Michelle Herbert reviews The Curious Affair of The Somnambulist and Psychic Thief by Lisa Tuttle…
Set in Victorian England, this is a detective story that hints at the supernatural, but also plays out as a bit of a buddy comedy. Set in a time of manners, who you know and your place in society can be more important than the skills and knowledge you have at hand.
We find our heroine Miss Lane running from her former colleague and friend Miss X after she finds Miss X’s behaviour as a member of the Psychical Society to be fraudulent. After Miss Lane arrives back in London, practically friendless and with little money, she isn’t sure what will become of her. Predictably Miss Lane stumbles upon a job advertisement and meets Mr Jesperson and his mother. In this way, Miss Lane manages to gain not only employment but also a place to live. Mr Jesperson is a renaissance man, who is enthusiastic and fully believes in his deductive abilities, whereas Miss Lane is a rationalist, who is constantly inquisitive and eager to learn. What I enjoyed about this arrangement is that Miss Lane is treated as an equal partner in the business, rather than a women of meagre means. Together Miss Lane and Mr Jesperson make an interesting team, as they get to know each other.
Luckily as neither are well known as detectives, the pair soon find themselves with two seemingly disconnected cases. The first is a case of a wife worried about her husband’s nightly activities. Mrs Creavy is married to the Somnambulist, and is distraught by the fact that she doesn’t know where he goes or what he is doing whilst he sleepwalks. Mrs Creavy hires the team to follow her husband to find out what is happening as their last resort.
Miss X gives them the second case, that of psychics leaving London under strange circumstances. Miss Lane does not particularly trust Miss X, but after checking the facts it does appear that psychics are disappearing. It is up to Miss Lane and Mr Jesperson, to work out if the missing psychics have left on their own accord or if there are more sinister machinations afoot.
Both Miss Lane and Mr Jesperson take different approaches to solving the cases. One of the ways they investigate the missing psychics is to be invited to society gatherings which allows them to mix with some of Miss Lane’s former associates in the Psychical Society. At one such gathering, they meet Mr Chase who is fast becoming known as the premier performer of psychic means in London. Mr Chase is a classic case of a master manipulator and he can come across as quite odious especially in the unnerving way he acts around Miss Lane. Whether is a villain or victim reveals itself over the course of the novel. Mr Chase also makes an interesting foil for Mr. Jesperson.
The novel has a large cast of characters with most being well drawn, although a few character’s stories felt more like caricatures instead of fleshed out people, but this is incidental, as they all serve to make the novel and London seem realistic. Tuttle also captures a scene and time when London was in thrall to mediums, seances and wanting to know that there is life after death.
If you like detective stories, then this is a wonderful addition to not only that genre but with the twists and turns hinting at the supernatural as well, it could also be the book that may make a good starter for someone who has not read much fantasy. There were parts of this story that felt predictable, but for a fun read which never seems to drag, I can not complain about this. If this is a start of a new series I wouldn’t be adverse to reading more of Miss Lane and Mr Jesperson’s adventures together.
Michelle Herbert
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