New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called "Maid of Light" is desperate to regain her reputation-but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.
Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud's parlour again, and with each misdirection, Maud's fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can't allow anyone-even Maud-to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her.
When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she's playing. But to return to the light from which she's strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem's smoke and mirrors.
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Dear Miss Watkins, I am in difficulty.SPRING, 1877, HARROWBORO, NEW HAMPSHIRE
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(Lake Union Publishing, 27 September 2022, e-book, 348 pages, ARC from the publisher via @ NetGalley)
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This is a new author for me. I liked The Deception a lot. I read a lot of historical fiction and have read a surprising number of books that feature spiritualists and mediums. It's a popular subject. This book takes a different stance that other books I've read, pitting a once famous child medium fallen on hard times against a ruthless trickster. Maud finds herself in murky waters when her situation forces her to take drastic action and trust someone she would normally avoid. I found this gripping from start to finish.
