New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week – Book Riot

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

In this wickedly whimsical Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a sance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.

Be careful what you conjure

In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a sance persuasive enough to bring the young lord peace, she will win her freedom.

Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieves skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly yet exceedingly handsome gentleman is certain that his fiance was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks arent required after all. She may be a fake, but Somersets ghost could be all too real

A Dreadful Splendor is delicious brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for a ghoulishly fun and page-turning read.

Reasons to read it: Remember Penny Dreadful with Eva Green? Me too, and this book promises to fill the Victorian-era-sance-shaped void the show left in my heart. Its also bound to satisfy fans of other amateur Victorian sleuths, like in A Curious Beginning, with the added bonus of Genevieves roguish ways which obviously only make the journey more fun.

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New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week - Book Riot