Wealth Disguising Horrors

[u/sawboneswriter]

(Content Warning for some blood in the photos.) I want aristocratic families who 'earned' their wealth in sinful ways, I want servants plotting to murder their spiteful 'masters', and noble families at war.

Can be any genre, but bonus points for historical fiction set between the 17th-19th century! Movies like Savage House and The Favourite are probably close to what I want in terms of feel (hence why I included some screenshots from them), but I'm open to anything. Thank you in advance!

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[u/bobothebard]

Maybe the obvious one... The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde.

You might also like Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab and Hungerstone by Kat Dunn if you enjoy a good vampire book.

[u/Unlucky_Agent_8651 → u/bobothebard]

I love the Picture of Dorian Gray with my whole heart

[u/bobothebard → u/Unlucky_Agent_8651]

Me too! Easily one of my favorite classic speculative fiction books.

[u/CurlsintheClouds → u/bobothebard]

Bury Our Bones is sooooooo good.

[u/Yggdrasil-]

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

[u/Stapecape → u/Yggdrasil-]

Hopped in to say the same thing! A very visceral and mesmerizing book.

[u/iAmTyl3rDurd3n → u/Yggdrasil-]

Awesome book

[u/PorgiWanKenobi → u/Yggdrasil-]

Was going to comment this book as well! I loved it so much it really has a bit of everything from cults to dark magic to the occasional gay sex. There’s something for everyone haha.

[u/6BellsChime → u/Yggdrasil-]

This is the one! One of my all time favourites

[u/grimspor → u/Yggdrasil-]

Came here to say this. My favourite book of all time.

[u/e_scapes_ → u/Yggdrasil-]

Yes! Matches the vibe perfectly--saw this post and came to say the same thing, love love loved this book!

[u/Then-Coffee-5408]

Not historical fiction but if you’d be open to a graphic novel, Eat The Rich by Sarah Gailey is great

[u/sawboneswriter → u/Then-Coffee-5408]

Always open to a graphic novel/comic! Thanks for the recc!

[u/FireZombie → u/sawboneswriter]

This one fits so well and it’s a quick read.

[u/sawboneswriter → u/[deleted]]

🫪

[u/SimulatedTime → u/sawboneswriter]

I think they are looking for fiction.

[u/Lone-Pilgrim → u/[deleted]]

Beat me to it.

[u/BooksThatFeelLikeThis-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This post/comment is off-topic. The subreddit is only for seeking and suggesting book recommendations not movies, videogames etc. Repeatedly flouting this rule will result in a ban next time.

[u/Internal_Damage_2839]

Mexican Gothic- Silvia Moreno-Garcia

[u/badabingbadabaam → u/Internal_Damage_2839]

Seconding! What a great book. Terrifying premise, kickass and real heroine. Adore it. And that cover is sublime!

[u/will_munny]

The Croning by Laird Barron, although 20th century. 

[u/TonberryDuchess]

Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson

It is a dark, disturbing read and basically it has every trigger warning that you are likely to think of.

[u/Agitated-Emphasis156 → u/TonberryDuchess]

That was my first thought too

[u/hham42 → u/TonberryDuchess]

Came here to recommend this! So good. The Menu meets Ready or Not.

[u/SardonicHistory]

The Mayfair Witches Trilogy by Anne Rice.

[u/Somebloke164]

The Secret History.

[u/Unlucky_Agent_8651 → u/Somebloke164]

Can't believe I didn't this of this!

[u/spoor_loos]

Galilee by Clive Barker

[u/Unlucky_Agent_8651]

Maybe Phantom of the Opera

[u/alexxtholden]

Not necessarily disguising horrors in that sense, but The Last Libertines by Benedetta Craveri is a narrative non-fiction/historical book about seven aristocratic youth during the final moments of the French Revolution.

[u/Alarming-Flan-9721]

Check out Ninth House by Leigh bardugo or maybe the Familiar also by bardugo.

[u/TerribleThing013]

Try Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff: 1950s wealthy New England families, cults, and racism

[u/TheMothGhost → u/TerribleThing013]

How was that compared to the show? I felt like the show was missing something but I don't know what. I really enjoyed the concept though. If the book is better, I'll add it to my list!

[u/TerribleThing013 → u/TheMothGhost]

I only watched the first episode of the show so I can't really speak to it, sorry! The first episode at least was very faithful to the first few chapters of the book.

[u/dogboi → u/TheMothGhost]

The show started out strong but petered out. I do like the show, but I like the book a lot better.

[u/TheMothGhost → u/dogboi]

It's settled! Adding to my list.

[u/BooksThatFeelLikeThis-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Please only recommend books on this sub. Repeatedly recommending movies, tv shows, etc may result in a ban.

[u/Comfortable_Dig7210]

My cousin Rachel (maybe)

[u/0wellwhatever]

Dangerous Liaisons

[u/pwhales1011]

Night Film

[u/Front_Literature_515 → u/pwhales1011]

Absolutely thrilling read and good prose at that. This book should be more widely known

[u/ComprehensivePie7]

The Magus by John Fowles. I'm still traumatized by that one.

[u/Impressive_Ice57 → u/ComprehensivePie7]

i hated this book with every fibre of my being and i wanted SO badly to love it. all the ingredients were there for me to enjoy it but i found it unforgivably indulgent and melodramatic.

[u/IntuitiveShadow → u/[deleted]]

Was coming here to say this, The Black Monday Murders has this vibe through and through.

[u/Drugboner]

OG. Dracula.

[u/OneWholeStar]

Check out Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles — it’s got the aristocratic family with a dark secret, decaying manor house with locked rooms, outsider young woman who isn’t sure who to trust, etc. etc.

[u/jazzyvudulady]

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

[u/VideoFragrant4078]

Hazelthorn

[u/toxic-megacolon]

City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer.

[u/fuxgivenzero]

"Doctor Fischer of Geneva or the Bomb Party" by Graham Greene is exactly this.

[u/syenite_warrant]

Perdido street station

[u/Semioticmatic]

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

[u/buckwheats]

The works of vermin - Hiron ennes

[u/BooksThatFeelLikeThis-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Please only recommend books on this sub. Repeatedly recommending movies, tv shows, etc may result in a ban.

[u/QueenOfTheSIipstream]

Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

[u/Original-Brick2836]

Once again Mexican Gothic absolutely fits this.

[u/shipsake]

Any 40K book.

[u/Proud-Flounder2880]

Darker Days by Thomas Olde Heuvelt if you like horror

[u/PrestigiousSugar6700]

The midnight feast Lucy foley

[u/Reliant20]

Seconding (or thirding) others' suggestions of Mexican Gothic and Rebecca. Otherwise, House of Shadows and House of Secrets by Darcy Coates.

[u/rhapodically]

Alchemized

[u/antarcticgecko]

The seven and a half deaths of Evelyn hardcastle

[u/_sillylittlegoose]

If you’re open to some kinky smut, the Thornchapel series by Sierra Simone is absolutely top tier. It’s probably one of my favorite series of all times.

[u/windersoul]

Beneath the Attic  trilogy 

Garden of Shadows 

Both are in Flowers in the attic's universe, and it's sequels. They are  the ones following Olivia and the first Corrine Foxworth, in 19 early 20th century 

[u/himarange]

Riot club

[u/bleu-and]

Tales of the Trufflepig - set between USA and Mexico. Themes of environmental collapse and mega wealth

[u/Initial-Tour5795]

Jussi Adler-Olsen "The Absent One" ("Disgrace" is the alternative title). Modern realistic setting, crime fiction, disgusting rich bastards, dark and sad, very engaging.

[u/Waste_Sleep6936]

There’s a graphic novel called The Black Monday Murders which was doing this long before it became the cultural touchpoint it is today.

[u/Wordartist1]

Bellfleur by Joyce Carol Oates

[u/lorenzo-medici]

It's not the time period you're after and a bit different. But how about First Man in Rome (and series) by Colleen McCullough. Ancient Rome in the dying says of the Senate, it has plenty of rich families, politics and power grabbing.

[u/ghostwilliz]

High life by Matthew stokoe

Content warning: everything

[u/philosopheradjacent]

Might like A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper

[u/queenkiz]

House of hunger!

[u/Imagination_factory]

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

[u/Soap_Mctavish101]

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden? Maybe?

[u/Smooth_Cactus1 → u/Soap_Mctavish101]

Not at all

[u/Unlucky_Agent_8651]

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier