The Mesmerist: A Novel

ISBN: 0385550162

Author: Woods, Caroline

Condition: New

A tightly plotted page-turner ripped from the headlines of history, as three very different women must work together to stop a killer and save the truest home they've ever known.Before hypnotism, there was Mesmerism. And in 1894 Minneapolis, in the wake of a national financial crisis, spiritualism of every stripe is all the rage, and women are dying under mysterious circumstances. But until a new guest lands at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers, refusing to speak or explain her arrival, the sordid stories of unexplained deaths seem unconnected. Faiths reticence is quickly interpreted as malevolence, setting the house abuzz with whispers of dark magic.Abby, a staunch Quaker, lifelong supporter of progressive causes, and the Bethany Homes treasurer, thinks the rumors of mystical powers swirling around Faith are nonsense, but she recognizes the danger of a good story. Unwilling to allow the Homes important mission to be clouded by scandal, Abby tasks Faiths roommate, May, with tracing Faiths path to the Bethany Home.May is desperate to end her year at Bethany Home engaged and on track to her happily-ever-after-even if her prince charming is Hal, a man shes not sure she can trust. She uncovers a Minneapolis she never expected as she begins digging into Faiths shadowy background, and her investigation brings her closer to polite society and Hal than she could have dreamed. The more May learns, the more shes forced to question the motives of everyone around her, including Abby and Faith, and as more women turn up dead, May must reevaluate the future she wants, and which lies shes willing to tell, for whom.Rich with tension, suspicion, and sharply observed characters, Caroline Woods reimagines a classic American genre through the eyes of three bold, unforgettable women.