Sarah Penner's Victorian mystery is nifty on its own, but strong narrations by Lauren Irwin and Alex Wyndham make it even better on audio. The narrators weave several plot strands seamlessly. Mr. Morley, vice president of London's Séance Society, contacts a world-famous spiritualist, Vaudeline D'Allaire, asking her to hold a séance to unmask the killer in a high-profile murder. Reluctantly assisting her is Lenna, whose sister, Evie, was Vaudeline's former apprentice until Evie was murdered. Wyndham's voice for Morley is deep, dark, and portentous, while Irwin portrays Lenna as energetic and hopeful. Irwin makes Lenna's sudden and surprised discovery of her own psychic abilities completely believable. The narrators capture the story's deception, secrets, ghosts, and ghastly murders, making this rich gothic tale an audio must-listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

01/02/2023

Penner (The Lost Apothecary) delivers another captivating feminist gothic tale. The story begins with a midnight séance in 1873 Paris, hosted by Vaudeline D’Allaire, a celebrated medium known for getting murder victims to pinpoint their killers. Vaudeline has fled London under mysterious circumstances, in the company of skeptical Lenna Wickes, who’s convinced the other woman to let her be an apprentice. Lenna’s true motivation is to unravel the sudden death of her sister, Evie, a burgeoning medium and student of D’Allaire’s, which occurred on All Hallow’s Eve. In a parallel narrative, Mr. Morley, director of the London Séance Society, is occupied with another puzzling death that also occurred on All Hallow’s Eve, that of society president Mr. Volckman. Under the pretense of hosting a séance to ascertain the identity of Mr. Volckman’s killer, Mr. Morley offers Lenna and Vaudeline a chance to return to London, by inviting them into the Séance Society’s all-male club. The two accept with the hopes of conjuring up details of Evie’s murder. As the well-paced adventure reaches an explosive climax, Lenna uncovers more about the London Séance Society’s illusions and comes to terms with her sexuality. A late-breaking romance involving Lenna and Vaudeline feels underdeveloped, but otherwise Penner expertly fits the pieces together. Fans of the genre will eat this up. Agent: Stephanie Lieberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Apr.)

"Just when I thought Sarah Penner could not surpass her epic debut, The Lost Apothecary, she returns with an utter stunner. Readers will savor this suspenseful tale of the occult as they are drawn into a world unlike any other. At the top of her game, Penner shines, and the result is breathtaking!" —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

"Penner has conjured up another winner. Bristling with tension and featuring strong women who aren’t afraid to defy conventions, this gothic mystery is both smart and seductive. Haunting in the best of ways, I swear I could feel the London fog on my cheek (or was that a spirit…) as I flew through the pages." —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

"Brilliant...The London Séance Society is an explosive, immersive, time-bomb of a novel. Vengeance is never sweeter than in Sarah Penner’s hands.” —Laurie Lico Albanese, award-winning author of Hester and Stolen Beauty

"Sarah Penner brings history to vivid life in this atmospheric and evocative whodunnit steeped in suspense, mystery, and illusion." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid

"The London Séance Society is an evocative and delicious read with a mystery that will have you turning pages late into the night. Sarah Penner has another bestseller on her hands with this exquisitely written gothic Victorian tale." —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London

"At turns spooky and sexy, sly and subversive, The London Séance Society fully immerses the reader in nineteenth-century Paris and London, a time when loved ones would suspend all manner of disbelief in the hope of communicating with the dead. With her skill at conjuring atmosphere and conveying both deceit and desire, Penner has crafted another blockbuster novel that is magically even better than her first." —Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society

"Mesmerizing, seductive and absolutely irresistible... The London Séance Society is completely spellbinding." —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest

"Penner spreads her wings in her sophomore novel, The London Séance Society, a Victorian whodunit crackling with tension and lavished with ambiance. A story of a sister's grief—and a quest for answers—readers can't help but root for Lenna Wickes as she delves into the dark and sexy world of the occult. Add a dash of the supernatural and we have a winner!" —Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author of The Next Ship Home

“A great choice for fans of historical European settings, the power of women, and the fringes of the paranormal.” —Booklist


"Penner (The Lost Apothecary) delivers another captivating feminist gothic tale... Fans of the genre will eat this up." —Publishers Weekly

A great choice for fans of historical European settings, the power of women, and the fringes of the paranormal.”

05/01/2023

In 1873, 20-year-old Evie Wickes, a student of the medium Madame Vaudeline D'Allaire, who specializes in contacting those who are victims of murder to help families solve the mystery, is murdered on All Hallow's Eve. Her older sister, Lenna, who is 23, becomes an intern with Vaudeline in order to solve the mystery of her sister's murder. This Gothic Victorian tale begins by drawing the reader into an interrupted séance, and then alternates perspectives between Lenna and Mr. Morley, vice president of the London Séance Society's Department of Spiritualism. Initially the pacing of the story feels slow, but it eventually escalates to an anticipated and satisfying ending. Penner's eerie setting mixed with dark energy adds to the unfolding of the mystery in historic London. The budding romance between Lenna and Madame is behind closed doors, but demonstrates that same-sex relationships did exist during the time period, even though people showed a great deal of sexual restraint during the Victorian age. The novel is well-researched and readers will learn plenty about séances and Victorian funeral traditions. The book takes place during a time when women were not viewed as intellectuals, but were often respected as mediums and experts of the supernatural. Characters reflect the time period and are reserved and cue as white. VERDICT Mature teens will enjoy the mystery and learn plenty about the occult and time period.—Karen Alexander

Sarah Penner's Victorian mystery is nifty on its own, but strong narrations by Lauren Irwin and Alex Wyndham make it even better on audio. The narrators weave several plot strands seamlessly. Mr. Morley, vice president of London's Séance Society, contacts a world-famous spiritualist, Vaudeline D'Allaire, asking her to hold a séance to unmask the killer in a high-profile murder. Reluctantly assisting her is Lenna, whose sister, Evie, was Vaudeline's former apprentice until Evie was murdered. Wyndham's voice for Morley is deep, dark, and portentous, while Irwin portrays Lenna as energetic and hopeful. Irwin makes Lenna's sudden and surprised discovery of her own psychic abilities completely believable. The narrators capture the story's deception, secrets, ghosts, and ghastly murders, making this rich gothic tale an audio must-listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine