“The London Seance Society” features strong women finding their place in the world

"The London Seance Society," by Sarah Penner.

Sarah Penner's 2021 debut novel, "The Lost Apothecary," hit on a winning formula with its richly detailed gothic mystery, set in 18th century London and centering on the lives of women. It climbed bestseller lists, was translated into 40 languages and is now in development at Fox as a TV series.

Penner, who lives in the Tampa Bay area, sticks with that template for her engrossing second novel, "The London Seance Society," and why not: The book debuted last month at No. 7 on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list.

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"The London Seance Society" by Sarah Penner; Park Row Books (352 pages, $30)

In 1873, London was at the height of the Victorian era, and spiritualism and seances were all the fashion.

As "The London Seance Society" escalates, some of the living become more terrifying than the dead.

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