-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
A Novel
by Michael Boccacino
When the nanny to the young Darrow boys is found murdered on the outskirts of Blackfield, Charlotte Markham, the recently hired governess, steps in to take over their care. During an outing in the forest, they find themselves crossing over into The Ending, the place for the Things That Cannot Die, where Lily Darrow, the late mistress of Everton, has been waiting. She invites them into the ominous House of Darkling, a wondrous, dangerous place filled with enchantment, mystery and strange creatures that appear to be, but are not quite, human.
However, everything comes with a price, and as Charlotte begins to understand the unspeakable bargain Mrs. Darrow has made for a second chance at motherhood, she uncovers a connection to the sinister occurrences in Blackfield and enters into a deadly game with the master of Darkling, one whose outcome will determine not just the fate of the Darrows, but of the world itself.
Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling is a Victorian gothic tale about family ties, the realm beyond the living, and the price you pay to save those you love.
"Starred Review. Debut author Boccacino bowls the reader over with his note-perfect rendition of a spooky Victorian atmosphere.... Boccacino’s deft handling of this delicately supernatural period piece makes it a sterling genre selection." - Publishers Weekly
"Fantasy and fact blur as Boccacino excels in twisting and turning the plot in increasingly unexpected directions. Perfect reading for a dark and stormy night." - Booklist
"A lyrical and visceral adventure into a realm beyond time and death.” (Katherine Webb, author of The Unseen and The Legacy
"Thanks to Michael Boccacino the Gothic is reborn! Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling is an elegant, intelligent, and compelling debut novel. Bravo!" - Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Assassin's Code and Dust & Decay
"Michael Boccacino has delivered a studied, enchanting, and most welcome contribution to the Gothic literary landscape rolling back to Brontë and du Maurier. . . . This is not one to miss." - Christopher Ransom, international bestselling author of The Birthing House and The Fading
"With Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling, Boccacino has created a new vision of the Afterlife, at one moment stunningly beautiful and full of wonder, the next, darkly sinister and without pity. A remarkable book. Michael Boccacino is a writer to watch." - Susie Moloney, author of The Dwelling and The Thirteen
This information about Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Born in upstate New York and raised in central Florida, Michael blames his love of books on his father, who began reading him the Lord of the Rings trilogy when he was six, but stopped when he found out his son had snuck a VHS copy of the animated adaptation because he couldn't wait to see how it ended. Eventually he learned enough patience to earn his BA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida and his MBA from Rollins College. In addition to writing, Michael likes to travel to far off places and pretend that he's Indiana Jones, or experiment in the kitchen and convince others that he might not do so terribly on Iron Chef. He was quite possibly British in a past life, but he lives in and loves New York City
If you liked Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling, try these:
by Lea Carpenter
Published 2025
Set in the dark world of international espionage, from London to Mallorca, Croatia, Paris, and Cap Ferret: the gripping and suspenseful story of a young woman who unwittingly becomes a perfect asset in the long overdue finale of a covert special op
by Lianne Dillsworth
Published 2023
Set amid the bustle of Victorian London, an irresistible story of an ambitious young Black actress, an orphan from the slums who has finally achieved a dubious stardom as "The Great Amazonia, a savage African queen" - but everything she has fought for depends on hiding the secret of her own identity.
by Jackie Polzin
Published 2022
An exquisite new literary voice - wryly funny, nakedly honest, beautifully observational, in the vein of Jenny Offill and Elizabeth Strout - depicts one woman's attempt to keep her four chickens alive while reflecting on a recent loss.
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
