Over the past decade, female authors have grown in prominence and exposure. Not surprisingly, their stories tend to reflect on the treatment of women in the West. What is maybe slightly surprising is that many use the framework of horror to tell that story. Count award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright in that category. With numerous Gothic romances already tucked away in a secret attic, Wright adds to their number with her latest novel, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. The novel tells of a castle built in the countryside of Wisconsin (apparently more common than one might think) and the building's reputation of sucking women into its walls never to be seen again. The plot is spread out over a century and a half, giving perspective to three separate women who lived within the castle.

Of the three storylines, two run parallel to each other while the third acts as little snippets of background information from one of the castle's earliest occupants, Madame Tremblay. The next timeline in chronology follows Daisy, a poor orphan who has escaped a bad home situation. She meets an older Madame Tremblay and her handsome son, Lincoln. As she learns more about the rumors surrounding the Castle, she gets drawn into solving the mystery all while trying to avoid becoming the next victim. Running parallel to this is the modern timeline following Cleo, a young woman running from a dark past. She comes to the Castle to get away under the pretense of helping the latest Tremblay matron de-clutter under the supervision of the dashing Deacon Tremblay. However, a local man who's related to one of the women missing from the Castle wants to uncover the truth, which threatens Cleo's anonymity.

Having three storylines can make for an interesting structure if done right, and there are times when Wright plays with the parallels well (especially in the third act). But it can also be jarring to jump between different time periods, and the reader will likely prefer one of the major storylines over the other. It doesn't help that Daisy's and Cleo's stories are a little too similar (down to falling for the mysterious and divinely handsome Tremblay men). Wright tries to add little touches to make the two women have their own unique angles. Daisy has suffered abuse at the hands of her adoptive family; Cleo has some demons from her past that she's running from. While Daisy's past is subtly handled, Cleo's is given an air of mystery. The reader is left thinking that whatever she did, it must be bad to keep her on the run. When her sins finally come to light, it's a little underwhelming. In the end, the plot is twisty enough to hold the reader's interest even if every beat doesn't receive a satisfying payoff.

Aside from plot, the characters are relatively two dimensional. Daisy and Cleo get the most development, but the surrounding cast usually have a particular note or flavor they contribute to the story and then that's it. Wright frequently cuts into the narrative flow in order to further explore the thought life of her heroines. This gets old after a while since it keeps breaking up the tension of what's happening in the current scene. What helps most of all is the unique setting. It has all the trappings of a Europe-based Gothic romance without being in Europe. Wright provides a nice American twist to the usual tropes and trappings, while turning some of those standards on their heads.

I mentioned at the outset that female authors revisiting Gothic romances is in vogue right now, and as I read The Vanishing at Castle Moreau, I kept comparing it to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's recent hit, Mexican Gothic. There are quite a few similarities: Gothic call-backs in a non-European setting; a mysterious family with a troubling legacy; a male member of the family being a supremely handsome fellow; a female protagonist trying to unravel the darkness; and spooky encounters aplenty. Between the two, some things Moreno-Garcia handles better, others Wright has a more unique twist. What's interesting is some of the similarity in their themes. I don't want to spoil either book here, but it gave much food for thought to compare Moreno-Garcia's atheistic feminist approach to Wright's clearly Christian one. The two authors are each exploring the topic about the treatment of women, and while they both have an ultimately triumphant story to tell, their landing zones are miles apart.

It's Jaime Jo Wright's approach to her theme that gives the book more depth than a typical romance with spooky trappings. Some things in this book will surprise the reader; others will cause an eye roll. The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is probably best for a female audience, but that doesn't mean a man looking for Christian fiction can't find something worth enjoying here. Castle Moreau may not be book of the year, but it can be a fun read with some shadows to give intrigue, but not enough to lose the reader in darkness.