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An Immaculate Deception
OUT SEPTEMBER 2026
A debut Gothic horror set in 1870s Brazil—a tale of creeping suspense in which a young pregnant woman finds herself unable to escape her lover’s isolated family home, and a family’s deal with the devil goes terribly wrong
1877, Pernambuco, Brazil: Raised in a deeply religious household, Madalena knows Dante’s Inferno by heart and fears her mother’s reaction as much as she fears God. When she falls pregnant with a child conceived in sin, her mother issues a threat: marry or surrender the baby. Madalena is confident that the father, the dashing Leandro Neves, will do right by her and propose. But just as she is about to tell him about the baby, a violent storm sends their carriage careening off the road.
Madalena awakens in Leandro’s sprawling, secluded home, under the care of the mysterious and larger-than-life Doctor Lobo. Leandro is there . . . but he is no longer the charming poet she knew. He’s silent. Obsessed. Always watching.
Strange perfume haunts a locked room. Pages vanish from books. Jewels lie untouched in a forgotten wardrobe. And mirrors begin disappearing after Madalena sees something—or someone—ghastly in the reflection.
Leandro is unraveling. Doctor Lobo may be hiding something even darker. Trapped in a decaying house of secrets, Madalena must uncover the truth before the men around her destroy her, and before the hell she fears becomes the one she’s living in.
Praise for An Immaculate Deception
“This book blew me away. Jaw literally on the floor. This book is so spooky, scary, creepy and wonderful.”
Holly Riddle, writer and Round Table Mentor
“Fresh and raw, rich with all the lure of classic Gothic horror and an incredible exploration of the weight of the expectations that come with being a woman, Isabela’s writing is an absolute treat – the twist will leave readers everywhere shook to their core!”
Editor Millie Prestidge, Gollancz
About Me
Isabela Livino writes fiction with a dark, speculative twist. She studied philosophy at the University of Rochester before receiving a Master’s from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. When she is not writing, you can find her riding horses, designing apps, gardening, or watching horror films while cuddling with her furbabies. A native of Pernambuco, Brazil, she currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, their two Caribbean-born adopted coconut retrievers, and the river ducks.
Her debut gothic horror novel AN IMMACULATE DECEPTION is coming out in autumn 2026 from Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in the US, and from Gollancz in the UK.
Translations will be published in France (Editions LeDuc), Poland (Foksal), and Romania (Bookszone).
Isabela is represented by Caitlin Mahony at William Morris Endeavor.
Contact Me.
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For rights inquiries, contact my literary agent, Caitlin Mahony at William Morris Endeavor.
CMahony [at] wmeagency [dot] com
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For all inquiries other than rights inquiries, you can reach me via Instagram at @isabelalivino.