Agatha Christie Meets Edgar Allan Poe In New Gothic Mystery You Can’t Miss

Published Oct 27, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. If you pick up just one mystery book in the next month, make it Tara Goedjen’s new Gothic mystery, which feels like a perfect blend of Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe. The Gothic genre is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, and mysteries continue to captivate audiences. So it’s no surprise that the combination of the two is in high demand. Mind you, combining Gothic and mystery, rather than keeping them separate, makes everything harder. A writer must fully understand and execute both parts well; otherwise, it’s doomed to fail. Lackluster Gothic elements will make the book less suspenseful and emotionally charged. A subpar mystery will bore the audience. So many writers have failed to strike the right balance. Luckily, one recent 2026 book has risen to the occasion. Please Enjoy Your Stay is a perfect book for true crime lovers and Gothic mystery fans alike. While staying at an Austrian castle as a teenager, Mia watches her cousin get murdered. A decade later, a popular true crime podcast called One True Crime reexamines the case, determined to prove the convicted killer innocent. In the process, they point the finger at Iris, Mia’s true crime writer aunt. To prove her aunt's innocence, Mia takes on a false identity and gets hired as a nanny at the castle, now a luxury hotel, where it all happened. Tara Goedjen’s novel takes readers on a wild ride. What's more, this must-read Gothic mystery-thriller seemingly draws inspiration from two of the greatest writers of all time—Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe. Please Enjoy Your Stay Modernizes Agatha Christie Mystery Tropes Agatha Christie’s best tropes appear in Tara Goedjen’s adult debut novel, though the author modernizes them. One of the most fundamental elements of a great Christie novel is an isolated, frequently lavish setting. The surrounding beauty contrasts the brutality of the murder. Please Enjoy Your Stay has this same backbone, and the folks at the castle only have two major lifelines to the outside world. First, they can go into town. But the citizens don’t want them there, creating hostility that isolates the folks at the castle even more. Secondly, they have access to the internet. However, this has a positive effect because the story's catalyst is a podcast. Also following the Christie playbook, the characters stuck at the castle have a motive to be the killer, except for the child, leading to multiple red herrings. For full transparency, not all the red herrings worked. By the end, I had guessed who the killer was, but I had failed to identify why they killed Tristan. For this reason, it still felt satisfying, even if the surprise wasn't fully there. On top of that, Mia goes to the Austrian castle in disguise, which is extremely common for leads in Agatha Christie’s books. Please Enjoy Your Stay does a variation of the “spouse of the dead person is accused,” with Iris, the mother, getting blamed for Tristan’s murder, instead of a spouse. Iris gives everyone a scapegoat. Finally, many of the biggest plot twists hinge on hidden secrets and lies family members try to cover up. Any further elaboration on these plot points would require big spoilers, so I’ll leave it there. The Gothic Setting & Unreliable Narrator Feel Pulled From Edgar Allan Poe While Agatha Christie feels like the biggest literary inspiration for Please Enjoy Your Stay, it certainly isn't the only similarity. The book also draws plenty of inspiration from the Gothic greats. I cannot say for sure whether Goedjen looked to Edgar Allan Poe as a specific influence, but it certainly seems that way. The castle-turned-hotel setting is worn down and ominous. It carries trauma and memories, making it feel almost like a character. This feels similar to Poe’s The House of Usher. Purchase Please Enjoy Your Stay here. Another big parallel between Please Enjoy Your Stay and Edgar Allan Poe is the unreliable narrator. Poe’s stories frequently feature characters whose perspectives are heavily skewed, forcing the reader to question everything on the page. Mia is so desperate to prove her aunt's innocence that she has serious blind spots. What’s more, she stakes a man’s life on her eyewitness testimony, never questioning its accuracy. I’m not saying she was wrong. I’m not saying she was right. What I’m saying is that readers can’t rely on her perspective to be objective. Lastly, Please Enjoy Your Stay blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, an Edgar Allan Poe specialty. Mia finds herself wondering if something more sinister is at play in a castle that has seen so much bloodshed. Ultimately, Goedjen struck the perfect balance between each element, learning from those who came before while still offering a fresh story readers will love. For this reason, Please Enjoy Your Stay isn’t one you’ll want to skip.