If you haven't watched The Horror of Dolores Roach yet, you're missing out! After nearly two decades, Dolores Roach is released from prison, she finds the New York of her past entirely changed. Her boyfriend, whom she took the fall for, is nowhere to be found and the street she lived on is now gentrified, the only remnant of the "old New York" an empanada shop. Finding a place to stay with the empanada shop's owner, Luis, Dolores struggles to find a way to make a living and acclimate to a world much changed.
With little money, she uses the massage skills she learned when she was locked up to make some cash, quickly earning the nickname "Magic Hands." But when landlords and nosey neighbors come knocking, Dolores turns to using her hands for something far more sinister.
If that sounds interesting to you, check out these four books like The Horror of Dolores Roach that capture a similar vibe.
Ghosts of East Baltimore by David Simmons
After Worm is released from two years behind bars, he needs money and to be back at his Baltimore halfway house by curfew. But Worm's simple delivery turns into a battle against men and his own mind as he works through loving his city and hating it at the same time. Full of cosmic horror and bizarre events, you'll root for Worm the same way you rooted for Dolores as she found her new place in the city she loves.
When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
When Sydney Green’s neighborhood is threatened by the condos and demolitions slowly gentrifying their home, she and her neighbor Theo launch a walking tour campaign to share the history of their neighborhood to try to save it. Despite their efforts, though, neighbors disappear around them. They just might be the ones to go next.
Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
Abby has the perfect husband which is, to her, a miracle after her tough relationship with her mother growing up. The only thing that would make her life better is a child, one she has already named. But after her husband’s mother dies and the couple stays in her home, Abby is desperate to keep her husband away from the basement where he claims his mother still lurks. As he grows increasingly withdrawn, Abby and her perfect future are threatened. She turns to her favorite cookbook and a desperate act to get him back from his grief.
The Cannibal's Guide to Ethical Living by Mykle Hansen
Andre is a renowned chef with what some would call a strange palette. He and his business partner, Marko, serve the rarest meat to their top-dollar clients, but deep down Andre's hatred for millionaires bubbles over. You know what they say: eat the rich! Under siege, Andre is desperate and holds journalist Luis De Gustibus hostage and uses his captive audience to talk him through his reasoning for his weird cravings.
Do you have any suggestions for books like The Horror of Dolores Roach? Leave them in a comment below!