Breaking the Circle

by M. J. Trow Book 2 in the Margaret Murray Mysteries series.

First published 2023

Amazon

3.6(58)

London, May 1905. When a well-known medium is found dead, the police initially treat the case as a robbery gone wrong. A second death makes that explanation impossible, and archaeologist Margaret Murray uses her police connections to investigate why members of the capital’s spiritualist circles are being targeted.

Margaret enters the world of séances and professional mediums in order to identify possible motives and suspects. Her enquiries put her directly in the murderer’s path, forcing her to turn the danger to her advantage by setting a trap. The mystery uses the popularity of spiritualism in Edwardian society as more than atmosphere, contrasting claims of supernatural knowledge with Margaret’s insistence on evidence and careful deduction.