In MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC, Jessica Carrasquillo continues her haunting Manchineel series, which blends psychological thriller and Southern Gothic romance. This time, the story follows Ulysses Katsaros, a gifted but troubled mental health counselor and artist still reeling from the scars of his sister Calliope’s mysterious disappearance twenty years ago. His world collides with Rosario Martinez, the clever and ambitious co-host of the hit true-crime podcast Mysteries of the Southern Gothic, who has been hinting at a tantalizing Belladonna case lurking in the background throughout her investigation.
Intrigued by Calliope’s case, Rosario initially approaches Ulysses under false pretenses, posing as an art student in his class. Though furious at her deception, Ulysses eventually agrees to aid in her investigation. As they delve into the secrets surrounding Calliope’s disappearance and its disturbing connections to a sinister religious cult, Rosario and her podcast partner, Shawnee, continue to unravel the enigmatic Belladonna case—a mystery that astute readers will recognize as the story of Elyse Santiago, the social media star with a dark past introduced in The Manchineel.
Carrasquillo once again immerses readers in a world steeped in secrets and generational trauma, populated by damaged characters and twisted relationships. The central mystery of Calliope’s fate propels the plot forward through shocking revelations and nail-biting suspense, while Rosario and Ulysses’s ill-fated romance adds a layer of doomed intimacy to the grim proceedings. As Rosario’s relentless pursuit of the truth puts her on a collision course with Ulysses’s repressed memories, the Belladonna case simmers in the background, waiting to be fully unraveled.
The author brings a keen eye for characterization to her Southern milieu, rendering her flawed, yearning creations in sharp detail. Ulysses, in particular, emerges as a tragic figure—a sensitive soul warped by trauma, his tattoos and tough exterior disguising oceans of vulnerability and heartache. His attempts to anesthetize his pain with alcohol and toxic relationships ring with authenticity. Ulysses seethes after his ex-girlfriend berates him in front of Rosario and her co-host: “She left him, not the other way around.” Meanwhile, readers who devoured The Manchineel will be eager to discover how the seemingly resolved story of Elyse Santiago and her lover, Ben, ties into the Florida-based Mysteries of the Southern Gothic podcast’s investigation of the George Ramos case in Miami.
While the pacing occasionally allows the slow burn of its central mystery to idle in repetitive conversations and Ulysses’s circular ruminations, the novel’s atmosphere and emotional intensity never falter. The parallelism of the Calliope investigation and the love story is particularly well-executed, with the exposure of past sins dooming their present-day connection. With its gasp-inducing reveals, sultry interludes, and tantalizing connections to the larger Manchineel series, this novel delivers a captivating read for fans of psychological thrillers and Southern Gothic romance.
Simmering with slow-boil suspense and dark secrets, Jessica Carrasquillo’s MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC proves a twisty, steamy thriller that impresses and beguiles. The author brings Southern atmosphere and emotional intensity to a grim tale of innocence defiled and the steep cost of reconciling with sins of the past.
~Edward Sung for IndieReader