, Horror

New and upcoming books

March 2026

The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael

Novels

   Parting the Veil (2021)
   The Witch of Tin Mountain (2023)
   The Devil and Mrs. Davenport (2024)
   The Artist of Blackberry Grange (2025)
   The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael (2026)

Paulette Kennedy recommends

The Fourth Wife (2026)
Linda Hamilton
"The Fourth Wife has everything you could want in a gothic novel - a delicious sense of burgeoning dread, a crumbling mansion filled with secrets, and a resilient young bride caught in a tangled web of deceit. Hamilton explores the historical truths of plural marriage with a nuanced touch of the supernatural, and writes with the kind of bravery and candor that will firmly establish her as an important new voice in fiction. You won't forget this remarkable debut!"

The Night Guests (2025)
Marina Scott
"Darkly beautiful and laced with gorgeous atmosphere, The Night Guests will hold you captivated from its opening seance to the pulse-pounding conclusion. Brimming with romance, intrigue, and deception, this thrilling gothic tale is perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Hester Fox."

Grimdark (2025)
Shannon Morgan
"Grimdark has everything gothic-lovers crave: a sprawling, coastal English manor haunted by its dark past, a spirited heroine determined to solve the mysteries within its walls, and a climactic ending that will set your pulse racing. Morgan has created something both classic and fresh, replete with lush atmosphere and laced with historical intrigue. It's all here--love, tragedy, family secrets, curses, and the power of breaking free from them. A brilliantly told tale."

The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves (2025)
Christine Nolfi
"Christine Nolfi weaves a rich, emotional tapestry with this heartwarming testament to the power of love, generosity, and promises kept. The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves is an unforgettable story written with gentle, nuanced prose and characters who will challenge you to consider the ways in which we are all connected. Read it and be inspired to find - and nurture - the good in the world, just like Hanna."

The Colony of Lost Souls (2025)
Kelsey James
"A captivating work of fiction that explores the dangers of obsessive charisma and the allure of the unknown, wrapped in an intoxicating gothic mystery set on the rugged California coast. Absolutely hypnotic--from the first page to the breathless ending--lyrically written, and powerful."

Letters from Strangers (2025)
Susan Walter
"A propulsive and poignant story about family, secret lives, and sacrifice. Walter knows the complexities of the human heart, and her emotionally rich characters ring true. Thoughtful, empathetic, and replete with deep meaning."

Senseless (2025)
Ronald Malfi
"Senseless is a blistering, twist-filled rollercoaster of a novel, ripe with visceral horror and complex characters who will have you questioning their motives along with their hold on reality. You'll feel the heat from the California desert and the hum of the city streets in this noir-touched supernatural thriller. I couldn't put it down!"

Echoes of Us (2024)
Joy Jordan-Lake
"Echoes of Us is a deftly woven, heart-tugging tale of courage, bittersweet love, and resilience, set amid the turbulence of world war. Joy Jordan-Lake's remarkable cast of characters will captivate you with their intertwined pasts and hold you in thrall until the poignant, extraordinary end. A moving paean to bravery, empathy, and forgiveness."

The Witch's Secret (2024)
Stacie Murphy
"A perfect blend of suspenseful historical fiction and dark magic set on the wild Colorado frontier, The Witch's Secret held me in thrall from beginning to end. With grit and a backbone made of steel, Murphy's captivating heroine faces down threats both corporeal and supernatural in this gripping story edged with hair-raising moments of true gothic horror - and a touch of wry wit. Clever, frightening, and masterfully plotted."

In the Hour of Crows (2024)
Dana Elmendorf
"In the Hour of Crows has everything I love in a good southern gothic--family drama, earthy magic married with religion, and a sense of coiling, visceral dread. Elmendorf's small Georgia town is both stifling and sensual, filled with characters so realistic you'll swear you've met them before. Enchanting, gritty, and impossible to put down."

A Sweet Sting of Salt (2024)
Rose Sutherland
"A gorgeous tale of sapphic yearning laced with a slow-building sense of Gothic dread, Sutherland's captivating debut is an intensely beautiful experience you won't soon forget."

Hurt for Me (2024)
Heather Levy
"With Hurt for Me, Levy offers up a fierce fever dream of sensuality, danger, and human emotion - a tangled web woven with clever twists and propulsive, masterful prose. A darkly romantic triumph of visceral suspense, married with desire and revenge. Unputdownable!"

The Arsenic Eater's Wife (2024)
Tonya Mitchell
"A provocative, suspenseful Gothic treat of a novel, inspired by real events. Mitchell's atmospheric prose carries readers into the past as a woman accused of murder desperately tries to reclaim her innocence and survive a harrowing betrayal. {Or this one?} Rife with secrets, intrigue, and serpentine twists. You won't be able to put it down!"

The Village Healer's Book of Cures (2023)
Jennifer Sherman Roberts
"A stunning achievement in historical fiction. The Village Healer's Book of Cures is by turns a work of luminous beauty and a harrowingly dark exploration of the perilous role cunning women played in a society rife with suspicion. Mary Fawcett is an unforgettable heroine, and Roberts's nimble prose enchants with its honesty. An exquisite, wise, and ambitious debut."

The Star and the Strange Moon (2023)
Constance Sayers
"At once a sweeping tale of dark magic, artistic obsession, and a love unbound from the limits of time, The Star and the Strange Moon captivates with lush prose and moments of poignant, heartbreaking beauty. A soaring celebration of female agency and the power of free will, this is Constance Sayers at her finest."

Don't Forget to Write (2023)
Sara Goodman Confino
"Wry and disarming, with characters so real they leap off the pages, Don't Forget to Write is an irresistible tale of summer love, family, and self-discovery. A humorous, joyful, and completely unforgettable book. Ada and Marilyn captured my heart!"

Where Ivy Dares to Grow (2023)
Marielle Thompson
"Richly drawn and evocative - Marielle Thompson is a writer to watch!"

The Direction of the Wind (2023)
Mansi Shah
"A heartfelt and empathetic look at a free-spirited mother and her daughter, separated by choice, time, and circumstance, irrevocably bonded by their shared desire to learn who they are meant to be. Shah creates an unforgettable story, steeped in Parisian atmosphere and braided with compassion. This book will break your heart and then mend it, in the most wonderful way."

The Deception (2022)
Kim Taylor Blakemore
"Delightfully wry as it is unsettling, The Deception had me turning pages at a blistering pace. Blakemore bewitches with her shrewd, incisive look at the Spiritualist movement and two down-on-their-luck heroines bound in an unlikely partnership. Teeming with intrigue, seething jealousies, and theatrical atmosphere. Absolutely impossible to put down!"

Iris In The Dark (2022)
Elissa Grossell Dickey
"A nail-biter of a thriller, with a looming sense of dread etched on every page, shot through with hope, love, and purpose, as Iris navigates complicated emotions and confronts a troubling history that threatens the simple small-town life she's always longed for. I could not put it down!"

The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding (2022)
Lydia Kang
"Brimming with gracefully executed twists and turns, The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding is a suspenseful tale encompassing the shrouded early history of the Manhattan Project, set in its namesake city. Kang's unforgettable characters, both courageous and sinister, play out their respective parts behind blackout-curtained windows, holding their cards close until the end. Packed with intrigue and secret assignations, this is a triumphant addition to the WWII canon by a masterful author."

The Lobotomist's Wife (2022)
Samantha Greene Woodruff
"Based on extraordinary real-life events, The Lobotomist's Wife is a riveting and impressive debut that had me in its grasp from the very first page. Samantha Greene Woodruff has crafted a suspenseful tale of good intentions gone awry that features an indomitable heroine who finds her strength and voice in the midst of harrowing circumstances. I simply could not put it down."

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