Paris, 1888. The City of Light has a shadow.
Dr. Alistair Finch is a man of science. A physician turned professional debunker, he travels Europe exposing fraudulent mediums and mechanical ghosts. He believes in what he can touch, measure, and explain. When the Paris police summon him to investigate the suspicious death of a celebrated silhouette artist during a society séance, Alistair expects another simple case of parlor trickery gone wrong.
He does not expect Étienne Duval.
A humble candle-maker with the soul of an artist, Étienne is grieving a man he could never publicly mourn. He knows his lover's death was no accident?and certainly no heart attack. He felt the coldness in the room that night, the malice that lingered long after the candles were extinguished. Alistair's cold logic infuriates him, but Étienne needs the Englishman's access to the wealthy circles where the killer hides.
Forced into a reluctant partnership, the skeptic and the believer descend into the Parisian underworld. From the velvet-draped parlors of the aristocracy to the smoky absinthe dens of Montmartre and the bone-filled silence of the catacombs, they hunt a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of power.
But as they decode cryptic spirit photographs and stolen ledgers, the friction between them sparks into a forbidden attraction. Alistair finds his rigid worldview crumbling against Étienne's unwavering faith, while Étienne finds a protector in the man who claims not to care.
Together, they uncover a plot far darker than simple murder. A cult is preparing for a celestial alignment that promises power at the cost of blood. With the clock ticking toward a ritual that requires nine sacrifices, Alistair must make an impossible choice: cling to his rationality, or embrace the impossible to save the man he loves.
Séance in Silhouette: A Shadow of Doubt is an atmospheric historical mystery blending gothic romance with high-stakes investigation. Featuring a prickly skeptic vs. emotional believer dynamic, secret societies, high-speed carriage chases, a heist during a masquerade ball, and a love that defies the boundaries of death.
