I think it’s fair to say the family have been delighted to find some new evidence of Kathleen’s fascinating story but are, at the same time, surprised to discover that the kind, fun, uncomplicated woman they knew and loved was part of a foggy and emotionally-charged story of duplicity, worldwide fame, infamy, derision, adulation and, ultimately, suicide. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog.

Not surprisingly, in a book which delves into the afterlife, the epilogue is titled 'the Beginning'. A man of engineering and science, he is sceptical about the world of spirits and seeks to prove its nonsense. The book was wrapped up in a way that truly made me want to throw it across the room, and I mean that in the best way possible.

I loved how the writing was in the first person, and felt that this meant I experienced everything William did first hand. His life takes a strange turn when he discovers his beloved wife is seeing a spiritual guide, who can conjure spirits and William makes it his life’s mission to prove the deceit but he starts to question his own scientific beliefs as unexplainable events take over his life. The story of The Spirit Engineer is so fascinating and rich with gorgeous lines, but for me the strength are its characters, particularly William Jackson Crawford. There is absolutely no reason for you to care about him and because none of the other characters are developed in any way, there is no one to anchor the reader in the story. Thus, he discovered the magic of ink on paper and fell in love with gothic tales of fear and fun, danger and mystery.

When he follows his wife one night suspecting her of an affair, he is transported into a world of voices and shadows, is it real or is it all just one big con? Drawn in for financial reasons, William begins to approach these seances with his engineer’s precision and all the rigours of an ongoing scientific experiment. Can he prove his theories or will he discover more than he bargained for before all is said and done? A tragic death sees Elizabeth Crawford seeking answers in the spirit world, and William Crawford sees himself drawn in as well.The book then takes us to the events preceding this: Crawford’s troubled family life, his burgeoning (though ill-remunerated) career, the death of his wife’s brother and his son, and finally his involvement Golighers, particularly the sixteen-year-old medium Kathleen Goligher.