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 an Amazon #1 bestselling author who writes fiction and nonfiction shaped by travel, culture, and lived cross-cultural experience.
Inspired while volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying in Calcutta, her novel God in Drag examines what happens when spiritual faith fractures in the sacred city of Varanasi. Read the first chapter of God in Drag HERE
She birthed her upcoming novel, The Snakeman’s Wife, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Papua New Guinea.
Be on the lookout for her Etiquette Express Guides, a series of short, practical travel guides that help readers understand the customs, social expectations, and everyday dos and don’ts that make travel smoother and more connected.
Her travels have taken her across India, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Papua New Guinea as both a backpacker and Peace Corps Volunteer. A portion of her book proceeds supports cross-cultural education scholarships.