Mistrust, or Blanche and Osbright is a historical fiction romance by Matthew Gregory Lewis. Lewis was an English novelist and dramatist known for his "Gothic horror". Excerpt: "Widely different was the expression produced by anguish upon the noble and strongly-marked features of Count Rudiger. His heart was the seat of agony; a thousand scorpions seemed every moment to pierce it with their poisonous stings; but not one tear forced itself into his blood-shot eyeballs; not the slightest convulsion of his gigantic limbs betrayed the silent tortures of his bosom. A gloom settled and profound reigned upon his dark and high-arched eyebrows."

A modern critical biography of Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818), until now neglected as a cultural figure. This is the first study to consider all of Lewis's works and their connections to his personal and public life.