Book Review: The Haunting of Beatrix Greene by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, Vicky Alvear Schecter ****

In Victorian London, Beatrix Greene operates as a medium, and she is an unrepentant fraud. While she does not believe in ghosts or the supernatural, however, she sees herself as performing a service in providing the bereaved with comforting messages purporting to come from their deceased loved ones. When out of curiosity she attends a gathering where a scientist, James Walker, promises to reveal the methods used by spiritualists and mediums, she is challenged by Walker, for a handsome fee, to spend the night in an allegedly haunted house and prove to him the existence of the supernatural.

When Beatrix and her friend and “chaperone,” Harry, arrive at Ashbury Manor, they discover that it is the 20th anniversary of a tragic murder/suicide that had occurred there, and that “James Walker” is actually the owner of the house, hoping to discover what had caused his beloved mother to kill his brother and then herself, a crime which has haunted him for most of his life. When they sit down to a seance, Beatrix is shocked to discover that she actually does seem to be channeling the spirit of James Walker's mother. The house truly is haunted, and the family cursed, and Beatrix will have to reach deep into her own unacknowledged reserves of psychic talent to bring herself and James out of  Ashbury Manor alive.

I found The Haunting of Beatrix Greene to be an initially pleasant read that became gripping as it progressed to the heart of the mystery and the struggle to free James from his family's curse. The characters, including the secondary ones, particularly the eccentric Amanda Reynolds, are well-drawn. The telling of the story from the alternating perspectives of James and Beatrix was effective and gave it more depth than if it were experienced only from one point of view. My only issue was the part of the chapter headings that sounded as if it were supposed to be the recounting of a TV show (Season 1, Episode 1, etc.), although there may be a point behind it that I'm not aware of, which seemed pointless and in my opinion, added nothing to the story. On the whole, however, I enjoyed it very much.

I received a copy of The Haunting of Beatrix Greene for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.