Caffeinated Reviewer

I adore Simone St. James’ blend of mystery, history, and the supernatural, so I’ve been working my way through her backlist. The Other Side of Midnight takes us to 1920 London and into the world of mediums as Ellie Winter searches for answers in the mysterious death of the glamorous medium Gloria Sutter.

London, 1925. Glamorous medium Gloria Sutter made her fortune helping the bereaved contact loved ones killed during the Great War. Now she's been murdered at one of her own séances, after leaving a message requesting the help of her former friend and sole rival, Ellie Winter.

Ellie doesn't contact the dead—at least, not anymore. She specializes in miraculously finding lost items. Still, she can't refuse the final request of the only other true psychic she has known. Now Ellie must delve into Gloria's secrets and plunge back into the world of hucksters, lowlifes, and fakes. Worse, she cannot shake the attentions of handsome James Hawley, a damaged war veteran who has dedicated himself to debunking psychics.

As Ellie and James uncover the sinister mysteries of Gloria's life and death, Ellie is tormented by nightmarish visions that herald the grisly murders of those in Gloria's circle. And as Ellie’s uneasy partnership with James turns dangerously intimate, an insidious evil force begins to undermine their quest for clues, a force determined to bury the truth, and whoever seeks to expose it...

Ellie Winter lives in a quiet home that she wants shared with her parents. On the door is a discreet sign advising that she finds lost things. Ellie’s mother used to hold seances and was well known for contacting the dead before a newspaper article ruined everything. Despite Ellie’s remarkable abilities, she only uses them to find lost things. That is until a knock at her door.

Ellie learns that her former friend turned rival, Gloria Sutter, has been murdered while performing a seance, but before doing so, she left a message for Ellie asking for her help. The message was delivered by her estranged brother. He hires her to find out what happened, and the tale that unfolds held me spellbound.

Ellie has many secrets, but she’ll have to open herself up and reveal them to find out what happened to Gloria. She isn’t at all sure she can trust Gloria’s brother and finds herself seeking help from the man who destroyed her mother and gave Gloria her fame.

I loved how James shared the popularity of mediums after WWII and the shame of the profession as well. The mystery was well done with clever twists and a blending of supernatural elements that will make your spine tingle. She weaves danger, personal growth, the aftermath of the war, and even romance into the tale, all against the backdrop of 1920s England.

A compelling murder-mystery that drew me in as the suspense and danger slowly built. James delivered an engaging, climactic conclusion that left me satisfied.

Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm

About Simone St. James

Simone St. James is the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare, which won two RITA awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and a spoiled cat.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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