The Spirit Engineer

Based on the true story of William Jackson Crawford, this delightfully spooky, gothic tale is set in 1914. After becoming suspicious that his wife is having an affair, the engineer discovers the medium Kathleen Goligher and becomes obsessed with investigating her to find out if she can really summon spirits.

Written from Crawford's point of view, I thought that he was brilliantly characterised, I especially liked his lack of sense of humour and how things completely went over his head at times. He's a wonderfully flawed man but as a reader, you do end up feeling sympathy for him. The other characters in the book are also well drawn, particularly his poor wife and long suffering family.

I found the plot spooky and gripping, with some extremely well done twists.

Add to this the fantastic atmosphere filled with period details and beautiful illustrations and this makes the ideal read for Halloween.

I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.