A Body at the Séance * Marty Wingate * London Ladies' Murder Club #2

In a post-World War I London captivated by Spiritualism, a sharp-witted young woman investigating a suspicious medium finds herself trapped in a locked-room nightmare when a prominent attendee is murdered in pitch darkness during a high-society séance.

The Story: Written by prominent USA Today bestselling mystery novelist Marty Wingate, this atmospheric second installment in the celebrated London Ladies’ Murder Club series transforms the smoky, occult-obsessed drawing rooms of 1920s Britain into an exceptionally clever puzzle box. The narrative completely avoids the slow pacing of traditional historical summaries. Instead, Wingate establishes an entertaining, history-first framework that plunges readers straight into the heart of a generation desperate to communicate with the loved ones they lost in the Great War.

The plot follows Mabel Cannons as she navigates the volatile boundaries of London's elite social circles. Hired to expose a charismatic spiritual medium suspected of preying on grieving aristocrats, Mabel secures a seat at an exclusive, late-night gathering designed to summon spirits. Her predictable monitoring routine permanently fractures when the lanterns are blown out, a cold wind sweeps the room, and a sudden scream reveals that a wealthy skeptic has been stabbed to death right at the table - all while the guests were holding hands in the dark.

Rather than letting the mystery slip away into the shadows, the story builds excellent drawing-room tension as Mabel works to separate genuine grief from calculated deception. Moving smoothly between elegant London townhouses, hidden trick-shop workspaces, and the secretive offices of the Society for Psychical Research, the plot weaves historical societal trauma with classic whodunit logic to keep readers guessing until the final reveal. Published as an utterly charming, easy-reading trade paperback, this vintage parlor mystery stands as a fantastic showpiece for historical cozy shelves.

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, 1920s-set British cozy mysteries and locked-room historical whodunits like the works of Carola Dunn, Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, or T.E. Kinsey; readers who enjoy storylines exploring early twentieth-century Spiritualism, ghost hunters, and occult hoaxes; and book collectors building out their character-driven crime fiction library.

Published 2024 by Bookouture.

Cozy Mysteries / Historical Whodunits / 1920s British Crime Fiction / Amateur Female Sleuths / Series Continuations