Book Review: The Séance by John Harwood

Constance Langton always felt like an outsider in her own family, even moreso when her younger sister Alma dies. Her Mother shuts down, lamenting on and on about Alma so Constance takes her to see a séance. When things go too well and her Mother sinks deeper into her depression, shutting herself off completely from her family, Father decides to leave home because he doesn't want to deal with his wife. Left to fend for herself, an Uncle takes her in as a housekeeper.

While in his employ, she receives a strange letter that she has inherited an old estate known as Wraxford Hall. But she's warned by the Hall's attorney, John Montague, to sell the place...as soon as she can. He gives her a handful of letters from the last known owner of the Hall, but won't say much more about the place. Even her Uncle can only offer little information. Through those letters, however, she learns of the dark history of the Hall, of the mystery surrounding the disappearances of two of its previous owners and of a young woman and her child. Intrigued, Constance sets out to discover just what happened at the Hall and what exactly her ties are to the mysterious Wraxford family.

If you're a fan of gothic mystery/thrillers, John Harwood's The Séance is the perfect tale for you. It contains all the elements: a dark, crumbling manse with a mysterious past, a surrounding forest haunted by an ethereal monk who is rumored to cause death to anyone who sees him, people disappearing, a mesmerist, séances and mediums -- all set in Victorian England. The intertwining tales of Constance and of the happenings at Wraxford Hall kept me enthralled as I read on and on, and the way Harwood presented the tale allowed me as a reader to play along as detective, piecing the story together along with Constance rather than remain outside the story. I also enjoyed the characters, especially that of Dr. Magnus Wraxford, the mesmerist. He contains a very quiet evil which at first happily draws you in, but as time goes on, you can tell something isn't quite right by a facial expression or the measuring of his words. Very creepy, and just what a gothic story needs.

An excellent read from beginning to end.

Image from The Seattle Times.