The Curse — Fergus Hume

In the sleepy village of Hepworth, everyone knows the story of the Bally family curse. In each generation, the male heir is doomed to be born a deformed monster. Mark Bally, the current owner of the Bally's ancestral home is keen to dismiss the story, particularly the rumor that his younger brother Alaric is not dead, but imprisoned in the legendary 'Black Cell,' somewhere in the Abbey ruins.

When Dr Minister arrives in Hepworth to visit his old friend Dr Borrin, he is convinced that the legend has at least a grain of truth. When tragedy strikes, Borrin's daughter Ida begins to suspect that Minister might have been correct in his surmise -- and when her fiancee is accused of murder she turns detective in order to clear his name and discover the truth about the infamous Bally curse...

Somewhere between Agatha Christie and The Phantom of the Opera, Hume's novel is a traditional murder mystery with thrilling Gothic overtones!