In The Séance Garden by Juliet Blackwell, what starts as a lost bet turns into more than Professor Harper Grae bargains for on what was supposed to be a night of fun on a ghost tour of Monterey. When they stumble upon a body buried below a tree on the grounds of a mansion with a horrific history, Harper gets pulled into the investigation.

The Perles mansion has a dark history, but local artist Delilah Mason purchased it and was slowly making repairs and modifications until she was found buried at the base of the large cypress tree, much as had happened to Isabel Perles hundreds of years earlier. The similarities are ignored, but Harper can’t shake the feeling that there is more going on than meets the eye, especially after seeing the shadow of a woman watching from the window of the mansion and the surreal experience she has when she enters the mansion to look for her. Her work and academic career have involved researching and debunking historical occult experiences. But the more she digs, the less of a logical explanation she can give for what happened, and is apparently still happening at the mansion.

The mystery develops at a steady pace, while the paranormal elements add tension without overwhelming the detective work. Each clue leaves you wondering whether there’s a rational explanation or something far more sinister at work. The author also does well with the actual history of witches and hauntings and avoids resorting to macabre examples while still giving the reader a lingering sense of unease. Add to that well-rounded characters and a disturbing atmosphere, and you have a book you can’t put down.

The Séance Garden is an engaging mystery with just the right amount of supernatural intrigue to keep the pages turning. Whether you enjoy haunted houses, historical mysteries, or stories that leave you questioning what is real, this book delivers an entertaining and atmospheric read, making it a book I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Many thanks to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, the author, Juliet Blackwell, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.