The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
Book Review by Kristine Madera
A historical mystery with a dash of magical realism, Sarah Penner’s The London Séance Society pulls the reader into a fascinating world of European 1870’s mediumship—specifically speaking to the spirit of a murdered person to solve the mystery of their death. This world is populated by both true mediums and conniving tricksters who use ploys, deception, and even murder to manipulate surviving widows for their own ends.
After fleeing from London to Paris after her life was threatened, world-renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire receives a request from the London Séance Society gentleman’s club to perform the séance for the society’s murdered president, a man Vaudeline considered a friend.
The skeptical but psychically gifted Lenna Wickes came to Paris to study under Vaudeline and discover the circumstances of her sister’s murder—a sister who had also studied under Vaudeline and was killed the same night as the society’s president.
The women travel together to London to solve the seemingly unconnected murders and find themselves in a tightening web of danger within the London Séance Society.
Part murder mystery and part romance, the stories unfold through the alternating voices of Lenna Wickes and Mr. Morley, the president of the Society’s Department of Spiritualism. The language and tone reflect the formality and crude underbelly of the Victorian age. This came through especially well in the audiobook version, which I highly recommend.
A terrific work of escapist fiction with an original, imaginative, engaging plot and cast of characters!
NOTE: Check out the virtual book club interview with Sarah Penner about The London Séance Society below–warning, it includes spoilers!
About Kristine
Kristine Madera is a #1 bestselling Amazon author, novelist, hypnotherapist, and pro-topian with a passion for helping people better themselves and the world. Informed by global travel, teaching abroad, and a stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Kristine believes that everyone plays a part in imagining and creating our collective future.
Volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying in Calcutta inspired her novel, God in Drag. She birthed her upcoming novel, The Snakeman’s Wife, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Papua New Guinea.
Read the first chapter of God in Drag HERE