The Hysterical City (The Gold and Gaslight Chronicles #3)

The Hysterical Cityis the third installment of The Gold and Gaslight Chronicles

After surviving the deadly scandal at Tom Casey’s Broadway theatre, Bonnie Campbell jumps at the chance to accompany Cambrian Branch to his new film studio in Paris. She doesn’t particularly enjoy swooning and making ridiculous faces for the camera, but she hopes the City of Light will help her find her own illumination. She is determined to escape the past, gain her independence, and - most of all - never be trapped or controlled by a man again.

At first, Paris is a dream come true. Bonnie finds a progressive, like-minded friend in Laura Sayer, and a handsome, entrancing mystery in Laura’s twin brother, Leslie. When Bonnie discovers her own talent for directing, the three of them - along with a fierce, proud actress named Marie - team up to create new, daring films that electrify Paris. 

But, the city isn’t without its dangers. Laura’s uncle, a doctor at the famous Salpêtrière insane asylum, is obsessed with curing hysteria and believes Tom Casey’s hypnosis victims could provide the answers. Bonnie fears if he uncovers her past she’ll be imprisoned once more, and the city’s growing hysteria over her films only sharpens the doctor’s obsession and focus on her. Meanwhile, the film studio has been beset by sudden, strange disappearances, and Bonnie is worried she or one of her friends could be the next victim.

Both fans of The Gold and Gaslight Chronicles and new readers alike will enjoy this stand-alone/final chapter in which Bonnie and her friends from London, New York, and Paris struggle to find themselves, find love, and finally end the destructive legacy of Dr. Jekyll.

The City of Light might be hiding the darkest, most dangerous secret of all.