Top 10 20th-century gothic novels

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of The Shadow of the Wind, the most successful novel in Spanish publishing history after Don Quixote.

He named a top ten list of 20th-century gothic novels for the Guardian. One title on the list:

Double Indemnity by James M Cain

Lean, mean and dazzling. This is one of the great LA gothics, with all the best echoes of classic noir and a femme fatale to end all femme fatales. Most people have seen the great Billy Wilder adaptation of this novel and therefore bypass the book. Big mistake. As glorious as Wilder's film is, this novel has a rare, dark beauty that deserves to be savoured on its own terms.

Read about another book on the list.

Double Indemnity is one of Malcolm Jones' ten favorite crime novels.

--Marshal Zeringue