Here are 71 books that The Witch of Lime Street fans have personally recommended if you like
The Witch of Lime Street.
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I write historical fiction about real people, and I found the subject of a medium who faced off against Harry Houdini altogether irresistible. Still, writing about a medium presented unique challenges. I had to ask myself: Did I believe it was possible to summon the dead? Would readers be skeptical if I pushed this belief on them? Or would readers who didn’t believe in spiritualism think I’d gone too far in representing otherworldly events? So I read many books and studied how other authors handled these questions. I hope this list of stories about mediums, seances, and ghosts will chill and thrill you.
Sarah Waters is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint.
From the story’s opening pages, I experienced the unsettling sense that something was not quite right. The story barrels along with enough twists to make you wonder if you’ve landed in the territory of Charles Dickens, which in a way you have, because this is Victorian London and there’s a prison and questionable loyalties, to say nothing of a séance gone wrong.
I happily went on this ride, even though it got downright creepy at points.
'Affinity is the work of an intense and atmospheric imagination . . . Sarah Waters is such an interesting writer, a kind of feminist Dickens' Fiona Pitt-Kethley, Daily Telegraph
Set in and around the women's prison at Milbank in the 1870s, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing literary mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale. Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers and common…
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…
I write historical fiction about real people, and I found the subject of a medium who faced off against Harry Houdini altogether irresistible. Still, writing about a medium presented unique challenges. I had to ask myself: Did I believe it was possible to summon the dead? Would readers be skeptical if I pushed this belief on them? Or would readers who didn’t believe in spiritualism think I’d gone too far in representing otherworldly events? So I read many books and studied how other authors handled these questions. I hope this list of stories about mediums, seances, and ghosts will chill and thrill you.
All right, I have to confess: I love Gothic novels set in England—they can be so atmospheric.
This one takes place in the 1920s. Maddy Clare is a ghost, a very angry ghost, and Sarah Piper has been hired to look into the spirit of Maddy, who died at the all-too-young age of nineteen.
The story chilled me and kept me guessing. Why is Maddy full of vengeance, and how far will she go to exact revenge? It’s dark and haunting. Read at night if you dare.
A woman of limited means and even less experience must confront a vengeful spirit in this haunting novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel.
1920s England. Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist an obsessed ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis—rich, handsome, and scarred by World War I—has been summoned to investigate the spirit of the nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is said to haunt the barn where she committed suicide.
Maddy hated men in life, and she will not speak to them in death.…
I love history. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, listening to my dad’s history lectures. And in my history classes, I always tucked away stories about women. There weren’t many; most were trailblazers like Amelia Earhart or Susan B. Anthony. They were completely admirable, but I wanted to know about the women who had strayed from the straight and narrow: the murderers, the liars, and the thieves. Now, I write about women committing crimes throughout history. As a reader, I can never resist a story about a woman from the past doing things she shouldn’t. These books were endlessly entertaining and sometimes downright chilling to read.
Everyone knows who Lizzie Borden is, and everyone thinks they know whether or not she did it. But what few people know about is her trial. I have always been pretty obsessed with the Lizzie Borden story (hint: she’s totally guilty). But this book put a whole new spin on the country’s original true crime.
I loved reading about the legal proceedings that put Lizzie front and center of a violent crime (not a common place for a woman to be in Gilded Age America). It painted Lizzie in a more vulnerable light than the axe-wielding murderess I had always pictured her as. It also helped explain why she was acquitted.
In Cara Robertson’s “enthralling new book,” The Trial of Lizzie Borden, “the reader is to serve as judge and jury” (The New York Times). Based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence, this true crime and legal history is the “definitive account to date of one of America’s most notorious and enduring murder mysteries” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and…
When Annie Thornton, midwife and apprentice witch, falls through time to a 15th-century Yorkshire village with her telepathic cat, Rosamund, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Mistress Meg, Annie’s ancestral aunt living in the 15th century, is…
I love history. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, listening to my dad’s history lectures. And in my history classes, I always tucked away stories about women. There weren’t many; most were trailblazers like Amelia Earhart or Susan B. Anthony. They were completely admirable, but I wanted to know about the women who had strayed from the straight and narrow: the murderers, the liars, and the thieves. Now, I write about women committing crimes throughout history. As a reader, I can never resist a story about a woman from the past doing things she shouldn’t. These books were endlessly entertaining and sometimes downright chilling to read.
This book tells the story of Therese Humbert, swindler extraordinaire. There’s just something thrilling about a con artist fighting their way through life with nothing more than their own wits. I loved reading about Therese’s boldness and cleverness.
I felt I could live vicariously through her as she hustled her way into French society. Her fraud lasted for years, and I couldn’t help admiring her coolness under fire. Her story made for an exciting and incredible read.
Chronicles the life of ThTrFse Humbert, the fabled "billionaire's daughter," covering her rise from peasant status to high society salon doyenne, and citing the carefully fabricated illusions she wove around herself in order to rise to power.
I love history. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, listening to my dad’s history lectures. And in my history classes, I always tucked away stories about women. There weren’t many; most were trailblazers like Amelia Earhart or Susan B. Anthony. They were completely admirable, but I wanted to know about the women who had strayed from the straight and narrow: the murderers, the liars, and the thieves. Now, I write about women committing crimes throughout history. As a reader, I can never resist a story about a woman from the past doing things she shouldn’t. These books were endlessly entertaining and sometimes downright chilling to read.
In June of 1897, a group of New York children discovered a human torso, catapulting the city into a brutal mystery. Who was this man? And who killed him? I could not put this book down.
The central mystery kept me riveted, and the cold-blooded woman at the heart of it truly chilled me to my core. I also found my jaw on the floor reading about the antics of reporters for the warring New York Journal and New York World as they threw ethics out the window to get the best scoop.
"No writer better articulates our interest in the confluence of hope, eccentricity, and the timelessness of the bold and strange than Paul Collins."--DAVE EGGERS
On Long Island, a farmer finds a duck pond turned red with blood. On the Lower East Side, two boys playing at a pier discover a floating human torso wrapped tightly in oilcloth. Blueberry pickers near Harlem stumble upon neatly severed limbs in an overgrown ditch. Clues to a horrifying crime are turning up all over New York, but the police are baffled: There are no witnesses, no motives, no suspects.
I love history. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, listening to my dad’s history lectures. And in my history classes, I always tucked away stories about women. There weren’t many; most were trailblazers like Amelia Earhart or Susan B. Anthony. They were completely admirable, but I wanted to know about the women who had strayed from the straight and narrow: the murderers, the liars, and the thieves. Now, I write about women committing crimes throughout history. As a reader, I can never resist a story about a woman from the past doing things she shouldn’t. These books were endlessly entertaining and sometimes downright chilling to read.
In 1920s Chicago, the theater and the courtroom collided as a pair of men dropped dead in the vicinity of beautiful, duplicitous women. The musical Chicago has always been one of my favorites, and I was delighted to read this book about the real women who inspired Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart. It did not disappoint.
Douglas Perry tells the story of Beulah and Belva with all the flair and drama of the musical. I will never forget reading about how callously Beulah Annan sipped cocktails and listened to music for hours as her lover lay bleeding on the floor. It sent chills down my spine.
With a thrilling, fast-paced narrative, award-winning journalist Douglas Perry vividly captures the sensationalized circus atmosphere that gave rise to the concept of the celebrity criminal - and gave Chicago its most famous story. "The Girls of Murder City" recounts two scandalous, sex-fueled murder cases and how an intrepid "girl reporter" named Maurine Watkins turned the beautiful, media-savvy suspects -"Stylish Belva" and "Beautiful Beulah"- into the talk of the town. Fueled by rich period detail and a cast of characters who seemed destined for the stage, "The Girls of Murder City" is a crackling tale that simultaneously presents the freewheeling spirit…
Chasing Light is a lyrical meditation on grief, memory, and the fragile beauty of everyday life. At its core, it is a story of resilience, forgiveness, and the transformational power of human connection. It sheds light on the overlooked realities of homelessness and addiction, while emphasizing the importance of compassion…
I write historical fiction about real people, and I found the subject of a medium who faced off against Harry Houdini altogether irresistible. Still, writing about a medium presented unique challenges. I had to ask myself: Did I believe it was possible to summon the dead? Would readers be skeptical if I pushed this belief on them? Or would readers who didn’t believe in spiritualism think I’d gone too far in representing otherworldly events? So I read many books and studied how other authors handled these questions. I hope this list of stories about mediums, seances, and ghosts will chill and thrill you.
Spiritualism was very popular in Victorian England, but it could be a cutthroat business. Mrs. Wood is held in high esteem by her customers, who are entertained in lavish seances, but then a young woman who wants to be her apprentice enters the picture. Things quickly get complicated.
Lucy Barker paints the Victorian period with all its fusty atmosphere—and she made me feel sympathy for these women trying to carve out a place in the world at a time when females’ options were limited. I believed these characters, and Barker does a great job showing the challenges they face, which all adds up to a suspenseful read.
'A charming debut that sparks with fun and fizz' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'A must read!' SOPHIE IRWIN
'Storytelling at its finest' STYLIST
A DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION DEBUT CROWN PRIZE
Mrs Wood is London's most celebrated medium. She's managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out seances for Victorian high society.
Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments. There are reports of American mediums…
I write historical fiction about real people, and I found the subject of a medium who faced off against Harry Houdini altogether irresistible. Still, writing about a medium presented unique challenges. I had to ask myself: Did I believe it was possible to summon the dead? Would readers be skeptical if I pushed this belief on them? Or would readers who didn’t believe in spiritualism think I’d gone too far in representing otherworldly events? So I read many books and studied how other authors handled these questions. I hope this list of stories about mediums, seances, and ghosts will chill and thrill you.
I loved the complexity of this novel, which grapples with so many themes—poverty, family ties, women’s hardships in a male-dominated society, and the tension between falsehood and sincerity.
Nairna, a young Scottish girl, travels the countryside with her father, who is basically a conman. But Nairna has real talent, and when she comes to the attention of Edinburgh Spiritualists, she is drawn into a dangerous circle.
But the novel brings in another thread, that of a widow who lost her husband in the coal mines. I had empathy for both of these characters, who are united by their experience with mesmerism.
As spiritualism reaches its fevered pitch at the dawn of the 20th century, a Scottish girl crosses the veil to unlock a powerful connection within an infamous asylum in this thrillingly atmospheric, exquisitely evocative exploration of feminine rage and agency for readers of Sarah Penner, Alice Hoffman, and Hester Fox.
Leaving behind a quiet life of simple comforts, Nairna Liath traverses the Scottish countryside with her charlatan father, Tavish. From remote cottages to rural fairs, the duo scrapes by on paltry coins as Tavish orchestrates “encounters” with the departed, while Nairna interprets tarot cards for those willing to pay for…
From when I first learned to read, books opened a whole new world, which has given me vast pleasure ever since. I think it’s made me wiser, too. But it wasn’t until the sudden death of my younger son in 2020 that I began to read about the edges of the known world, and to discover that by opening my mind I could re-learn what I instinctively knew as a young child: that we come from somewhere else. Even before encountering tragedy, I’d been fascinated by the dividing line between what science can prove, and what still remains conjecture: it’s a theme I have returned to again and again in my fiction.
I was deeply moved by Poor Your Soul, Mira Ptacin’s beautifully-wrought memoir about the grief of losing first her brother, and then her unborn child. So I knew I was in good hands when I opened her engaging, compassionate portrait of the denizens of Camp Etna, the once-famous epicenter of the American Spiritualist movement. Shifting seamlessly between the settlement’s grand history in the late 1800s and its more modest 21st-century existence, Ptacin profiles psychics and mediums of all stripes, and reports on her own experiences of the paranormal with humor, intelligence, and grace.
They believed they would live forever. So begins Mira Ptacin's haunting account of the women of Camp Etna-an otherworldly community in the woods of Maine that has, since 1876, played host to generations of Spiritualists and mediums dedicated to preserving the links between the mortal realm and the afterlife. Beginning her narrative in 1848 with two sisters who claimed they could speak to the dead, Ptacin reveals how Spiritualism first blossomed into a national practice during the Civil War, yet continues-even thrives-to this very day. Immersing herself in this community and its practices-from ghost hunting to releasing trapped spirits to…
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman
by
Alexis Krasilovsky,
Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.
A young woman filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimate…
The uncanny slips into the gaps between the objective world and the
world of human experience with all its dreams, apprehensions, and
intuitions. This intermediate space is the habitat of ghosts and also
the zone where my mind does its wanderings. It's where my books come, and
explorations of that space in other peoples' books draw me in, deeply
and inescapably.
The title isn’t kidding. This story—of a psychic thronged by the ghosts of the loathsome men who abused her in childhood—is one of the darkest books I’ve ever read.
I also found it incredibly funny, though the humor is black as ink. I love how, in its perverse way, is also becomes a story about recovering hope after profound trauma: one of the major themes in my own books.
