Monday, September 12, 2011

Seance In Sepia


 Seance In Sepia, by Michelle Black, is an extraordinaire novel. Spanning two worlds it guides the reader from present to past in a deft and enchanting chapter by chapter narrative. 
Flynn Keirnan, a woman helping her father purchase merchandise for his Antiquarian bookshop, discovers a old photograph in one of the volumes. It's not an ordinary sepia picture but a Victorian 'spirit photograph'. A local antique dealer offers Flynn a nice price for the the photo but she decides to try her luck on eBay, little knowing that she is generating a firestorm that will alter her life forever.

Who are those tragic, ghost-like images looking outward from the fading photo? Are they subjects of a bizarre and notorious murder trial held in Chicago in 1857 that the press dubbed 'The Free Love Murders'?  Would Victoria Woodhull, a popular spiritualist of that time, decipher the true answers in a seance? Was it murder, or suicide?  And, how does Flynn cross the boundaries of time to resolve old issues? Seance In Sepia is a mystery and a romance, both old and new.  A fascinating read, peeking into private thoughts found in an old journal, reading the actual trial transcript and pursuing notes of the famous feminist Victoria Woodhull. 

Seance In Sepia has not yet been released but can be reserved on Amazon.

2 comments:

  1. Allene, this sounds like a must-read for me. A late friend of mine gave me a copy of Victoria Woodhull's bio and I have been fascinated with her every since. Thanks for turning me on the this:)

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  2. You are very welcome, Eloise. I think you will really enjoy the book, I know I did. I had only a vague knowledge of Woodhull and this book really brought her to life for me.

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