Blog tour: The Shape of Darkness

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell!

About the book…

As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, 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... Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?

Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them.

But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back...

About the author...

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs. Her first novel for Raven Books, The Silent Companions, was a Radio 2 and Zoe Ball ITV Book Club pick and was the winner of the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award, while her subsequent books – The Corset and Bone China – established Laura as the queen of the sophisticated, and spooky, page-turner.

Last but not least, my thoughts…

How did this book end up in my hands? I was gifted a gorgeous proof copy by the publisher so that I could read the book and provide my honest opinion.

Was it a page-turner? I didn’t rush through the book as I don’t think my fast-beating heart could have taken it. However, I could hardly put it down. I wouldn’t necessarily define it as fast-paced but the well-placed plot twists definitely kept things interesting and turned upside down any conclusions I might have reached. If you’re looking for a clever plot, this is it.

Did the book meet my expectations? I was gripped from the first moment I read the synopsis and I wasn’t disappointed. I would normally say that the supernatural is something that I am not drawn to but – having said that – I loved I Am Dust by Louise Beech and Affinity by Sarah Waters. And now I can add The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell to this very selective list! Something between a murder mystery and a ghost story, it is an incredibly well-researched novel that plunged me right into the atmosphere of 1854 Bath with an incredible host of characters.

Three words to describe it. Chilling. Atmospheric. Gripping.

Do I like the cover? I am in love with this cover! It is elegant and mysterious, just like the novel itself.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, but I really want to. Bone China has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember and the others sound equally good.

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