This is Victorian gothic as it should be - dark creepy houses, silent, apart from the ticking of the old grandfather clock, with some chilling encounters thrown in, some of which trace icy fingers down the spine - in addition, there were some really surprising twists, and I have to say, a very unexpected and shocking conclusion!Ī great murder mystery, aided by the author’s excellent application of deception, (I never guessed the way it would end!) along with the added intrigue of supernatural events. You know the old saying, be careful what you wish for? Well the seances may just unleash something that neither of them want to confront! Agnes believes that the killer will be revealed if Pearl can contact his victims. Pearl is only 11 years old but she has a very good reputation for making contact with those who have passed over to the spirit world. She believes that someone is out to destroy her business, and in her desperation to discover who would do that, she consults Pearl, a spirit medium who lives with her domineering sister Myrtle, (a mesmerist), and her ailing father. Naturally Agnes is upset on hearing the news, but then it happens again with her next client - and the next! She earns a living as a silhouette artist in order to support the three of them - that is until one of her clients is found murdered, shortly after sitting for Agnes. The bleak, dark, and oppressive atmosphere of mid 19th century Bath, a dirty and unsanitary place, lends much to the supernatural storyline, as it winds its ethereal way down the misty paths of mediumship, with a little mesmerism thrown in for good measure.Īgnes Darken lives with her elderly mother and orphaned nephew Cedric.

Laura purcell the shape of darkness