If there is a rock bottom, Jemma has hit hers.  It’s 1962 and Jemma is grappling with a death in the family, a job loss, and her relationship coming to a screeching halt in quite a scandalous way.  She’s living on the couch with her best friend when an opportunity knocks – she’s been hired to work for the Duchon family in Louisiana for a staggering amount of money.  Naturally, Jemma accepts and heads south.  But when Jemma arrives in New Orleans, she realizes something is more than a bubble off plumb.  Townspeople are wary of the isolated and insular Duchons and warn her away from her new job.  The Duchons know way more about her than they should.  And... Jemma’s job is to break a curse?!  Del Sandeen’s debut novel THIS CURSED HOUSE follows Jemma in her quest to uncover the secrets that could be the key to breaking the curse and freeing them all.     When summer fades into cool and crisp fall, there are few things more enchanting than hunkering down to read a Gothic novel.  Sandeen delivers the spooky in spades. If you are a fan of Flowers in the Attic or the movie The Skeleton Key, you will find plenty to draw you into the salacious and sinister web that Sandeen weaves in THIS CURSED HOUSE.  Colorism, cultural taboos, dysfunctional family dynamics, and creepy ghost sightings drive the novel forward.  Sandeen unpacks shocks and surprises throughout the work, making for an immediately engaging read.      The pacing in the novel’s latter half cools down from a boil to a gentle simmer, and major plot points are often told to the reader rather than built up organically.  Sandeen also misses an opportunity to spend more time showcasing the relationship development that undoubtedly happens between Jemma and the Duchons over her months-long tenure in their employ. As a result, some of you may wonder what is motivating Jemma and why she persists with the charge to break the curse.  This can make it harder to fully connect with and appreciate the impact Sandeen was aiming for in the conclusion.    On the whole, if you are looking for a fall read to get you into the spirit of the season, Del Sandeen’s THIS CURSED HOUSE is a fun option with a twist or five to keep you on the edge of your seat!