A Spider's Web of Gothic Horror
Indie Book Gush - The Spider by Hanna Delaney
What do you get when you combine gothic horror, ghosties, a paranormal investigator posing as a detective, and interpersonal family drama?
The Spider by Hanna Delaney.
And that doesn’t even cover the whole rollercoaster in this book. Strap in, folks.
I normally try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but this is a hard one to talk about otherwise because of all of the nuanced twisties. I won’t spoil the big reveals at the end, but will be talking about some of the middle stuff so if you want the full experience with zero knowledge beforehand, check out my Storygraph review instead! Then once you’ve read the book come back here and fangirl with me. ;)
I hate spiders. Just going to throw that out there right now, because I thought it was a good indicator of how into this author’s writing style I was when I excitedly requested an ARC. I am terrible for not reading book blurbs before I pick something up, so I was anticipating awful eight-legged horror.
Thankfully there are no giant arachnids in this story, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t still chill me to my core.
I read a vast array of genres, and niches within those genres. My favourites, however, combine and bend genre conventions, and The Spider is a great example of this. I came for the creepy, and stayed for the deep characters, sprawling mystery, and, well, CREEPY.
Delaney has crafted this very subtle horror that I love, a kind of slow-burn creep factor that worms its way under my skin so slowly I don’t notice until I put the book down and my muscles suddenly relax. The tension isn’t always a freeze up jump-scare (though there are a few moments that startled me, don’t get me wrong!) but it’s always an underlying ripple throughout, even when the characters are just going about their lives.
And this is where I found the writing to really shine. Every single mundane thing that the characters do or experience feels deliberate. I found myself hungry for every little detail, filing it away in the little black book in my brain that desperately tries to figure out the mystery as I read.
This also enriched the characters as well. With such a large cast, it could be very easy to get confused and not keep them straight. But they all were so clear in personality and vibe that I had no problems—they felt like real people. Little things, like Elsie sticking her tongue out when she plays piano, or Sarah coaching her not to do so.
And the first chunk of the novel feels like this, like moving to a new place and getting to know new people. Family dynamics and previous dramas are unearthed, and the new house is subtly creepy. It’s a slow burn, and had me gripped, then in a ballsy 180, the book almost does a reset button and introduces a whole new set of characters.
After getting to know the Bryants and their situation, the paranormal creepiness comes to a head with a seance where the ghosties are all but confirmed to exist. But—CLIFFHANGER—all of a sudden I’m with Mr. Muldoon, a private paranormal investigator hired by the police to look into this creepy new case.
Thus begins a new slow burn, one where I’m clawing the walls to find out what happened to Frances, but also totally on board getting to know Muldoon and the people around him as he begins to dip his toes into the case.
The book could have started with this, begun with Muldoon learning the family dynamic from the get go, but I love that Delaney opted to go against the grain and give us the calm before the storm. It is so much more intense looking in at the family from the outside when I’ve already been on the inside and know who they are and what they’ve seen.
It makes it even more of a rollercoaster when everyone is questioning Frances’ sanity and what’s going on in the house while Muldoon has grisly visions of his own and tries to unravel the mystery. I thought I knew things! But do I know things?! Also there are new things! SO MANY THINGS!!
And throughout the second half there are tons more questions raised, more character development that makes it even more unclear what the end result will be. It’s a solid mystery plot, but is enhanced by the creepy paranormal horror throughout. Everything ties back together into a wonderful package with a satisfying conclusion, then leaves me so piqued for Muldoon’s next adventure.
Delaney took an already challenging genre in mystery and went whole hog into a rich tapestry of terror that felt very grounded in the Victorian setting. I loved every damn second of this book, and would recommend it to mystery, historical, and horror fans alike.
When Frances Bryant and her family arrive at their new home at number five, Percy Street, she doesn’t feel welcome. Something lurks within the house, trying to catch her at every turn. What Frances discovers will force her to uncover the unforgivable, shattering the life she craves to pieces.
What begins as an encounter with the paranormal soon reveals itself to be a tangled web of secrets that Inspector Daniel Muldoon must get to the bottom of. Many lives hang in the balance, with two already claimed. Muldoon must compete in a race against time to save those who are still caught in the spider’s web.
Preorder The Spider and follow Hanna Delaney here on Substack for more awesome fiction!
A huge huge thanks to for including me in the ARC team. <3
Have you read The Spider? Please scream about it with me in the comments!