Thank you so much to NetGalley and Raven Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At this point, Laura Purcell is an auto-buy author for me. The particular sort of Gothic Historical Fiction that she writes is just exactly my sort of fiction, and so this was one of the most anticipated releases of 2021 for me, and I have to say, she didn't disappoint.

There are a couple of interwoven storylines here that fit together wonderfully; that of our MC Agnes a struggling silhouette artist, and that of spiritual seances and mesmerism. I found both to be fascinating, along with some gruesome happenings in 1854 Bath which kept my attention throughout.

If you've enjoyed any of Purcell's previous novels then I think you'll enjoy this one too. It has all the same hallmarks, and I'll be recommending this one to anyone who will listen.

4 enthralling stars

Laura Purcell is great at creating a dark, creepy atmosphere in all of her writing. I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but the clarity in which Purcell writes, along with her ability to get you gripped straight away, keeps me coming back for more. The Shape of Darkness did not disappoint in this regard and was a great winter night read!

Laura Purcell is one of my favourite authors! Her Gothic fiction is the absolute perfect thing to curl up with on a cold wintery night. This is exactly what I did when I read her latest book, The Shape of Darkness, in one sitting.

Set in 1850's Bath, this book switches between two perspectives -- an ageing silhouette artist and a child medium. As Agnes begins to realise that a murderer is targeting her customers after they sit for her, she seeks out Pearl, a young girl with a gift, to figure out who the murderer is before her livelihood is destroyed.

Agnes and Pearl are fascinating characters, though nearly complete opposites. Agnes, a woman in her 50s, is trying desperately to hold her remaining loved ones close after tragedy robbed her of her sister. Pearl is struggling to contain her gift as her ability to communicate across the veil grows stronger and stronger. They compliment each other perfectly with their differences and similarities, and I found both of their perspectives incredibly compelling.

The mystery of the killer and why they are seemingly targeting Agnes is great, but what I really loved about this book is the fact that it really digs into everyday tragedy and how it impacts a person, regardless of age. The Shape of Darkness is a totally compulsive read that will delight Purcell's fans, as well as readers of historical fiction, Gothic fiction, and horror. I highly recommend it!

CW: Medical gore, abuse

Brilliant read! Laura doesn't disappoint yet again. I just love her spookiness! The seances are written with great atmosphere. Her stories always make me believe in things I shouldn't! I don't believe in ghosts but maybe I do after this.

Chapters switch from Agnes to Pearl living with her half sister Myrtle. Agnes cuts silhouettes from people who come to sit for her. Myrtle tries to bring in money by getting her albino sister to perform seances. They are trying to solve who is killing Agnes' customers by contacting them once they have passed over. Secrecy and promises ensue. That person isn't given away until right at the very end. 

Right from the start the plot makes you wonder where it could possibly go and its was always something that I never expected. Always a pleasure. 

An author that I pounce on when I see on the shelves, maybe you should too!!

This story, another gothic thriller as Laura Purcell does so well, features the art of silhouettes, ghost mediums and unexplained murders. As always there’s a thin line between realistic and supernatural, and there’s an explanation for everything, though the ghostly ones are the more engaging. Despite the twist having been done before, I somehow did not see it coming. There is a sense of dread woven through even the most mundane of activities, which creates a gloomy atmosphere. Somehow I struggled to imagine a dark and gothic Bath rather than the beautiful old streets I know!

I adore a Victorian spirit medium, so I was delighted to see that Purcell's latest book was on this topic. I was a big fan of <i>The Silent Companions</i> and, although I didn't enjoy <i>The Corset</i> so much, I was eager to read more from the author.

<i>The Shape of Darkness</i> is set in Victorian Bath - another draw for me, as someone with connections to the area. I haven't seen much historical fiction set in Bath, surprisingly, and there are so many interesting features in the city to draw on, from the Roman baths to the gorgeous architecture. Purcell roots the story well into this setting, especially evoking the mud and muck of the time period.

The plot follows Agnes, a silhouette artist with a troubled family history, and a girl named Pearl, who is a powerful spirit medium. When Agnes' clients start to be murdered in ways that seem to connect to her work, their fates cross over and things get deliciously Gothic.

As the story progresses, there are constant twists. Some of these were agonisingly predictable (e.g. some revelations about Agnes' family that could be seen coming a mile away), but there were one or two that did make me gasp - the fate of Pearl's father, for example. I did feel a little too much was left up to coincidence as well.

All in all, this was a decent enough read, but didn't quite live up to Purcell's first book.

Purcell has done it again! Although this wasn't my favourite of her novels (Silent Companions will be incredibly hard to beat), I couldn't put this book down. A compelling story with a cast of complex and well written characters and plenty of plot twists along the way to keep you guessing. The Shape of Darkness cements Purcell as the Queen of unsettling historical fiction.

Since she was jilted by her fiance over a decade ago, silhouette artist Agnes is the only one bringing in money to provide for her household consisting of herself, her widowed mother, and her nephew Cedric, in Bath. It barely brings in enough money for one, and this is not made easier when two of her most recent sitters are found murdered. The victims were killed not long after sitting for their silhouette portraits and Agnes worries that this will drive away desperately needed custom. She decides to visit a spirit medium, Pearl - a young girl who lives with her half-sister and very ill father. Agnes hopes that the victims will be able to tell her who killed them, but instead the meeting starts a chain of events that leads to more deaths and shocking revelations. 

Laura Purcell has done it again! The plot takes in mesmerists, spirit mediums and seances, and the subject of phosphorus poisoning or phossy jaw - an all too real risk to those who worked in the match factories in the 1850s and beyond.  I had worked out two or three possible scenarios for the ending in my head, but none of them equalled the actual ending. Absolutely recommended. 

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC / Raven Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Welcome to Bath of the late 1800’s. The spa and naval town is not quite as glamorous as once it was and there is air of abandonment hanging heavy in the air.

This is reflected in the footsteps of characters we follow. Agnes Darken, is a middle aged silhouette cutter, struggling to make ends meet. Her lover has deserted her years before but still she is quietly hoping for his return. References to past tragedy and illness add to the air of mystery and decay. Agnes’ concerns now centre around how to support her elderly mother and young orphaned nephew, Cedric . Her widowed brother in law Dr Simon Carfax, is a constant support but the memory of his wife, Agnes own sister Constance, is shrouded in secrecy and darkness.

And life suddenly takes an even darker turn when Agnes’ clients seem to be falling victim to murder, each case more gruesome and chilling than the last. Why are her clients being targeted in this way and are the people Agnes loves in danger from this unseen menace?

As Agnes becomes increasingly desperate and the boundaries between the real and the imagined become increasingly blurred, Agnes finds herself drawn to look for answers in the most unlikely of places.

Enter Myrtle and her young albino half sister Pearl. Having lost her mother at birth Pearl is left at the mercy of her own, forceful sister. Having moved to Bath for the health of her father, a victim of the notorious match factories which have left him maimed and dying, the sisters are making a living through the increasingly popular art of Spiritualism. But her increasingly powerful talent terrifies 11 year old Pearl and her world seems to be getting darker by the day.
When the world’s of Agnes and Pearl unexpectedly collide the scene is set for a gothic tale of unimaginable proportions.

Once again Laura Purcell has created a story that will keep the pages turning and your interest alive to the very last minute. Each detail, each turn of fate is woven skilfully into a plot that both chills and delights at every turn. The sense of family and bonds that bind is a recurring theme. The need for love, security and comfort is close to the hearts of both Agnes and Pearl, but their quest continues to take darker paths, each turn more desperate than the last.

When family is not the haven it should be, where will Agnes and Pearl find the protection and affection they need? And has the past finished with both of them or is the worst still to come?

In short Laura Purcell has, yet again produced a novel of true gothic beauty. If you are looking for something which will immerse you in delicious darkness this one is your winner.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2021/01/28/th...
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Laura Purcell Does It Again

The Shape of Darkness is Laura Purcell’s latest novel and is another fine display of her wonderful writing ability. I started with her Silent Companions novel and was blown away and consequently devour everything she writes.

As the title suggests, this story is dark indeed and is a perfect combination of Victorian superstition and fascination with the macabre. This is not the Bath of the Regency period with women in empire dresses and bonnets sashaying around the Pump Rooms gossiping about the latest fashions and the militia. This is a period of industry with the grime, poor sanitary conditions and bleak working conditions associated with the period and Purcell uses this to enhance her story displaying the disparity between the rich and the poor, using the horrors of a period where decent working conditions were non-existent and offsetting this with the change in psyche at a time when invention and change were paramount.

As SoD beings we meet Agnes Darken. Bath is in the grips of winter and Agnes is struggling in more ways than one. She isn’t 100% fit having almost died from pneumonia and having suffered family loss is now responsible for the care of her mother and young nephew. On top of this work is harder to come by. Times are changing and people want the new and modern. Photography is the new rage and very few people are interested in having their silhouette taken – which is the profession that Agnes excels at and indeed loves. Times are tough, the cupboards are bare, the tea caddy empty and the house cold and unwelcoming. Agnes needs to work but when her customers start dying under strange circumstances her livelihood is really threatened and Agnes finally seeks the help of a spiritualist.

I will confess that when I first started SoD I struggled a little to connect as the beginning is undoubtedly bleak. But, let me be clear, this uncertainty only lasted a few pages before Purcell had hooked me with the strange coincidences that surrounded each death.

What I really loved about this was the different povs. We have Agnes, an older woman, unhappy in love, who is struggling to cope. We then have a young girl called Pearl, only 11 or 12 I think, an albino who apparently is a gifted spiritualist. Pearl lives with her sister and the two take care of their father who is slowly dying from Phossy Jaw. Agnes would have been considered a genteel woman, educated and well spoken but fallen upon hard times. Pearl and her family are working class, also struggling to survive with low wages and harsh conditions and resort to doing whatever it takes to survive. A strange connection links the two families and slowly but surely they become more involved.

Purcell absolutely excels at the gothic. She is a word magician when it comes to deliciously dark mysteries and using the Victorian era, which is positively oozing with creepiness. She manages to conjure a time and a place with perfect ease. The house, cold and dark, only the ticking of the clock to break the silence. The time of year, freezing cold, icy fingers, threadbare clothes and sooty fireplaces. But, more than that it’s the quiet sense of unease that prevails throughout the read. You’re swept up in the story, so busy putting (or trying to put) together the pieces to make a whole, becoming more excited as you chase the clues, that you don’t realise you’ve missed something until the gloriously twisted end. To be honest, even now I’m in two minds about the ending – and yes, that is a deliberate play on words.

This is an author that continues to impress, she continually comes up with curious phenomenon that leaves me with the desire to learn more once I finish reading and I find myself, again, desperately waiting to see what she comes up with next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This historical novel is set in Victorian Bath, where Agnes Darken lives with her widowed mother and nephew, Cedric.   Agnes is a silhouette artist in a time of change, when most of her customers are more interested in having a photographic portrait taken than having their outline snipped.   Before long, we learn that not all is well with Agnes; she suffers frail health from an incident in her past, we discover a tale of tangled romance and financial hardship and her only real help comes from local doctor Simon, who was married to her sister, Constance.

As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Agnes customers are meeting with untimely ends.  She meets up with Myrtle West, a mesmerist, whose half-sister, Pearl, is a spirit guide.    Although she does not believe in spiritualism, events make her desperate to discover why she is being linked to murder.  She fears her business will fail and, despite Simon’s obvious interest, she is unwilling to accept  marriage for the sake of security.

I really liked, “The Silent Companions,” a previous novel by Laura Purcell and, although I hadn’t read anything else by her until now, I was looking forward to this and was sad to find I did not enjoy it more than I did.   I found the characters somewhat melodramatic and struggled to get to grips with the mystery element of the novel and the later coincidences.    Although the setting was creepy; complete with séances and Pearl’s father, suffering silently off stage, I could not engage with, or feel enough sympathy, with the characters to make this work for me.   There was too much faintness – legs giving way, spots in front of eyes,  physical weakness.  I much preferred the fiery Myrtle, for all her faults. 

The author does manage to pull off a surprise with the ending, but, overall, I found this novel dragged a little.   Rated 3.5 overall.

Agnes Darken is a silhouette artist, with paper and scissors summoning up a person's likeness. In Bath's heyday it was a profitable occupation but now, like the city itself, it's fallen out of favour, and Agnes struggles to make enough income to support herself, her elderly mother, and orphaned nephew. Then, one of her clients is murdered shortly after posing for a portrait. Then another ... and another ...

Trying to make sense of these events, Agnes decides to contact those who've died through a medium - a young girl, Pearl, who's managed and manipulated by her older half-sister - but instead of clarifying anything, Agnes and Pearl manage to raise troubled spirits out for revenge. 



 Part ghost story, part whodunit, The Shape of Darkness is gripping and enthralling; a book I didn't want to put down.

I loved the depiction of Bath; shabby and down at heel, full of memories of better times when visitors flocked there to 'take the waters', but by the mid-1800s no longer popular with the leisured upper classes. Agnes' fortunes have mirrored those of the city. Her hopes of love and marriage were dashed, and now she's a lonely middle-aged women struggling to get by, and desperately trying to avoid her memories of the past. 

Through Pearl and her sister the reader enters the world of professional mediums and mesmerists. As you might expect, it's a world where things are not quite as they seem. Pearl may have some ability to contact the dead, but her sister knows that isn't enough to bring people back time and again, that a certain level of showmanship is required to make a living out of it. 

There's a dark, brooding atmosphere throughout, as is fitting for a ghostly thriller. It's a book in which nothing is quite what it seems, and in the best tradition, it has a twist (or more) waiting at the end for the reader.

It breaks my heart to say that I just didn’t love this one as I have loved everything else by Laura Purcell and she is my favourite gothic writer but I just didn’t and I have to be honest. 

Set in Victorian times, the story follows struggling Silhouette artist Agnes, who after recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric. Things start to get strange, when one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another... 

Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back...

Now, when reading other reviews, I seem to be in the complete minority here and so many people are giving 5 and 4 star reviews, so I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this if you’ve been debating it/loved Laura’s other work, it just simply wasn’t for me and I have to be honest with my reviews. 

As always Laura is amazing at creating a dark and eerie atmosphere throughout the book and as always, I loved the paranormal elements but I think maybe the general plot for this one just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t warm to the protagonist and there were too many elements of the book that I didn’t quite grasp and I was left with so many questions (and I NEED answers).

If you’re after gothic horror fiction then Laura Purcell is your woman and I highly recommend Bone China and The Silent Companions by her, but still check this one out if it sounds like something you’d enjoy, just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t. 

I still look forward to any future books by her

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K. Raven Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Purcell’s has quickly established herself as the Queen of Gothic spooky objects from wooden silent companions, corsets, and china dinner sets. Now in her fourth novel for Raven Books the focus is on silhouette portraiture and spiritualism.

In 1854 Bath, silhouette artist Agnes Darkin is struggling to keep her business afloat. She is recovering from a serious illness and needs to make money to not only support herself but also her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric. Then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another...  what’s going on?

Agnes seeks answers from Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father. Agnes hopes that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. Yet things don’t go quite as planned and they quickly discover that they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back... 

Laura Purcell has again written a compelling historical novel with plenty of Gothic elements and some supernatural tingles. In a recent article in The Guardian she wrote about her inspirations and research, including Elizabeth d’Esperance’s ‘Shadow Land’, which she quotes at the outset of the novel.

To this solid foundation Purcell brings her considerable storytelling skills providing an engaging and atmospheric story with some interesting twists along the way.

She also effortlessly evokes her period setting, including its social etiquette. This was especially demonstrated in the formality between Agnes and her brother-in-law, Dr. Simon Carfax. 

I complimented the ebook with its unabridged audiobook, narrated by Sophie Aldred, who is one of my favourite narrators. 

Highly recommended as always with Laura Purcell’s novels.

Another twisty gothic tale that Purcell’s fans are sure to love. 

I’ve read and enjoyed Laura Purcell’s previous three books: The Silent Companions, The Corset and Bone China. I’m pleased to report that with The Shape of Darkness she has produced another entertaining tale steeped in wall-to-wall gothic spookiness. Creating atmosphere is her forte and all her books are pervaded by a creeping menace, darkness and paranoia.

I thought Bath was a good choice of setting and it was nice to get a narrative set anywhere other than London. This story takes us into a dirtier, grungier side of a city which is gleaming white and regal in so many other stories, particularly period romances. And as this story is a sort of anti-romance, the grimy backdrop is especially fitting.

The story is delivered from two viewpoints: Pearl and Agnes’. I didn’t really warm to Agnes – she’s so brittle and on edge from the very start of the book that she keeps you at a distance. Whereas it’s impossible not to feel for poor little Pearl and wanting to know what would happen to her kept me turning the pages.

As with Purcell’s previous books, there is a good balance of apparently supernatural shennanigans vs. more rational explanations for events. While this juggling act keeps the reader guessing as to what exactly is going on, the mystery is paced perfectly, with new information dripped in at just the right moments to give you a chance to figure it all out for yourself and the final twist is delivered brilliantly.

It’s a shame this wasn’t published for Halloween as it’s the perfect book for the time of year when the nights start drawing in. And if you’re looking for something spooky and chilling, but not “now I have to sleep with all the lights on” scary, this could be the book for you.

Overall: a well-paced, intriguing and atmospheric story in a great, grimy setting. Fans of gothic page-turners won’t be disappointed and will be left looking forward to Purcell’s next.

This is a master class in how to write a brilliantly sinister gothic mystery - everything about this story is dark, from the streets and homes of 19th century Bath to the gruesome murders which take centre stage. 

Purcell has managed to evoke such a sense of time and place that I could almost smell the rancid streets and feel the filth under my feet - I’m certainly grateful to be alive in a time long past chamber pots after reading this!

Agnes and Pearl are two wonderful lead characters and balance each other out perfectly. Agnes is older and shows no hesitation in trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of her murdered clients, whilst Pearl is still only a girl and terrified to disobey her older sister by helping Agnes. Yet there’s clearly something which draws the two together...

Between the grisly murders and the supernatural séances full of malevolent and tortured spirits, this is an incredibly creepy book which will cause shivers down your spine. Yet the writing is so beautiful and the story so well plotted that it’s almost impossible to turn away from the horrors inside.

Whilst it didn’t take long to work out the murderer, there were so many other plot twists and shocks throughout the story that this didn’t ruin my enjoyment or the suspense at all - and quite honestly it would be worth reading for the atmospheric and evocative writing alone. 

An absolute must read for fans of gothic horror or even historical fiction fans as long as you can handle a little bloodiness...

An absolute joy, creepy, spooky and gothic in all its glory. I loved all the characters and how there were so many twists and turns along the way. I also at the end wasn’t sure what to believe happened. Brilliant as always Laura has done it again.

Wow ! I was so excited to be on the tour for this gorgeous book and it was such a wonderful experience.

We meet Agnes Darken who is living in Bath, she has been unwell and her late sister’s husband Simon who is a Dr has been caring for her. She is advised by him to not exert herself due to her pneumonia which has left her weak. Her profession is as a silhouette artist, one day she is out drawing in Sydney Gardens and she sketches a sailor who she has been watching who reminds her of her own fiancé. She has clients that visit her to have their portraits made into silhouettes and she is visited by the police when the most recent of her customers is found murdered.

Then there is Pearl, she is an 11 year old girl who lives with her sister and very sick father. Pearl’s sister Myrtle exploits Pearl as a medium as she has powers to make contact with the dead. These sessions are gruelling for poor Pearl, who lost her own mother at birth. After more of Agnes’s clients die in suspicious circumstances, Agnes hears about Pearl and decides that she must visit to find out who the murderer is and why are they coming after her clients. The relationship of Agnes and Pearl is a tender one as Agnes is worried about Pearl and why she is so ill and wants to help her and her sick father.

This is one of the best gothic stories I have read in a very long time, it is sublime. The author sets the scene of a Bath no longer in its heyday but slightly shabby around the edges and this with the spooky atmosphere that Laura Purcell conjures up so well made me glued to my seat all day. I love Bath it is one of my favourite cities and walking around places that I know well like Sydney Gardens, The Pump Room, The Abbey, Walcot Street and Queens Square made the experience even more real for me. As a reader I was transfixed with Pearl and her séances and her powers and the writing is so visual I was in that room with her as she contacts the dead.

Agnes is living with her Mother and Nephew after her sister Constance died, you do not know the circumstances of her death but little by little you uncover the story behind Agnes, Simon, Cedric and their past. The author is so clever at hooking you and I really did not see what was happening until after it had happened and then you get a real ah-ah moment as the secrets are uncovered. There is everything in this story, lies, death, horror and sadness.

I loved this book and I will be definitely reading it again and recommending as it is really is the most glorious dark and creepy story and Laura Purcell is a genius of compelling storytelling. A MAZ ING !!

Laura Purcell is one of my favourite authors, and her books are always auto-buys for me, so I was in a state of high excitement when this little beauty was announced last year. I was finally able to cradle a hardback copy of The Shape of Darkness in my hot little hands a couple of days ago, and once I had admired the breath-taking beauty of its cover, the reading began in earnest. I ended up devouring the whole deliciously dark novel in only two sittings, enrapt by another winner from the pen of Purcell and now have to attempt to write a review trying to do it justice.... without giving anything away about the wonderfully twisty plot!

This time, Purcell takes us to the city of Bath. No longer the haunt of the Georgian dandy, Bath is a somewhat faded, grimy version of its former self - at least when is comes to the parts of the city our characters inhabit.

Here we meet Agnes Darken, disappointed in love and struggling to support her aged mother and young nephew Cedric, the son of her wicked, late sister Constance, on the living she can scrape together from her talents as a silhouette artist. Times are hard, because the age of the photograph is here and her old fashioned portraits are being eschewed in favour of the more fashionable daguerreotype - not to mention that Agnes' health is not what it once was. But she has little choice to do the best she can if she is to continue to support her loved ones and maintain any sort of independence.

When Agnes' few clients start to suffer untimely ends shortly after sitting for her, she is compelled to seek out the aid of the other-worldly Pearl, a child medium, and her older half-sister Myrtle, in order to find out who is behind the murders. In doing so, Agnes fears they have unleashed something dark from beyond the veil on the unsuspecting citizens of Bath, but she has no choice other than to pursue her mission to the bitter end, whatever the cost to herself and Pearl.

What follows is the most chilling of tales that delves into the world the mesmerist, the medium and the developing Victorian fascination with spiritualism and plays with our minds in that special way Laura Purcell is so good at. She has such a talent for blurring the lines between the real world and the imagination - bringing in just enough of a supernatural undercurrent to have you questioning what is really happening. Interestingly, Purcell brings in an intriguing theme of the uneasy peace between the medical profession and the world of the spiritualist too, which adds an extra dimension to the weird goings on.

As is par for the course in her writing, she also manages to work in elements of jealousy, betrayal, revenge, control, and coercive behaviour - especially nicely done here with the parallel sisterly relationships of Agnes/Constance and Pearl/Myrtle - social history, and the powerlessness of women in a world controlled by men, that always makes her books so rich and multi-layered.

This is terrifying stuff, conjuring up scenes that will have you hiding under the duvet at the slightest bump in the night and every suspicious shadow on the wall. It's seriously creepy, more than a little gruesome and has a couple of tricks in its tale than will leave you reeling, with the kind of 'kick-you -into-touch' ending that she always pulls off with aplomb. I loved it!

Agnes keeps herself and her family afloat with her silhouette art. When one of her clients is murdered shortly after visiting her she thinks nothing of it other than the fact her work will go unpaid, but that is just the beginning. Then another client is killed.

Supported by her good friend Simon, who always seems to be there to keep her safe, she tries to take care of her nephew and mother, whilst removing the memories and reminders of her difficult sister. Drawn into the story are two sisters making money from the desperation of those who are grieving. One of those people is Agnes, she is eager to connect to those behind the veil. She wants the chance to speak to her lost love. The medium of choice is a young girl with a gift, however it all comes at a price.

I really enjoyed the way the author combines an almost gothic ghostly vibe with a murder mystery, and this constant balancing act between reality and a dark world beyond life as we know it. The aspect of communication with the otherworldly throws up some interesting questions – is there something akin to the power to communicate with the dead, is it all just the hallucinatory ramblings of a woman in denial or is Agnes merely the pawn in a chess game.

It’s a riveting read that keeps the reader engrossed until the end, which is what I’ve come to expect from this particular author.