The Shape of Darkness: 'A future gothic classic' Martyn Waites

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This I think is simply circumstantial in relation to Constance’s death. It seems unlikely that Simon would send an innocent child to scare the horses that resulted in everyone dying. On the other hand, he had no real connection to the boy either since he represented the liaison between Montague and Constance. On the other hand, although Purcell used her tried-and-true formula to write this, it can't be criticized as formulaic. For her, the formula is magic, as she manipulates it in such a way that her mysteries aren’t interchangeable. Most positively, she always writes strong red herrings, and although sometimes too twisty, her twists are at least unpredictable. They alone make her books worth reading. The Shape of Darkness is obvious on only one point: that Agnes is hallucinating Cedric and her mom., but this isn’t one of the bigger revelations, and it doesn’t scream obvious. The use of the term “hollow” – as though she feels an emptiness of something within her now gone: possession/presence? Anyhow, Agnes seems to believe that she is being targeted after the very first death. Which is...okay. The plot must go on I guess.

She also has an intriguing relationship with Dr. Simon Carfax – the details of which pull the story together and give you lightbulb moments as they are revealed. The Shape of Darkness is another gothic tale from Laura Purcell and arguably her darkest yet. Agnes make a silhouettes but with the rise of the photography her business is failing and when the people she captures in shadow begin to die she endeavours to find the cause be it earthly or otherwise. It’sher best one yet and that’s saying something. A story of a woman haunted in every way possible, I think it’sa future gothic classic.”- – Martyn Waites Ms Purcell has become one of my favourite Victorian ghotic authors, and I was delighted to have been offered the latest of her books to read. Let's get it right up front that I love all the books Laura Purcell has written and so I was thrilled to find myself with an early copy of her latest book, courtesy of the author, Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley.Simon confirms the truth, although Agnes is actually the killer, not Simon: “‘Miss West did not kill my clients,’ Agnes announces. ‘No.’ [Simon] She expected at least some denial. “ I really liked, “The Silent Companions,” a previous novel by Laura Purcell and, although I hadn’t read anything else by her until now, I was looking forward to this and was sad to find I did not enjoy it more than I did. I found the characters somewhat melodramatic and struggled to get to grips with the mystery element of the novel and the later coincidences. Although the setting was creepy; complete with séances and Pearl’s father, suffering silently off stage, I could not engage with, or feel enough sympathy, with the characters to make this work for me. There was too much faintness – legs giving way, spots in front of eyes, physical weakness. I much preferred the fiery Myrtle, for all her faults. Beautifully eerie ... Laura Purcell's brilliance is in showing you a place and a time you think is familiar, and making every atom of it uncanny - and in The Shape of Darkness, she does it better than ever -- Natasha Pulley I think this statement that Agnes isn’t afraid of him is an indication that her subconscious may be asserting itself in a way that she unknowingly is aware that Simon isn’t actually the killer. This book is everything that you would expect from Laura Purcell, the gothic and shadowy setting in Bath, a chilling plot, unnerving characters with secrets, and a creeping sense of dread. I especially loved the seance scenes, the tension and mystery add to the dark atmosphere.

Here we see that Agnes is responsible for Constance’s death by intending to get Constance’s dress caught in the door.”No one writes about the dead better than Mantel. She breathed new life into the bones of Thomas Cromwell and the Wolf Hall Trilogy was full of gothic touches, but this earlier work is on another level. It tells the tale of spirit medium Alison and her toxic relationship with her manager, Collette, who inhabit a drab, threadbare life very like a ghost land in itself. They jazz up the concept of life after death to make it more palatable for their audience, however, the real fiends haunting Alison are obscene and bleakly horrific. Here are a few examples of why I did not like the author's writing: 'But it cannot be, not after all of these years', 'her heart flutters its wings inside her chest', the idea fills her with a sweet glow, 'in her face are those simmering, witchy eyes', 'her slender trunk' (this to describe a woman's figure), 'frightened whispers of her own conscience'. Miss Meers would prove to be Miss West’s second victim, falling prey not to the blade, but to the cowardly weapon of poison.” “A post-mortem examination revealed that the child had suffered from chronic phosphorus poisoning through the prolonged ingestion of match heads.” Silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… The Shape of Darkness is a glorious gothic tale, set in the prime setting of Victorian Bath. Agnes is a silhouette artist and takes care of her mother and nephew. Pearl is an eleven-year old medium, and lives with her ailing father and half-sister. Purcell builds the picture of each’s life, layer by layer, and I was riveted by those spellbinding worlds. This woman and child come to join efforts when Agnes’s clients all start to be murdered...

As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?There was also some gorgeous writing along the way, some of which I took the time to highlight so I could return to reread these sentences at a later time. The narrative doesn’t really reveal who killed Mrs. Campbell. It’s ambiguous and possibly coincidence, but murder was speculative by the police and deemed not likely. Seances are the perfect venue for suspense, fright and terror, and Purcell does not miss the opportunity. Purcell also keeps some of her cards hidden. There always seems to be information, vital information that will enlighten the reader, just out of grasp. Teasing little snippets of the dead sister every now and then. What happened to Agnes’ sister, Constance? What happened to Montague? Characters who are always on the periphery of the narrative but seem to be integral. The constant references to an accident. This historical novel is set in Victorian Bath, where Agnes Darken lives with her widowed mother and nephew, Cedric. Agnes is a silhouette artist in a time of change, when most of her customers are more interested in having a photographic portrait taken than having their outline snipped. Before long, we learn that not all is well with Agnes; she suffers frail health from an incident in her past, we discover a tale of tangled romance and financial hardship and her only real help comes from local doctor Simon, who was married to her sister, Constance.