8 Creepy Gothic Books Like Rebecca By Daphne Du Maurier

---

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

---

If you’ve always loved Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, from the slow-building dread, the eerie estate, the secrets hidden underneath polite society, you’re not alone. This timeless tale has captivated audiences worldwide for decades, thanks to its Gothic atmosphere, psychological suspense, and dark romantic undercurrents. Whether it’s the chilling presence of Manderley or the long shadow cast by the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca is a masterclass in creepy gothic fiction. But, what should you read next? From windswept moors to crumbling manors, join us today at What We Reading for the best books like Rebecca! All these gothic fiction readalikes promise the same eerie mix of mystery, obsession, and disturbing beauty. Without further ado, let’s dive into the most unforgettable novels to add to your TBR pile – because the ghosts of the past never really stay buried. 

---

Rebecca Summary

Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the charismatic widower, Maxim de Winter and his sudden marriage proposal. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his sprawling countryside estate, Manderley, that she begins to discover how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives, presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. 

First published back in 1938, Rebecca has become one of the most influential gothic novels of all time. Winning the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century. With its English estate and deeply introspective lens, Rebecca explores obsession, deception, memory, and the enduring grip of the past on us. 

---

Check Out These Books That Are Better Second Time Around

---

My Cousin Rachel – Daphne Du Maurier

Kicking off our list of books like Rebecca is another one of Daphne du Maurier’s best books, My Cousin Rachel. Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who promises to love his grand home as much as he does. Yet, their cosy world is soon shattered when Ambrose embarks on a trip to Florence. 

There, he falls in love, marries, and dies suddenly. Envious of his marriage, racked by suspicions raised by Ambrose’s letters, and grief-stricken by his death, Philip prepares to meet his cousin’s widow with nothing but hatred in his heart. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to the beautiful, mysterious Rachel like a moth to the flame. But could she have had something to do with Ambrose’s death? 

The Shape Of Darkness – Laura Purcell

As the age of the photograph arrives in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness, making enough money for her elderly mother and orphaned nephew has never been an easy task, but then, one of her clients is found murdered after sitting for her. And then another, and another. Why is a serial killer targeting her business? 

Desperately looking for answers, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath. She hopes that Pearl can make contact with those who have died, that they might be able to reveal who the killer is. But Agnes and Pearl soon learn that instead, they may have opened the door to something they can never put back. Brimming with Victorian gothic tones like Rebecca, Laura Purcell’s The Shape of Darkness is bleak, dark, and deliciously unsettling. 

The Stranger Diaries – Elly Griffiths

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school English teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. But, when one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friends is discovered dead, with a line from Holland’s most famous works by her body, Clare is horrified that her life has crashed with the storylines of her favourite literature. 

To make matters worse, the police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Not knowing whom she can trust, she turns to her closest remaining confidant: her diary. Then one day, she notices something strange. Writing that isn’t hers, left on the page of an old diary. Clare becomes more convinced than ever that “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. The Stranger Diaries is a modern literary thriller where gothic tropes meet murder mystery, perfect for anyone who loves du Maurier’s style. 

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë

One of the best historical novels like Rebecca, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre features all the blueprints needed for a gothic classic. Jane Eyre grows up orphaned in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring endless loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens her resolve and independence, which soon proves essential when she is employed as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. 

As her feelings for Rochester grow, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall’s terrible secret, forcing her into a decision that will change everything. Should she remain with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves? A timeless story of power and intrigue, Jane Eyre is a dazzling depiction of a woman’s search for equality and freedom, perfect if you loved Rebecca. 

The Woman In White – Wilkie Collins

Another one of the most influential gothic books like Rebecca, Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White opens with Walter Hartright’s eerie encounter with a woman dressed from head to foot in white along a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter becomes embroiled in the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his ‘charming’ friend, Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons, and poison. 

Raising questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of glamorous English country homes and the madhouse, The Woman in White was one of the first Victorian sensation novels and remains one of the most influential works from the era that combines gothic horror with psychological realism. 

The Death Of Mrs. Westaway – Ruth Ware

On a day that starts out like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter informing her that she has received a substantial inheritance. She realises very quickly that the letter has been sent to the wrong person, but also that the cold reading she’s honed as a tarot card reader may just come in handy for her to claim the money as her own. 

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the recently deceased. There, it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this bizarre situation she’s found herself in. And that the inheritance she has been so desperate to get her hands on lies at the heart of it all. One of Ruth Ware’s most successful bestsellers, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, is a mystery thriller featuring a cold inheritance, a creepy old house, and plenty of family secrets. 

The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters

One postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, Dr Faraday is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two hundred years, the Georgian estate, once mighty and foreboding, is now in decline; its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked by weeds, the clock in the stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. The owners of the house, a mother, son, and daughter, are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly changing world, as well as with the conflicts within their own walls.

But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than just a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become intimately entwined with his own. Exploring post-war class tensions through ghostly encounters in a decaying estate, The Little Stranger needs to be on your TBR pile if you loved the haunting atmosphere in Rebecca. 

The Drowning Kind – Jennifer McMahon

When social worker Jax received nine calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumed that it was just another one of her manic episodes. Increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for well over a year. But the next day, Lexie is found dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was digging into their family’s history. And, as she dives deeper into her sister’s progress, she discovers that the land their property stands on holds a far darker past than she could have imagined. 

In 1929, Ethel Monroe hopes desperately to have a baby. To distract her from such wants, her husband whisks her to Vermont and a natural spring. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumoured to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure what it gives. If you loved the guilt, grief, and unsettling histories in Rebecca, Jennifer McMahon’s The Drowning Kind is a great book to read next. 

---

Check Out The Best Horror Books For Stormy Nights

---