The Haunting of Avis Lovelock by MK Hardy
I would like to thank Solaris for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Solaris
Published -out Now
Price –£9:99 paperback £4.99 ebook
Avis Lovelock is a professional sceptic. Using her sharp insights and powers of observation, she sets out to debunk every nefarious spirit medium and psychic she can find. When American businessman Carlton Brooksbank invites her aboard the ocean liner Excambion to take her skills to America, Avis discovers she has been hired to prove to potential buyers that the vessel is not haunted.
As she begins her investigations, she runs afoul of the famous twin spiritualists onboard, Gideon and Rachel Duquesne. They are her polar opposites, and Rachel especially has a knack for getting under her skin. The more Avis works to discredit her adversaries and absolve the ship of its haunted reputation, the more she starts to have visions of water filling her cabin, drowned bodies on decks, and flickering lights on the sea. Then someone is found dead.
To discover the truth, Avis must join forces with her opponents, and confront some haunting secrets of her own.
Tis the season for things spooky and supernatural but equally this is the time for people to challenge these claims. What is the truth behind the myth, how actually could the seemingly impossible happen (or be faked). Rationality versus Belief is a fascinating part of being human and when you read a lot of science fiction and fantasy belief often wins but there is a lot to delve into that conflict. In MK Hardy’s elegant and excellent supernatural mystery we travel on an ocean liner where a sceptic finds herself up against an enigmatic medium and the truth may be stranger than either suspect.
Avis Lovelock is an accomplished theatrical performer as a mesmerist, but she also loves to debunk mediums who in her view are preying on the weak and vulnerable. She uses her skills to apply her tricks on the unwary. This though does not tend to win her many friends. A very sizeable opportunity arises when she is offered to investigate the ocean liner the Excambion whose sale is being threatened by rumours that the ship is haunted. For a sizeable reward and a chance to work in the states this cannot be ignored but she soon finds herself in opposition with the famous psychics the Duquesne twins. There is something amiss on this ship and increasingly dangerous. Avis may find herself finally meetings something she cannot explain.
This is an absolute delight of a read and offers a truly refreshing tale that delivers a fine mystery, a tale finely balanced between the sceptic and believer and even a slow burning romance. At its heart is the very interesting character of Avis herself. In some ways she is the classic Victorian adventuress but unusually she is very much Team Sceptic and not already familiar with believing in magic and the occult which many other such stories tend to use. Instead, we have someone ultra rational and often acerbic to anyone she meets. She is a complex character on the outside very prickly but inside fled with her own doubts and past. A running theme is Avis apparently hearing the vice of her deceased sister – is this real or imagined and does this drive her scepticism really makes her an unusually complex character and the story rarely gives us firm answers.
If Avis is the loud and confident character, then in contrast we have the demure and reserved Rachel Duquesne. In her brother’s shadow and yet in any of their seance it is Rachel who has the starring role. There is a sense of the fraud, but she is also as we get to know her very sympathetic and indeed Avis and her have a fascinating chemistry as both women find working together not as an unpleasant experience as they initially expected. This is no insta romance in this tale it is slow burning but also feels much more organic than simply a plot point to tick and reading about how the two grow closer has a real emotional heft and never feels too settled across the piece.
All of which combine with a fantastic setting and plot. Ornate ocean liners will always bring a certain ship to mind and indeed Hardy makes this a fascinating place with the opulence of the first-class quarters, but we also see what life is like in third class and for those working in it. It creates a claustrophobic mini city for Avis to explore and means we meet a cast of characters we get to know and care about. It is also perfect for strange events to suddenly happen. There is an excellent set of scenes that could be something eerie or some trickery and Hardy keeps us guessing all the way through. One o the most refreshing parts of this story is how well plotted it is moving briskly but delivering key scenes regularly that change our understanding of the story so far. The key mystery here threads that fine past between mystery and trickery and I was never sure until the end as to which side this was going to fall on. The actual resolution was both unexpected but also refreshingly showing us a third option that ties into the books themes of missed chances and regrets. It has emotional stakes for our cast, and we see how this has changed them along the way.
The Haunting of Avis Lovelock offers a story for those who would prefer something that is a little less frightening and more mysterious and very very engaging. Offering adventure, history, romance and most of all exquisite storytelling combined with wonderful character work. I must strongly recommend it and I continue to look out for Hardy’s work eagerly
