Chez Usher

by Vicki Hendricks

“A fierce and fearless talent.”—Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River

For readers captivated by the lush prose and psychological intricacies of The Great Gatsby and The Secret History, Chez Usher is an irresistible invitation to Key West’s shadowed heart — a place where decadence, desperation, and decay converge.

When architect August Dupin is lured to the crumbling mansion of his former lover Roderick Usher, he finds himself drawn into a world where secrets lurk behind every velvet curtain and nothing is quite as it seems.

Roderick and his enigmatic twin sister, Madeline, are as glamorous as they are doomed — vivid, unforgettable characters who navigate their fates with a dark grace reminiscent of Fitzgerald’s tragic heroes and Tartt’s magnetic misfits.

Hendricks’ prose is atmospheric and evocative, painting Key West’s tropical beauty with a noir edge, weaving a tale of tragic beauty, forbidden desires, and the haunting legacy of family ties.

With its exploration of human frailty, obsession, and the inexorable pull of the past, Chez Usher is more than a thriller— it’s a meditation on the price of passion and the fragility of identity.

Prepare to lose yourself in a world of dazzling decadence and haunting mystery.

Praise for Chez Usher
“Chez Usher marks the darkly glorious return of one of the best to ever do Vicki Hendricks. A richly gothic, camp-tinged riff on Edgar Allan Poe, Chez Usher offers a uniquely dark spin on sex, drugs and bad behavior in Key West, with a cast of desperate characters skilled in canny manipulation. Not to be missed.”—Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Beware the Woman

"Vicki Hendricks is back! It's a good thing, too, because this twisted and extremely sexy reworking of The Fall of the House of Usher is a tale only she could have told. True love, offhand sex, languid heat, tropical foliage, and a malevolent mansion combine here for a book I couldn't put down. Pick it up; you'll miss something wonderful and unique if you don't."—SJ Rozan, best-selling author of The Murder of Mr. Ma

“The gothic chills of Edgar Allan Poe meet the gonzo debauched mayhem of Florida Man in Vicki Hendricks' superb Chez Usher. I loved this book—sexy, dark, depraved, and spooky, this is gothic noir at its finest. A rock n' roll Poe retelling that fits the madness of the 21st century.”— Halley Sutton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hurricane Blonde

“An ethereal, evocative, and unputdownable homage to Edgar Allen Poe. What Vicki Hendricks did for noir in Miami Purity, she does for the haunted house story in Chez Usher. Don’t miss this one.”—Sara Gran, author of The Book of the Most Precious Substance.

“When one of noir's legendary mavericks takes on Poe, you know it's going to be a funky, bizarre and nerve-jangling ride. This book oozes cool, creepy vibes as dark as the shadow Chez Usher casts over the neighborhood. Hendricks has triumphed!” — Anthony Neil Smith, author of the Slow Bear series.

237 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2024

Reviews

[Halley Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much dark fun—beautifully lyrical, bonkers in the best way. Poe meets Florida Man only as Vicki Hendricks could tell it!

[Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The twisted, perverse CHEZ USHER by VICKI HENDRICKS, is a brilliantly written mashup. Sorta like Edgar Allan Poe meets Margaritaville. The story plunges the reader into a “four-cornered” love triangle as doomed and dark as the crumbling mansion in which it takes place.

Descended from the long and decaying family line of Ushers come the mystifying twin siblings Madeline and Roderick. The twins and their handsome boy toy August shine in the gothic darkness of Key West sunshine chic. Hendricks does it again. Loved it.

[Adam Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hendricks is a writer of considerable skill and imagination, and Chez Usher is another original novel from this important author. A take on a Poe short story, with hints of others spattered throughout, Chez Usher weaves a delightful tale of twins Roderick and Madeline, and their rich yet deadly family history in Key West. Borrowing heavily from Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Hendricks manages to set the story in modern day Key West, with its characters and inhabitants re-telling this story of desire, family and tragedy. It is difficult to say much more without ruining the book for others, but Hendricks is a highly original writer with a wonderful, succinct style that says everything without littering her prose with unneccesary descriptions and filler. I have thoroughly enjoyed the three books of hers that I have read, and will be continuing my exploration of her work because every book is vastly different to the last, and that isn't something you can say about a lot of authors. Her characters manage to grab the reader's heart and demand they be cared about and Chez Usher is another key work in this important authors bibliography. I look forward to my next Hendrick's novel and am keen to see where she takes us with her next novel. No doubt it will be something completely different and highly original.

[Trish MacEnulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicki Hendricks is back with a retelling of Poe's House of Usher that goes where no Poe has gone before. I've been a fan of Ms. Hendricks since Miami Purity, and this story does not disappoint. Siblings Madeline and Roderick live in their rotting ancestral home in Key West, which they refer to as "he." An old friend/lover of Roderick's named August agrees to help with a renovation, turning the East Wing into a glass building. But first, Roderick insists on a masquerade ball and, if you remember the original, you know that's where the fun begins with plenty of sex and a side of death. The writing is lush and sinful and delicious. Go ahead and dive in.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't let the 3-star rating fool you because this was a lot of fun! Vicki Hendricks — crime fiction's actual "slumming angel" — re-writing The Fall of the House of Usher as queer and Key West as can be? Heck yes! Thing is...a lot of this revolves around Dupin's character and I don't think she did enough to develop him. All he does is stare bug-eyed at the Ushers as they move on to the next hare-brained scheme to save their doomed house. That's like 80% of the book. Predictably ridiculous as only a Vicki Hendricks novel can be, this is a fun ride if you don't think about it for more than five seconds.