Book synopsis
A CHILLING DEBUT TEEMING WITH SPIRITS, SÉANCES AND SCANDAL.
Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending séances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones.
William Jackson Crawford is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sitting around the circle, voices come to him – seemingly from beyond the veil – placing doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind. Could the spirits truly be communicating with him or is this one of Kathleen’s parlour tricks gone too far?
Based on the true story of Professor William Jackson Crawford and famed medium Kathleen Goligher, and with a cast of characters including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, The Spirit Engineer conjures a haunted, twisted tale of power, paranoia, and one ultimate, inescapable truth…
About the author
A.J. West was born in Buckinghamshire and not very comprehensively educated at a comprehensive school in Newport Pagnell. Growing up, his parents read him stories by Blyton, Milne, Dahl, Lewis, Lawrence, and Graham and he found a passion for old-fashioned tales that mixed fear and fun. He went on to study English Literature at university in Preston, Lancashire before graduating to become a radio and television producer, news presenter and journalist at the BBC in London and Northern Ireland, where his fascination with William Jackson Crawford’s story began. After a characteristically strange twist in events he became a television personality before embarking on a new career as a PR and communications director. During this time, he has written for national newspapers and appeared on network current affairs programmes on radio and television. To find out more about the author visit: https://ajwestauthor.com
My review
I didn’t know much going into this book apart from it was a scary read. I had been seeing it all over Instagram and Twitter so netgalley kindly offered me a copy of it.
I had to read parts of this during the day because at night it gave me a really creepy feeling!
Set in 1914 in Belfast. We follow William Jackson Crawford, the main character who despite his flaws at the beginning is rather funny in his own way. William is a highly respected member of science. He finds out his wife has been going to seances and he joins her to prove if they are real or not , hence the name The Spirit Engineer.
I cannot say too much more about the book as it would ruin it for anyone wanting to read it. But oh my goodness! That ending was not what I expected at all and while reading it I was saying ‘What! oh my god’
I loved this book and when I can get a hold of a physical copy I will be so I can keep it and re read it again.
Highly recommended but just one tip … read during the daytime!
Disclaimer – Thank you to netgalley for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review