Carol Goodman writes modern day gothics. Although there's no castles, there's usually something old and historical involved. In "The Lake of Dead Languages" (her best) there's an old girl school with a haunting lake. In "The Ghost Orchid" is the Bosco estate, a writers' retreat with an old, overgrown garden.

Thanks for the recommendation of Carol Goodman. I just ordered The Lake of Dead Languages from paperbackswap. It looks really good and if I like it, will order other books from this author!