Teres's Reviews > The London Séance Society

Seances. Spiritualism. Murder. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a killer thriller.

Well…

For a book with “séance” in its title, I expected more paranormal elements woven into the plot and more than one exciting full-fledged séance — which, by the way, doesn’t arrive until the end of the novel. Grrrr.

Set in Victorian London and Paris, the book's title The London Séance Society comes from an exclusive men’s club. Members only, thank you.

In case you weren’t aware, the fascination with the occult reached a fevered crescendo during the Victorian Era. Spiritualism, ghost sightings, and séances were all the rage. Even Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Her Majesty Queen Victoria got caught up in the craze.

Enter Mademoiselle Vaudeline D’Allaire, known for her skill in conjuring the spirits of murder victims who reveal their killers and brings some solace to the victims’ families.

Lenna Wickes does not believe in ghosts but she has a mystery to solve: her little sister Evie’s death. Hoping to learn the art of séance herself, Lenna becomes Vaudeline’s apprentice to discover what actually happened to Evie.

Mlle D’Allaire, accompanied by her understudy Lenna, is summoned to London to assist in solving the high-profile murder of the Society’s president and to add a bit of polish to its recently tarnished reputation.

Seems the prestigious London Séance Society has begun to resort to cheap parlor tricks and the buzz around town is that mediums and spiritualists are charlatans.  

Author Sarah Penner — the name may ring a bell for fans of her 2021 debut The Lost Apothecary — shines a light on the conflict between science and the unseen beliefs that defy scientific explanations in her sophomore effort.

While certainly not a nail-biter, The London Séance Society is a fun Victorian whodunnit with a paranormal twist. Dim the lights and let the conjuring begin.