BOCHICA
Releasing May 13, 2025
A real-life Latin American haunted mansion. A murky labyrinth of family secrets. A young, aristocratic woman desperate to escape her past. This haunting debut gothic horror novel is perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and The Shining.
In 1923 Soacha, Colombia, La Casona—an opulent mansion perched above the legendary Salto del Tequendama waterfall—was once home to Antonia and her family, who settle in despite their constant nightmares and the house’s malevolent spirit. But tragedy strikes when Antonia’s mother takes a fatal fall into El Salto and her father, consumed by grief, attempts to burn the house down with Antonia still inside.
Three years later, haunted by disturbing dreams and cryptic journal entries from her late mother, Antonia is drawn back to her childhood home when it is converted into a luxurious hotel. As Antonia confronts her fragmented memories and the dark history of the estate, she wrestles with unsettling questions she can no longer ignore: Was her mother’s death by her own hands, or was it by someone else’s?
In a riveting quest for answers, Antonia must navigate the shadows of La Casona, unearthing its darkest secrets and confronting a legacy that threatens to swallow her whole.
Praise for Bochica
“Bochica has everything I want in a gothic novel: Indigenous Gods and monsters, a mysterious mansion, family secrets, and a wonderfully smart and defiant female protagonist. I adored this novel.”
– Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse and The Haunting of Room 904
“Bochica introduces a powerful new voice in gothic horror. Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro weaves indigenous Colombian mythology and Roaring Twenties opulence into her story of a woman who must face her family’s secrets within the haunted mansion they once called home. I devoured this book!”
– Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of Reese's Book Club pick The House in the Pines
"Lyrical and lush, Bochica is a delicately told story of how the past always finds us—and how people can be haunted just as surely as places can."
– Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
“Rich in Colombian culture, legend and history, along with a welcome dose of feminism, Bochica amps up the gothic terror with every dread-drenched page.”
– Jennifer Thorne, bestselling author of Diavola
"An absolutely stunning debut! Bochica is a rich, lush, historical Gothic. Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro expertly weaves us through this labyrinthine world of family secrets, mystery, love and death with stunning and exquisite prose that readers will enjoy sinking into. This is an author to watch and a book to pick up!"
– Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Vanishing Daughters