A Dreadful Splendor (2022) by B.R. Myers is a fun blend of mystery and romance, sprinkled with a little bit of spooky. The story takes place in Victorian England, where criminals still face the gallows, but the upper-classes drink a surprising(?) amount of pre-dinner cocktails. The story revolves around a fraudulent spiritualist, Genevieve, who takes advantage of wealthy mourners by pretending to put them in contact with their recently departed loved ones. When a fraudulent séance does not go to plan and Genevieve ends up in prison facing the gallows herself, she is saved by a mysterious lawyer who offers her a chance at freedom by performing a séance for his client, a wealthy landowner named Mr. Pemberton, who recently lost his bride-to-be in a tragic incident. When Genevieve arrives at Somerset Park estate, she quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems and Mr. Pemberton is very different from what she expected. A fast read with a lot of twists and turns, this is a perfect book for October, or whenever you're in the mood for something spooky and fun.
Written by Liz, Circulation