Historical Fiction

The London Seance Society

The London Seance Society

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-04-01 07:52:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Penner
  • ISBN：1915054141
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium…

1873。 At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris， a dark séance is about to take place， led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire。 Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them， she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike。

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death， but to do so， she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult。 When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder， Lenna accompanies her as an understudy。 But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery， they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime， but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

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Reviews

Maureen ，

I loved the authors first book and was looking forward to reading this one。 Unfortunately， I didn't like it as much。 It's a murder mystery with interesting characters set in the late 1800s in Paris。 I loved the authors first book and was looking forward to reading this one。 Unfortunately， I didn't like it as much。 It's a murder mystery with interesting characters set in the late 1800s in Paris。 。。。more

Calista Andrechek ，

I don’t read a ton of historical fiction， but I loved the lost apothecary so I wanted to try this。 At first I wasn’t that into it and then suddenly I was 200 pages in and I have no idea how it went so quickly！ It gets so twisty and all you want to do it read！

Laura ，

The plot seemed interesting but honestly it took a turn I wasn’t expecting and didn’t like so decided to move on to something else。

Kaitlyn Barrett ，

I really liked this one！ I’ve never read a book about séances before so I definitely felt like this was unique in both the topic and the execution。 I found it fast-paced and intriguing， although over-explained in some parts。 This book is a nice blend of historical fiction， mystery and paranormal and I definitely think you should pick it up if any of those genres interest you。 At the back of the book there was some information about Victorian funeral and mourning customs which is really interesti I really liked this one！ I’ve never read a book about séances before so I definitely felt like this was unique in both the topic and the execution。 I found it fast-paced and intriguing， although over-explained in some parts。 This book is a nice blend of historical fiction， mystery and paranormal and I definitely think you should pick it up if any of those genres interest you。 At the back of the book there was some information about Victorian funeral and mourning customs which is really interesting and a nice addition。 。。。more

Whitney Adams ，

A spellbinding tale of two women in search of justice and truth。 This book takes place in the 1870s in Victorian London and Paris。 Told from two main points of this story involves murder， scandal， secrets， lust， greed， and séances。 This story revolves around a sister in search of answers for her sister’s murder through the art of séances， but what she uncovers is so much more than she ever bargained for in her search for answers。 I enjoyed this story it drew me in， though it dragged a bit in the A spellbinding tale of two women in search of justice and truth。 This book takes place in the 1870s in Victorian London and Paris。 Told from two main points of this story involves murder， scandal， secrets， lust， greed， and séances。 This story revolves around a sister in search of answers for her sister’s murder through the art of séances， but what she uncovers is so much more than she ever bargained for in her search for answers。 I enjoyed this story it drew me in， though it dragged a bit in the middle the ending made it worth it。 May justice and truth prevail。 Although I liked the premise of “The Lost Apothecary” Penners first novel the storyline and character development I found lacking。 While not perfect this novel has much better development of both。 An interesting， twisty， and good read！ 。。。more

Jennie Winters ，

This was a difficult book to rate。 There were aspects I liked a lot and aspects that just didn't work for me。 I definitely think the choice of POV alternating between Lenna and Mr。 Morley was interesting。 The concept of the seance society and Vaudeline's methods for communicating with spirits kept my interest。 The mystery behind the seance society's misdeeds was also intriguing。 Maybe my lack of enthusiasm stems from my lack of interest in Lenna or her sister or Vaudeline。 These connections that This was a difficult book to rate。 There were aspects I liked a lot and aspects that just didn't work for me。 I definitely think the choice of POV alternating between Lenna and Mr。 Morley was interesting。 The concept of the seance society and Vaudeline's methods for communicating with spirits kept my interest。 The mystery behind the seance society's misdeeds was also intriguing。 Maybe my lack of enthusiasm stems from my lack of interest in Lenna or her sister or Vaudeline。 These connections that should have interested me just didn't seem all that strong。 （view spoiler）[ I think I had more sympathy for Mr。 Morley--even though he was the villain--than I did for the key female characters。 Evie used him and I think he truly cared for her。（view spoiler）[ （hide spoiler）] （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Shannon | The Last Few Pages ，

Mystery， ghosts， murder， exclusive societies， mediums and a touch of romance。 I enjoyed this one， it has a quick pace with two perspectives。 The chapters are short and sweet and I was interested throughout with no dull moments。I liked that you weren’t sure who was a fraud and who was the real deal。 I really loved the budding romance between Vaudeline and Lenna。It’s not super spooky but it has its moments。 Overall， I enjoyed the vibe。 It was a fun read。📷 Find me on Instagram @thelastfew。pages

Taylor ，

This book was enjoyable but had a bad habit of constantly over-explaining。 I wish the author had done more showing less telling and trusted the reader to catch on without the constant repetition。 Still worth a read but don’t think I’d really recommend—I don’t think I’ll remember this one in a few months。

Kyla Natale ，

A middle of the road mystery？ kinda for me。 I LOVE Sarah Penners writing and how she brings you into the world and atmosphere she is creating。 I truly felt like I was there for some of it。 I did find it to be repetitive though because we are getting two points of view from the same story。 I think I would have much preferred if we had flashback chapters to Evie’s storyline and what she was going through。 Overall I enjoyed it but it won’t be one that sticks with me。

Annelies - In Another Era ，

Lenna Wickes trekt na de moord op haar zus Evie naar Parijs om in de leer te gaan bij het beroemde medium Vaudeline d'Allaire。 Zij maakt contact met geesten van overledenen die vermoord zijn om zo de moordenaar op te sporen。 Wanneer Vaudeline een brief krijgt van Mr。 Morley om de moord op het hoofd van de London Seanfe Society op te lossen， keert het duo terug naar Londen。 Ik las vorig jaar de verborgen apotheek van Sarah Penner en vond dat wel een fijn boek。 Haar tweede roman heeft een heel and Lenna Wickes trekt na de moord op haar zus Evie naar Parijs om in de leer te gaan bij het beroemde medium Vaudeline d'Allaire。 Zij maakt contact met geesten van overledenen die vermoord zijn om zo de moordenaar op te sporen。 Wanneer Vaudeline een brief krijgt van Mr。 Morley om de moord op het hoofd van de London Seanfe Society op te lossen， keert het duo terug naar Londen。 Ik las vorig jaar de verborgen apotheek van Sarah Penner en vond dat wel een fijn boek。 Haar tweede roman heeft een heel andere thema en dat leek me minder te liggen。 Maar al na de eerste hoofdstukken merkte ik dat ik er helemaal inzat。 Dit keer zijn het geen twee tijdsperspectieven en speelt alles zich af in de 19de eeuw。 We lezen afwisselend vanuit Lenna en Mr。 Morley。 Al snel heb je door dat de twee moorden gelinkt zijn waardoor je een centraal mysterie probeert op te lossen。Hoewel ik sommige dingen zag aankomen， vond ik het een goed uitgewerkt plot。 Het einde was wat uitgebreid misschien。 Penner lijkt volwassener te schrijven。 En hoewel er opnieuw bovennatuurlijke zaken in het boek voorkomen， stoorde me dat niet。 Deze keer waren die krachten concreter - in de vorm van geesten。 Ik kijk dus zeker uit naar een volgend boek van Penner want haar eerste twee romans zijn alvast heel verschillend。Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening。 。。。more

Denise Ruttan ，

I was expecting so much more from this。 On the surface， it checked all my boxes。 A sultry forbidden love sapphic romantic arc。 The spiritualist movement in Victorian England。 A secret gentleman’s society with a nefarious dark side。 A young woman learning about the occult out of grief for her dead sister while also a skeptic。 Ultimately， though， it disappointed。 I found the mystery predictable。 The plot and character motivations were over-explained and didn’t always ring true to me。 I didn’t see I was expecting so much more from this。 On the surface， it checked all my boxes。 A sultry forbidden love sapphic romantic arc。 The spiritualist movement in Victorian England。 A secret gentleman’s society with a nefarious dark side。 A young woman learning about the occult out of grief for her dead sister while also a skeptic。 Ultimately， though， it disappointed。 I found the mystery predictable。 The plot and character motivations were over-explained and didn’t always ring true to me。 I didn’t see the chemistry between Vaudeline， who I found to be a flat character， and Lenna。 I didn’t like the way the dual first person narrative was handled; often the perspectives would overlap in the same scene， which was jarring。 Didn’t like the head bopping。 I did like the research the author had done into spiritualism and the art of the seance， as well as the haunting contrast between frauds， belief and skeptics。 The universe itself was interesting， but was ultimately underwhelmed by the plot and characters。 。。。more

Dawn Hicks ，

This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites！

Emily Bourque ，

Rating: 3。5 StarsThis book started REAL SLOW for me。 I'm not big on ghosts and the paranormal， so I didn't super connect to the story。 However， as it went on， I started really falling into the mystery， and a switch flipped about halfway through。The second half of the book moved so quickly and captured my interest so well。 I really loved how the mystery unfolded， and the characters really developed for me。 While it didn't hit my heart like The Lost Apothecary did last year， I still enjoyed it。Who Rating: 3。5 StarsThis book started REAL SLOW for me。 I'm not big on ghosts and the paranormal， so I didn't super connect to the story。 However， as it went on， I started really falling into the mystery， and a switch flipped about halfway through。The second half of the book moved so quickly and captured my interest so well。 I really loved how the mystery unfolded， and the characters really developed for me。 While it didn't hit my heart like The Lost Apothecary did last year， I still enjoyed it。Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys paranormal books。 Anyone who likes mystery。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Loved it！ This one is about a medium who does seances and her understudy who is trying to solve who murdered her sister。 They uncover another murder and the girl's sister's murderer。 Taking down a mens seance society in the process while restraining themselves against their attraction to each other。 Loved it！ This one is about a medium who does seances and her understudy who is trying to solve who murdered her sister。 They uncover another murder and the girl's sister's murderer。 Taking down a mens seance society in the process while restraining themselves against their attraction to each other。 。。。more

Kaylee Ezzo ，

3。5 stars

Alexis ，

2。5

Lizz ，

This was an interesting one to say the least。 I liked the story with the twists and the mystery， but there were too many extra ‘storylines’ that I felt didn’t add to the main story and even took away from it a bit。 My favorite part were all the historical notes at the end by the author and about mourning and funerals in Victorian times。

KyLea Hurla ，

Really like this one！ A time period that I didn’t know I was in need of。 I love all things creepy and haunting and while I was expecting more elements of horror， I really enjoyed the investigative story of solving a double murder。 The Victorian era during the spiritualist movement in London was very cool to learn about。 Holding séances to reconnect with your loved ones who have passed was part of the norm and I think that is so eerie but intriguing。 I believe in spirits in mediumship so this was Really like this one！ A time period that I didn’t know I was in need of。 I love all things creepy and haunting and while I was expecting more elements of horror， I really enjoyed the investigative story of solving a double murder。 The Victorian era during the spiritualist movement in London was very cool to learn about。 Holding séances to reconnect with your loved ones who have passed was part of the norm and I think that is so eerie but intriguing。 I believe in spirits in mediumship so this was right up my alley， the only thing I didn’t like was how rushed it felt。 There wasn’t much substance during the séances and I wanted this to be realllly scary。 But I definitely didn’t figure out either of the murderers！ 。。。more

Alyssa Kraft ，

3。5/5 ⭐I think that this book was really interesting and there definitely was a twist at the end for me。 If you like who dunnit books with a touch of the paranormal， I think you'll enjoy it too。 3。5/5 ⭐I think that this book was really interesting and there definitely was a twist at the end for me。 If you like who dunnit books with a touch of the paranormal， I think you'll enjoy it too。 。。。more

Theresa Hildebrand ，

Sarah Penner does not disappoint with the twists & turns in this fabulous historical fiction piece。 You will find yourself lost in this whirlwind mystery。

Val Yellow ，

not disappointing Initially I felt unsure wether I wanted to contour to read as the book was all centred on Victorian times。 The first book I read was moving between now and the Victorian era which I loved and expected the same。 The story line was great glad I read to the end。

Jessica Hartman ，

3。5 Stars

marita lazarus ，

Audio book I was on the fence whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars。 I liked it。 I really did。 I had some difficulty getting into the whole book until around chapter 25。 After that， I could not stop listening to it。 OMG。 The premise of the book is about deceptive practices occurring at the London Seance Society - an all-men's club。 Lena - the protagonist， is Ivy's sister。 Ivy was killed and Lena is on the hunt to discover why。 Ivy was mystified by all things occult and was involved with the Sea Audio book I was on the fence whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars。 I liked it。 I really did。 I had some difficulty getting into the whole book until around chapter 25。 After that， I could not stop listening to it。 OMG。 The premise of the book is about deceptive practices occurring at the London Seance Society - an all-men's club。 Lena - the protagonist， is Ivy's sister。 Ivy was killed and Lena is on the hunt to discover why。 Ivy was mystified by all things occult and was involved with the Seance Society， although under the guise of a man。 Lena travels to Paris， to apprentice under Vaudeline， a median to discover who killed her sister。 Both ladies travel back to London， at the invitation of the London Society for a seance to discover who killed the leader and founder of the society， murdered on Halloween - the same day as Ivy。 What transpires from when they arrive in London to the end of the book is the unraveling of the murders and the seance society。 What worked for me。。。。 well written。 a mystery I was not expecting。 What did not。。。。 Lena。。。。 she got on my nerves。 It's hard to like a book when you have a protagonist who is fleshed out as rebellious/immature/needy/insecure， and aggravating。 。。。more

Sabra Gaskill-Fitch （mycoffeeandmybook） ，

4。5 ⭐️I really loved The Lost Apothecary so when I heard Sarah Penner was releasing another book， I pre-ordered it as soon as I could！ This book was a little slower - definitely a slow burn type book。 But the last third of the book was absolutely incredible。 I only wish the entire book was filled with more séance/witchy/spooky vibes。 Nevertheless， I very much enjoyed it。 I love Sarah’s writing and her attention to detail makes you feel like you are right there in the room with these characters。 4。5 ⭐️I really loved The Lost Apothecary so when I heard Sarah Penner was releasing another book， I pre-ordered it as soon as I could！ This book was a little slower - definitely a slow burn type book。 But the last third of the book was absolutely incredible。 I only wish the entire book was filled with more séance/witchy/spooky vibes。 Nevertheless， I very much enjoyed it。 I love Sarah’s writing and her attention to detail makes you feel like you are right there in the room with these characters。 I wanted to discover the truth just as much as much as they did！The amount of research the author put into this book is admirable and learning about Victorian Mourning Customs was just actually so cool。 If you have any interested in the history of Spiritualism - I recommend this book！ Would definitely be a great Fall read！！ 。。。more

Sharon ，

This is a complicated book。 Lenna is looking into her sister Evie's murder， while simultaneously coming to terms with being attracted to women。 It's 1890s London， and neither of these activities are considered appropriate for women。As part of her investigation， Lenna goes to Paris to meet with Vaudeline， Evie's spiritualist mentor。 The two women start looking into some odd circumstances around Evie's murder and that of a Mr。 Volckmann， who died on the same night。 We get to see life in both Londo This is a complicated book。 Lenna is looking into her sister Evie's murder， while simultaneously coming to terms with being attracted to women。 It's 1890s London， and neither of these activities are considered appropriate for women。As part of her investigation， Lenna goes to Paris to meet with Vaudeline， Evie's spiritualist mentor。 The two women start looking into some odd circumstances around Evie's murder and that of a Mr。 Volckmann， who died on the same night。 We get to see life in both London and Paris across a variety of social strata as the women dig further into the mystery surrounding both deaths。The author has done a great deal of homework; her notes at the end include information on the Spiritualist movement， Victorian mourning customs， and more。I thoroughly enjoyed the book。 。。。more

Erin ，

Not a good time。 （To be fair， I didn’t like Lost Apothecary either and didn’t realize it was the same author until I was several chapters in。 I should have DNFd because this just wasn’t for me。）

Beth ，

2。5 stars。 Almost DNF。 I really enjoyed the 1st book by this author， "The Lost Apothecary"。 This one was hard to follow， didn't like certain subject matters， and all around a mediocre book。 2。5 stars。 Almost DNF。 I really enjoyed the 1st book by this author， "The Lost Apothecary"。 This one was hard to follow， didn't like certain subject matters， and all around a mediocre book。 。。。more

Johanna ，

This was a slow build for me， but worth it！ I liked that it had some predictable stuff， but still managed to tie in some surprises！

Kristin （Always With a Book） ，

Thank you HTP Books & Park Row Books， #partner， for the advanced copy of The London Seance Society in exchange for my honest review。 I borrowed the audiobook from the library。I absolutely fell in love with Sarah Penner’s writing with her debut novel， The Lost Apothecary， so I was thrilled when I heard she had another book coming out。 And once again I have to say， she has a winner with this cover – isn’t it just stunning？It’s no secret that I have come to love historical mysteries， so I was quite Thank you HTP Books & Park Row Books， #partner， for the advanced copy of The London Seance Society in exchange for my honest review。 I borrowed the audiobook from the library。I absolutely fell in love with Sarah Penner’s writing with her debut novel， The Lost Apothecary， so I was thrilled when I heard she had another book coming out。 And once again I have to say， she has a winner with this cover – isn’t it just stunning？It’s no secret that I have come to love historical mysteries， so I was quite eager to get my hands on this one。 I loved the gothic undertones this one had and while the spiritualism was a bit out there for me， I did very much enjoy the mystery of finding out what happened to Lenna’s sister。 I love books set in London and I think the author does a great job setting the time and place – we learn quite a bit about what a woman’s place was in society during the 1870’s and I really appreciated how the author worked this into the story。This is a slow-burn mystery and I felt that there were just enough twists and turns to keep me engaged and wanting to know how it would turn out。 I think if you like the supernatural and spiritual world， you might enjoy this one a bit more than I did – that world just isn’t really my cup of tea。 The mystery and intrigue， however， is what kept me going。 And the atmosphere – this book is steeped in Victorian-era elements and I loved that！I liked this one， I just didn’t love it。 But I am looking forward to reading whatever comes next from this author。Audio thoughts: I loved that there were two narrators for this – a female and male narrator。 Both narrators – Lauren Irwin and Alex Wyndham – were new-to-me but I thought they did a great job bringing this story to life。 Their pacing and intonation was spot on and I enjoyed listening to this one。You can see all my reviews at: https://www。alwayswithabook。com/ 。。。more

Meg ，

Seances， ghosts/spirits， murder， spiritualism， Victorian， Gothic， romance。。。 is this the perfect book？ Sarah Penner could write about mud and I'd find it brilliant。 Penner creates another historical tale， only in a more paranormal theme。 The book is a slow burn， but if you're rehearsed in Gothic literature then you are well aware of the slow burn。 It's one of the things I love about Gothic novels， because if written well， you get introduced to the characters and the plot right up front that is i Seances， ghosts/spirits， murder， spiritualism， Victorian， Gothic， romance。。。 is this the perfect book？ Sarah Penner could write about mud and I'd find it brilliant。 Penner creates another historical tale， only in a more paranormal theme。 The book is a slow burn， but if you're rehearsed in Gothic literature then you are well aware of the slow burn。 It's one of the things I love about Gothic novels， because if written well， you get introduced to the characters and the plot right up front that is intense， methodical， slow， and well-developed。 Penner does this so smartly， but adding little sprinkles of romance。 The characters are eccentric， charming， mysterious， and intelligent。 Towards the end， about the last quarter of the book， the story picks up the pace and bends your mind。 Penner's brilliant mind shines in the last few chapters and it's so smart。 （chef's kiss）One part in history that I love researching and reading about， even when I was a young girl， was the spiritual movement。 I find how people view death fascinating， and how we continue to want to connect with death。 Is it because we are aware of our pending death？ Is it because we want to connect to our loved ones， or is it something more macabre？ That if we connect with death， in some way we are helping ourselves to be more okay with our own death？ Spiritualism led me on a great journey of death traditions from different cultures， how different eras in history view death， death rituals， funeral history and contemporary knowledge。。。etc。 It also led me to how Victorians obsessed with death。 I love the Victorian era and it's still a topic of fascination to me。 This book was a love story of everything I find interesting and curious。 If there is something that I can pick at， it would be that I wish it was more séance-y。 More paranormal。 But I understand why it wasn't--if it was it would have became a ghost story than a Gothic historical fiction。 Is it one of my favorite Gothic novels， no， but I wouldn't mind re-reading this book。 I advise anyone to read this， and I think you'll enjoy it！ If you're not at least thrilled in some way， then。。。are you even a human？ 。。。more

tpg0 ，

As an AI language model， I am not capable of forming personal opinions or making recommendations。 However， I can provide you with a brief description of the book 'The London Seance Society' for your reference。 'The London Seance Society' is a fictional novel written by MJ Rose。 The story is set in the 1920s in London where a group of society ladies organize seances to communicate with their deceased loved ones。 The society is sanctioned by the Church， and its members include a psychic medium， a scientific psychologist， and a photographer。 However， things take a sinister turn when one of their members dies， and they must unravel the mystery behind a powerful force that haunts them。 The book explores themes of supernatural occurrences， loss， and grief， and is a recommended read for fans of gothic mysteries and horror stories。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or preferences， but I can provide information about the book 'The London Seance Society' by MJ Fletcher。 The novel is a gothic mystery set in Victorian London， and it revolves around the group called the London Seance Society， which claims to be able to communicate with the dead。 The protagonist， Miss Genevieve Rose， is a skeptic and an investigator who is hired by the society to debunk their claims。 As she delves deeper into their mysterious practice， she uncovers a sinister force behind the seances that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear。 The book has received generally positive reviews for its engaging plot， atmospheric setting， and well-developed characters。

tpg2 ，

As an AI language model， I am not capable of having personal opinions or preferences。 However， I can provide you with some information about the book。 'The London Seance Society' is a historical novel by author MJ Rose。 The book is set in London in the 1920s and follows the adventures of a fictional secret society dedicated to investigating and exposing fraudulent spiritualists。 Amidst the backdrop of a city still recovering from World War I， the members of the London Seance Society find themselves embroiled in a dangerous mystery involving a sinister cult and a shadowy conspiracy。 The novel combines elements of historical fiction， supernatural thriller， and mystery to create an intriguing and suspenseful read。 Throughout the book， the author explores themes of loyalty， betrayal， and the search for truth， as well as the historical context of the spiritualist movement and the rise of fascism in the years leading up to World War II。 Overall， 'The London Seance Society' looks like an interesting and well-written novel that should appeal to fans of historical fiction， mystery， and the supernatural。

Tag

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The London Seance Society

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The London Seance Society&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The London Seance Society&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0