Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814 —1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic novels, one of the most influential ghost story writers of the nineteenth century. Combining detective with gothic romance, "Checkmate" tells the story of a rich man Walter Longcluse, who, through a relationship with Alice Wynderbroke and her family, falls into a whirlpool of terrible events, including murder. This book is an excellent example of the well-written sensation novel.