A historical fiction murder mystery with two women taking down a powerful men's organization and just a little bit of sapphic romance. Sign me up!

Our female mc Lennas younger sister has recently been murdered and Lenna goes to Paris from London to study under her sister's teacher a spiritualist named Vaudeline. Vaudeline has a reputation for solving murders using seances and bringing the victim foward to discover the truth. Meanwhile in London the London seance society is trying to solve the murder of their president. Mr Marley the society's vice president calls on Vaudeline to come back to London to help solve the murder. Vaudeline and Lenna journey back to London to try to help mr. Morely and possibly solve Lenna's sister's murder. While in London the two women will discover more secrets then they could have ever imagined and solve more murders than they ever planned.

Thanks net galley and Sarah penner for the arc!

3.5 stars rounded up. After having read and enjoyed Sarah Penner’s debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, when it was first published, I was quite excited to read her newest novel, The London Seance Society. What could be more intriguing than reading about a seance set in London during the late 1800’s? Sarah Penner skillfully brought the elements of suspense, murder, deceit, trickery and magical realism to life throughout the pages of The London Seance Society.

During that time period, it was quite common for women mediums or spiritualists to conduct seances. It was one of the few professions of the time where women were considered more adept than men to perform a proper seance. One such medium, Vaudeline D’Allaire, was living in Paris when she was requested to return to London to conduct a seance for Mr. Volckman, the former president of The London Seance Society. There had been talk and suspicion about unorthodox practices that were being carried out at The London Seance Society for some time. That was why Vaudeline had decided to return to Paris. She no longer felt safe in London.

Mr. Volckman had been murdered on All Hallow’s Eve. Vaudeline D’Allaire was known for her talents of conjuring up the spirits of murdered victims for the purpose of having them help divulge who murdered them, how they were murdered and where. She took her profession very seriously. Vaudeline D’Allaire had studied under Mr. Volckman and had known him quite well. She felt obliged to accept the request from Mr. Moray, the vice president in charge of spiritualism at The London Seance Society, and return to London to conduct the seance for Mr. Volckman, as long as her safety was protected.

Lenna Wilkes, a twenty three year old woman, who had persuaded Vaudeline to allow her to study the art of conducting a seance under her as her understudy, accompanied Vaudeline to London. Her younger sister, Evie, had been murdered on the same night as Mr. Volckman. Evie had been very interested in the study of spirits. Even though Lenna possessed more of a scientific mind, she was determined to find out what really happened to her sister that fateful night. Lenna hoped that Vaudeline would be able to conduct a seance for Evie.

The London Seance Society was told from the alternating point of views of Lenna and Mr. Moray. I was drawn into the storyline immediately and enjoyed the atmospheric effects and developing relationship between Vaudeline and Lenna. Somewhere around halfway through the story I began to loose some interest. It did pick up, though, near the end. I enjoyed Sarah Penner’s writing and choice of characters. Overall, I enjoyed reading The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner and would recommend it. I look forward to reading her next book.

Thank you to Park Row Publishers for allowing me to read The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner through Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lenna is distraught over the murder of her sister and seeks support from the famed medium, Vaudeline, to help her discover what happen to her sister.

I enjoyed Penner’s second novel more and really enjoyed the historical time period. While I do not know much about the spiritualism movement, it was an interesting backdrop to the story and I found myself wanting to learn more. I appreciated Penner’s list of references at the end! I enjoyed all of the characters and while some parts had a little too much detail, I liked the story over all and felt that it was well-paced.

More like 3.5 I had very high hopes for this book as I had enjoyed the previous book, The Lost Apothecary, so much. And maybe that's the problem. Sadly, I didn't find this book grabbed me in the same way. I didn't find the characters to be very well developed, which makes it hard to care what happens to any of them. The author did a good job with the historical research of the subject and the era, and handled them both very well within the story itself. Atmospherically it worked very well. But overall it was kind of flat and I found myself skimming a lot. Thanks Net Galley for this opportunity!

After reading the Lost Apothecary, I was expecting great things from the London Seance Society. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed in this book. I didn't like the storyline or the characters.

I was excited to read this latest by Sarah Penner as I loved The lost Apothecary and I wasn't disappointed!

This was a good paced intriguing book. A great historical mystery with some added
supernatural and spiritualism thrown in!

Thank you to net galley for the chance to read and review

I received an advanced copy of the London Seance Society. I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advanced copy on Netgalley because I couldn't wait to read this. I read The Lost Apothecary and have been patiently waiting for the author to release another book.

The background period for the book is the 1870s in London. Lenna's sister was murdered in the garden of the family home. Lenna doesn't believe in Seances but she wants to learn about contacting the spirits on the off chance she could contact her sister. Evie and Lenna didn't have the best final words between them on the day she was murdered. Lenna has never believed in contacting spirits, but her sister felt passionately about being able to contact spirits so she thought she would try. Lenna contacts Vaudeline, who was Evie's teacher and asks her to take her on as an understudy. Lenna travels to Paris to meet with Vaudeline to begin her studies so she can perform a Seance and try to reach her sister.

I enjoy reading historical fiction and learning about different time periods. I found the Victorian era and perception of the whole spiritual movement fascinating. I hadn't heard or knew of any spiritual clubs that existed. At the back of the book I found the Author's note really fascinating that Charles Dickens was actually a member of the Ghost Club.

I would rate this book around 4.5/5. I loved this book and would recommend it to most people who find the Victorian period interesting. Although I received an advance copy I immediately bought a copy of the book to keep. It appears I am back where I was eagerly awaiting the next book.

TLSS is out now, and it is definitely worth checking out. I got lucky and snagged a copy via @netgalley, and I found myself hooked. Penner has a way of incorporating the illogical without taking away from the believability of a story. I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, so I knew I had to read this one when she initially posted about its release dates. I loved how strong Lenna is, and Vaudeline was interesting. I kept trying to figure out the ending, but the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. I love that Penner also includes notes about the actual history of the time period at the end of the novel; I found the information both fascinating and educating

This book was okay. The writing style was great, but I didn’t care enough about any of the characters.

First off, LOVE the cover and title. Those were knocked out of the park. If you don’t know anything about this book, you’re going to grab it for those alone. I do wish that this was more of an adult book, I feel like it could have been so much deeper and unique. But I do have to say, if you liked the lost Apothecary, you’re going to adore this one too. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!!

3.75 stars. I really enjoyed this book! It had mystery, murder, intrigue, ghosts, and a great cast of characters. Sarah Penner's writing really helped bring the story to life. I loved her first book The Lost Apothecary, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out I knew I had to read it. I found the historical aspect of seances, and mediums to be an interesting subject because I have never read anything about them before. The setting of London in the later 1800s was also interesting. I didn't know about these secret societies that were men only. The research she did into writing this book was also very well done. The only thing I did not like was how the plot got a little slow in parts. It really picked up at the end when the mystery was coming close to being solved. Overall it was an enjoyable read!

Unexpectedly, I had a hard time with this one.
I thought a book where mysteries are solved through spiritualism would be right up my alley, and I enjoyed the characters, but I kept putting it down.
The settings were vivid, the plot wasn't full of many holes, but it was somehow predictable. I did finish this one, but something just didn't click for me.

I can see the appeal for many other readers, and I will be recommending it to several friends.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I had very high hopes for this book as I absolutely loved “The Lost Apothecary” - but there were many moments throughout this story that I lost interest, but kept going to get to the end. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters in this book. I do believe Sarah Penner did research the history of Sèance really well, I just couldn’t get into this book as much as I did with The Lost Apothecary.

The occult, a mystery, séances, LGBT+, ghosts, murder, etc., etc. etc.

This book has so many things to pull you in. Honestly, just very fascinating. There is a lot to enjoy here.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah Penner’s first novel, The Lost Apothecary, so imagine my excitement when I received an advanced copy of her new book, The London Seance Society.

1872, London - Lenna Wickes’ younger sister, Evie, has been murdered. To learn the truth of what happened, she enlists the help of spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire to conjure Evie’s spirit. What ensues is a story full of mystery, murder, and illusion. I. Ate. It. Up.

I wasn’t sure how Ms. Penner could beat her first novel, but I think she just did. Sarah Penner has solidified herself as one of my auto-buy authors.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I went into this knowing all the hype, rave reviews, and how anticipated it was going to be.

However, it just fell flat, slow, and sadly, boring.

Multiple perspective narration has been losing me as of late, and this did the same.

I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary and was so happy to get my hands on an early copy of this. I found it to be so atmospheric, loved the idea of these seances held to contact dead people way back in the 1870’s. As for the mystery part, I found it a little predictable but overall enjoyed the story.

What starts as a quest for answers regarding her sisters death soon turns into revenge for her murder.

Lenna is left with more questions than answers when her sister, Evie, is found dead in the garden. As she seeks out answers via mediumship, Lenna finds more under the surface. The men of the London Seance Society have been left unchecked and it’s time for their deeds to be punished.

This is a quick review as I had already read my #BOTM copy so can review it pronto.


Synopsis (It's a fiction book, so it helps….)
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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 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…

Here comes another amazing book by the author of The Lost Apothacary Deeply spooky and spiritual, you will be enthralled with these characters and the wonderfully crafted plot. Highly recommended, I will chat this book up inside and outside of the library as well.

Paranormal historical where a woman seeks to find out who killed her sister only to find a seance society is hiding secrets.

Lots of expository writing and very predictable on who committed the murder. This story shows the tricks of the trade of seances during the 1800s. In this novel, it's the men-only society that takes advantage of women. Very disappointing as I felt misled about what the novel was about based on the blurb.