My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen

Roos has been used to fund her mother's spiritualist business from a young age thanks to her possession of a spirit named Ruth. Ruth takes control but is often times more of a comfort than anyone else. She escapes her mother's control when and goes to live with a young widow who has a spirit guide of her own. Roos and Agnes become intimate and it looks like Agnes will replace Ruth in Roos' heart as danger lurks and problems rise up from the dead. The body count increases leaving Roos the main suspect. This dark story has all the classic elements of a good gothic ghost story - ghosts, a manor home complete with a bog, a secret love and someone meets a tragic end. It is also right on target with common themes of a time of abused women taking matters into their own hands and those same women being deemed hysterical and locked away while the families swept bad behavior by men under the rug. Readers of classic gothic tales as well as stories of the Victorian obsession with death and spiritualism will find much to love.  4 stars