The Mesmerist
On sale
15th May 2008
Price: £20
London, 1838: the controversial practice of Mesmerism, with its genuine practitioners and its fraudulent chancers, has hypnotised the city. Miss Cordelia Preston, a beautiful, ageing, out-of-work actress terrified of returning to the poverty of her childhood, suddenly emerges as a Lady Phreno-Mesmerist. In her candle-lit Bloomsbury basement she learns to harness her talent – and to finally look towards the future.
But success is fragile when you have a past filled with secrets. On a wintry, moonlit night a body is found in Bloomsbury Square, and what began as an audacious subterfuge erupts into a scandal. Cordelia’s past is revealed, bringing not only heartache but terror – and the mystery of a cloaked figure who waits for her in the shadowy London streets.
But success is fragile when you have a past filled with secrets. On a wintry, moonlit night a body is found in Bloomsbury Square, and what began as an audacious subterfuge erupts into a scandal. Cordelia’s past is revealed, bringing not only heartache but terror – and the mystery of a cloaked figure who waits for her in the shadowy London streets.
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Reviews
Mesmerically gripping
The enormous spirit of the characters and overriding sense of fun gives this book warmth and appeal
Written with insight, intelligence and style, a highly engaging and entertaining read with a complex plot and a cast of utterly believable characters
A good-humoured saga
