The plot is most engaging and intriguing, and the climax as unpredicatble as may be expected in a novel by Ms Purcell. I always love the way Ms Purcell gradually unravels her characters. I know there is something hidden and lifting the curtain inch by inch is a most thrilling reading experience. Dripping with atmospherewith a corkscrew plot,Laura Purcell just gets better and better.” – Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars and The Foundling Is there a murderer on the loose in Bath? That is the question Agnes must find the answer to. And she decides to do so in an unorthodox method – through the help of Pearl, The White Sylph. She is an 11-year old spirit medium who speaks to the dead. Under the tutelage of her older half-sister, they make a living from this unique way of working. The weird part is that Mr. Boyle has his throat slit AND head bashed in. It’s too bad we can’t ascertain which happened first – the bashing or the cutting. For me, the fascination lay in exploring a character poised between two worlds, belonging to neither. Although the medium could be a “star” such as Florence Cook in the 1870s, her real purpose was to disappear from the room altogether. Rather than being wanted, she was a mere gateway that even the spirits suffered as an inconvenience. Nineteenth-century medium Elizabeth d’Esperance wrote in her memoir Shadow Land, “I feel very much like reminding [the ghost Anna] that she ought to be obliged to me, and take some notice of me sitting there, instead of sweeping past in so unceremonious a fashion.”

Bath, 1854. The times of increased interest in mesmerism, spiritual seanses and the art of making silhuettes that is becoming less and less popular due to new techniques, namely, daguerreotype and photography. Silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another... Seances are the perfect venue for suspense, fright and terror, and Purcell does not miss the opportunity. Purcell also keeps some of her cards hidden. There always seems to be information, vital information that will enlighten the reader, just out of grasp. Teasing little snippets of the dead sister every now and then. What happened to Agnes’ sister, Constance? What happened to Montague? Characters who are always on the periphery of the narrative but seem to be integral. The constant references to an accident. But something strange is happening… after her clients leave her house, they end up dead. Is this just a coincidence or is the killer purposely targeting her? Historical detail and an era-specific atmosphere are such significant elements of what makes The Shape of Darkness so easy to get lost in. Purcell’s books are frequently compared to Daphne Du Maurier but whilst they might channel the paranormal undercurrents and masterfully unsettling yet often bleak storytelling, Purcell’s books stand out as future gothic classics in their own right. As ever, her next book will be something for readers to look forward to.

The story tries to be somewhat serious or creepy and yes, descriptions of Pearl's father—who's phossy jaw is rotting away—were not pleasant. But the narrative's 'supernatural' undertones and 'murder mystery' storyline were bland and galaxies away from being remotely scary (or even atmospheric). Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration

The use of the term “hollow” – as though she feels an emptiness of something within her now gone: possession/presence? I originally rated this a 4.5 but I’m changing the rating to a 5 because I can’t stop thinking about it. This historical novel is set in Victorian Bath, where Agnes Darken lives with her widowed mother and nephew, Cedric. Agnes is a silhouette artist in a time of change, when most of her customers are more interested in having a photographic portrait taken than having their outline snipped. Before long, we learn that not all is well with Agnes; she suffers frail health from an incident in her past, we discover a tale of tangled romance and financial hardship and her only real help comes from local doctor Simon, who was married to her sister, Constance.A clever and well-researched novel with a good twist, and it shows the nightmare of life for single women of limited means in the 19th century. - Literary Review She also has an intriguing relationship with Dr. Simon Carfax – the details of which pull the story together and give you lightbulb moments as they are revealed.

His likeness has been taken as skillfully as if she had done it herself.” And “Words are written beneath in the hand [Constance’s] she recognizes from the notes: Now he will never part us.” Pearl is known as “The White Sylph”, her albinism the prominent reason for the sobriquet. She is a spirit guide, and even though only eleven years of age, unlike all the charlatans and frauds many years older, Pearl’s powers are real. It is to Pearl that Mrs Boyle comes to speak to her murdered husband. The dead speak through Pearl, not to her, and after each séance Pearl is exhausted and none the wiser as to what the dead have revealed. All she knows is that Mr Boyle’s shade did not reveal his murderer. This story is tragic in one ways than one. But the fates of both Agnes and Pearl slowly weave together to create a disturbing picture. One I didn’t see coming.Three women make this story: Agnes, a silhouette artist, Pearl, a child spiritual medium and Miss West, Pearl’s older half-sister. Each woman has her own story and struggles but the way Purcell presents these stories and then mashes them together in a slow burning read is addictive. What brings these three women together, you ask? Why, murder of course.

This book is everything that you would expect from Laura Purcell, the gothic and shadowy setting in Bath, a chilling plot, unnerving characters with secrets, and a creeping sense of dread. I especially loved the seance scenes, the tension and mystery add to the dark atmosphere. She has a strange sensation of passing outside her body; of watching events unfold from her sister’s point of view…A voice within whispers, ‘How long before Simon turns on you?” THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS, by Laura Purcell features Agnes, a silhouette artist in Victorian Bath. She's struggling to support her mother and nephew in a time where more modern devices are becoming popular. When her customers start dying shortly after their sittings with her, she breaks down and sees a child medium--the older sister clearly untrustworthy, but the younger appears to be genuine. This much we gather from the synopsis, but the book is so much deeper than that.Aclever and well-researchednovelwith a good twist, and it shows the nightmare of life for single women of limited means in the 19th century.” ―Literary Review (London) At this point, we also have to ask whether it was really Constance that kept hurting Agnes’ childhood friends. The narrative doesn’t really reveal who killed Mrs. Campbell. It’s ambiguous and possibly coincidence, but murder was speculative by the police and deemed not likely. Here are a few examples of why I did not like the author's writing: 'But it cannot be, not after all of these years', 'her heart flutters its wings inside her chest', the idea fills her with a sweet glow, 'in her face are those simmering, witchy eyes', 'her slender trunk' (this to describe a woman's figure), 'frightened whispers of her own conscience'. This latter point goes for Myrtle as well. Is it possible the death of Commander Hargreaves is merely a coincidence that fits other elements of the plot?