The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits was a fun, quick read that was very different from the historical mystery novels that I have read from this author. A huge fan of her Hawkenlye mystery series, I was curious to see what she would do with a series set in the 19th century as opposed to the 12th century. I do think the tone was somewhat more humorous and while I was not opposed to this, one of the things I loved about her medieval mysteries was not just her ability to describe the time periods so well, but also her ability to highlight the injustices and plights of those who were downtrodden and abused. And this definitely was highlighted here too, just not in the same way.

Lily and Felix were the main characters of this new series, and I grew to like them both for very different reasons. Felix is a charmer, the one who brings humour to the series, both through his actions and through his witticism. But deep down, there is also a champion for justice who is just waiting to escape, and we see that through a secondary story line that occurs in this book. Lily is far more serious, and she is hiding a big secret, one that we don't actually learn in this book. Her seriousness matches Felix' impulsiveness rather nicely and the two work well together. I know that Lily does not represent the typical Victorian woman of the time period, but truly, I am getting a bit tired of the 'I've got a big secret' trope, and that is why I am doing what I am doing instead of what I love. It's getting a bit old. Thank goodness Lily and Felix handle any disagreements with maturity rather than the angst you see in other books, and they interact with each other quite naturally, helping and supporting each other when needed, understanding they need each other to survive as well as to grow the business.

The main mystery was actually quite interesting and I have to admit I didn't suspect who it was until later on in the book, and when I did finally suspect who it was, I couldn't for the life of me come up with a motive. The secondary story line, also a mystery to some extent, was also fascinating, but for far different reasons. There did tend to be some 'lecturing' in this book with regards to the conditions of the slums and how the wealthy didn't do anything to help, but it wasn't too overly blatant. The investigation itself was a nice balance of actual investigative work and relationship development.

The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits was an enjoyable start to a new series for this author. I enjoyed the two main characters quite a bit although I did feel like they were modern characters who time-travelled to the 19th century, at times, rather than ones who actually grew up in Victorian England. I really enjoyed the journalist and the actress and hope they become series regulars, although I will say that if the sailor thing becomes a love triangle, I think that may be a big negative for me. I thought the investigation was interesting, and the ending did catch me by surprise although I should be used to this author's twists and turns by now. A good start to a new series.

This is the first book in A World’s End Bureau – Victorian Mystery series. The World’s End Bureau is owned and run by Lily Raynor in London in the 1880s. She has had some success with her business and is now finding it difficult to keep up with the admin side. She employs Felix Wilbraham to help on the clerical aspects, but soon he proves his worth and helps Lily in a series of investigations.

One such investigation comes by way of Ernest Stibbins who is concerned as to his wife’s safety. She is a medium and it soon becomes apparent to Lily that Albertina is indeed in danger. Along with this investigation, there is another that concerns a young man and an actress. While the cases are very different they both lead Lily and Felix on a route that takes them and the reader into various areas of Victorian London.

Being as this is the first in the series, it was good to get to know the two main characters as they got to know each other. I liked how there is mutual respect between them, especially as Felix is working for a female and this is an unusual thing at this time and for this profession.

The author has done a good job of creating an atmospheric read and delves into some unsavoury sides of the era. The murkiness and the ominous feelings at times provide an eeriness to the story. this is particularly good for the investigation into the Stibbins’s.

I did find the pacing of the story fluctuated, at the time it felt a little slow, but on the whole, it worked well. There was a good deal of intrigue and I was so very curious as to how the author would conclude the mysteries.

This was an enjoyable read and one that kept me intrigued throughout. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series to see how the author proceeds with not only Lily and Felix but also to see if she incorporates a couple of other characters that I think would make good additions to future investigations.

A good start to a series for mystery readers and a good atmospheric read and one I would definitely recommend.

What can I say?
I loved this book!
I was browned with the plot and writing.
It was one of those books that stay with you for a long time and don't go away.
If you like Victorian era and great plot....dont hesitate and read it now!!!

The review is in the July issue of GumshoeReview.com. <http://www.gumshoereview.com/php/Review-id.php?id=6399> and is exclusive to them until August 2019.

Unusual, riveting, period mystery!

A strong period mystery with a hint of the supernatural set in the Victorian England of 1880. When Lily Raynor, of the World’s End Investigation Bureau is approached by Ernest Stibbins to investigate his wife's frantic insistence that someone wants to hurt her, Lily and her new assistant Felix Wilbraham are somewhat in doubt seeing as the information comes from Albertina's spirit guide.
Mediums were all the rage at this time, and the stepping into the medium's parlour is a delicious slant Alys Clare has given to a mystery. However it seems that Albertina's is a gifted spiritualist, and indeed she and her cohort become persons of interest. Lily and Felix follow these leads, and indeed, when Lily joins the seance she does feel the presence of--something! "Lily’s skin is crawling. She can almost see the menace."
And then there's this, as Felix discovers, ‘Missing women. Five in the Battersea area, one in Chelsea.’ But it seems there may be more! What does this have to do with their case?
And Lily's inquiries have revealed the same factors.
"One: there have definitely been cases of women going missing and the general view seems to be that they are women of the street whose movements are not easy to trace. Two: there is, however, a persistent rumour that something very sinister is happening, with suggestions of women being snatched for unspeakable purposes."
Lily and Felix investigate each of the circle Albertina's involved with and each have their own particular interest that might just throw light on Albertina's plight.
As the investigation continues it seems that Lily too might be in danger.
Lily is wonderful character,with a strong code of ethics with a vulnerability lurking below surface. Felix is super like able as well, as he endeavors to prove his usefulness to Lily. I love the way Felix and Lily's relationship as employer and employee develops. Felix applies for the post of clerical assistant, mistakingly thing his possible employer will be a Mr. He is taken aback to discover L. Raynor is a woman. For Lily's part she was looking for a female assistant. Employed, Felix does lend so much more to Lily's investigations, going places she can't and seeing things from a different perspective. I look forward to more from this unusual pair of detectives.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley

Alys Clare has moved to Victorian sleuthing in The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits. An investigator reports on the background of a woman and a young man commits suicide. Women are disappearing and probably murdered. Dark doings in murky circumstances. Read for atmosphere.

A very good historical novel, engaging and entertaining.
I loved the realistic and vivid the descriptions of the Victorian era , the interesting and well written characters and have been hooked by the plot since the first pages.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Set in the Victorian period, The Woman who Spoke to Spirits is the first in a new series featuring Lily Raynor and her World's End Bureau. Lily was a nurse by training, but after a tragic event in India, found herself returning home to England. In her absence, her beloved aunt and grandparents have passed away leaving her the site of their apothecary shop which Lily has converted into her detective agency.

Lily has advertised for an office assistant and is as surprised to learn that applicant F Wilbraham is a man. Felix is also surprised to realize that L Raynor is in fact Lily, but both agree to a trial period. After a month, Felix has more than proven his worth and then some so Lily asks him to help investigate an actress that is engaged to the heir to a baron while she investigates a threat to a young wife who can speak to spirits.

Both of the cases are interesting and provide insight into Lily and Felix's past. The young wife who can speak to spirits includes some interesting twists and turns that surprised me; what really held my interest were the characters of Lily and Felix. Both of very interesting pasts that are hinted at that I can't wait to learn more about in upcoming titles; I am also interested to see if their partnership will eventually become something more.

So, this is Victorian London and features a private investigator who is a female, so if you like engaging strong female protagonists and mysteries to solve then this'll definitely be of interest.

Lily Raynor is the private investigator and she runs the World's End Bureau of Investigation. To help with her paperwork and office duties she hired a chap called Felix Wilbraham and it turns out he's also pretty good as the investigative work as well.

I like historical fiction, particularly involving Victorian London, so I was happy with both the setting and the pairing of Lily and Felix. As with all first books, it's great to see the characters being established and getting to understand each other. The case Lily investigates is brought to her by Lord Berwick, who needs to find out more about his son's fiance; whilst Felix gets involved in an investigation looking into Ernst Stibbins' claim that someone wants to kill his wife.

And so the investigations begin...some atmospheric descriptions, appealing investigations, great character development and undercurrents. Overall a good, enjoyable read. Recommended.

I love Victorian mysteries so this was right up my alley. I thought the author did a great job immersing us in London during the time period and I felt the writing was first rate. I also enjoyed getting to know both the main characters and I look forward to seeing their interaction in future installments. I did feel there was a general lack of suspense throughout the book – the prologue set it up and then it kind of fizzled out until the end. And there was way too much detail and information gathering that really grew old. 3 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Readers will find "The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits” speaking to them in an entertaining fashion. The author, Alys Clare has honed her trade with her medieval mysteries, and brings her creativity and depth of detail to this, the first in the “World’s End Bureau’ series, set in Victorian times.

A murder is announced at the very beginning. A prostitute, used and cruelly abused. Is this to be the first of many, is that what this book is all about? It is and it isn’t, as readers will see.

Lily Raynor is the proprietor of the World’s End Bureau, an investigation bureau, as she describes it to her newly employed (male) clerical assistant, Felix Wilbraham. Describes it in present tense, which is used throughout and which I dislike very much in a book. That’s a personal quirk. It doesn’t distract from my enjoyment of what’s eventually found on the pages, but I find the author’s use of it annoying.

Felix, having settled in, takes a case while Lily is away – a man says his wife is being threatened by Spirits from Beyond, and can the WEB do something about it? Well, Felix says they will do their best – but what will Lily say when she returns? And then Lily has a case, and so they trade. Lily will investigate the psychic and Felix will try to dissuade a wealthy lord’s son from ruining himself over an actress.

Lily attends a séance, to see Mrs. Stibbens first hand. And Mrs. Stibbens tells her something only Lily should know. Ah, a paranormal mystery. Not my favorite, either. But it does play a large part in how everything is resolved, as it leads inexorably to a murderer. And Ms. Clare handles it well, building the tension and the fear that Lily feels, making the reader feel, it too. Eventually it becomes clear that there is something else going on – the disappearance of women in the neighborhood. Prostitutes, mostly. So of course, the police don’t care and won’t investigate. But Felix and Lily do.

And the second plot line, the lord’s son and the actress, is followed through by Felix and also by Lily. Shadows from the past play a part here, and the author fills in the blanks sufficiently to build to an outcome here, too.

What is hidden but shouldn’t be hidden is the dogged investigation within these pages. Both protagonists perform the necessary steps of a murder investigation, one that any modern detective would recognize and be proud of. This fight to find the truth leads to a terrible evil, and this revelation leads to someone’s life in danger.

Lily has issues in her life – every fictional heroine does, it seems. Something the author calls The Incident. I realize that a single woman in Victorian times that had a brain probably wouldn’t have a job like Lily’s, but do we really have to have yet another something that the heroine Has To Forget teased, so she has a reason for doing what she does? And there is some sermonizing going on, something that happens a lot in books set in this time frame (terrible conditions in the slums, disparity between the rich and the poor, etcetera).

To offset this, our two lead players, Lily and Felix, interact with each other in a natural way that avoids being overly Victorian, thank goodness. Even when real differences of opinion happen, they handle it in a mature fashion. To which I say, hear, hear. It bodes well for the future of the World’s End Bureau. Let’s see more from Lily and Felix.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

"London, 1880. “I’m dreadfully afraid someone is threatening to kill my wife...” When accounts clerk Ernest Stibbins approaches the World’s End investigation bureau with wild claims that his wife Albertina has been warned by her spirit guides that someone is out to harm her, the bureau’s owner Lily Raynor and her new employee Felix Wilbraham are initially sceptical. How are the two private enquiry agents supposed to investigate threats from beyond the grave? But after she attends a séance at the Stibbins family home, Lily comes to realize that Albertina is in terrible danger. And very soon so too is Lily herself..."

I'm a sucker for a séance.

It’s 1880 London, and Lily Raynor has just hired Felix Wilbraham as the clerical assistant for her World’s End Bureau private investigation agency. Cases usually involve reporting on cheating wives, runaway sons or dogs, and small thefts until Ernest Stibbens asks them to investigate a threat toward his wife Albertina. Albertina is a psychic and the threat may be coming from beyond the grave. While Lily poses as a customer at a séance and Felix investigates the romance between an aging actress and a young male heir, they stumble on seven unexplained deaths of young female prostitutes, which the law has ignored.

The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits, the first book of the World’s End Bureau Mystery, drew me in from the start and held me to the end. The usual suspects are thrown in, and the villain is a shocker, which makes for a sound mystery but it’s the characters that are the surprise. Just as Lily is taken aback to find herself hiring a male as her office help, so is Felix at finding himself reporting to a woman. But the chemistry between them is evident as is the respect, and both develop as a result. The cases also personally affect them, and their responses make for an interesting rapport. Two minor characters, the aging actress Violetta Da Rose and the morally-conscious reporter Marmaduke Smithers were especially well-drawn and memorable. Felix was engaging but Lily was too uptight. Whatever “incident” in her history forced her to give up nursing in India and open the agency needs explaining in order for her to become more than a one-dimensional character.

The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits is a solid mystery with some surprising characters. It’s an intriguing introduction to the series, and I look forward to more.
Reviewed for the Historical Novels Society

This is a Victorian detective novel featuring Lily Raynor and her assistant Felix Wilbraham. Lily is a private detective and when Felix accepts a job from Ernest Stibbins who says his wife Albertina who can commune with the dead receives a message to say her life is in danger, things really kick off. The plot goes between two stories with the primary one involving the case with Albertina. Both are well done though.

The plot is excellent and the characters are well written. The historical aspect of the book was well done and I felt as if I was there with the characters. There was lots to love and lots to look forward to in future books too such as Lily's past and more about Felix too. It's a great start to a series and I look forward to reading the next book too.

Set in 1880s London- this one is a winner for fans of historical mysteries. Lily has hired Felix to work for her in her investigations agency, a nice twist on the usual. She assigns Felix to work the case of Violette, the older fiancé of a rich man's son while she looks into seances. Such a big thing with the Victorians but in this instance, she discovers that there actually is a threat to Albertina, who claims the spirits have warned her. These two threads don't seem to come together but throw in Felix and Lily trying to find their way as colleagues and you'll be hooked. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
In 1880's London Lily Raynor owns, runs and is the only investigator of the World's End Investigative Bureau. She needs help after her first several successful cases and ends up hiring Felix, an ex-aristocrat, as an assistant. He needs the money and she desperately needs a second pair of hands.
I love their relationship, they make an excellent pair of detectives (and tentatively good friends); they need to be as they have a couple of tough cases to solve.
There are hints of the paranormal, which I enjoyed, and a wonderful feel of 1800's London, very atmospheric. The ending was a shocker, wow! This was my first book by Alys Clare and I highly recommend it. Can't wait for the next one!

London 1880 and Lily Raynor has recently employed a clerical assistant, Feliz Wilbraham, in her investigative firm, The World's End Bureau. While out working on another case for Lord Berwick, Felix is mistaken for L Raynor, and accounts clerk Ernest Stibbins details the threat to his wife, Albertina. Meanwhile several woman seem to have disppeared south of the river but nobody really cares considering their employment.
I admit not being a fan of stories written in the present tense, but I found it less of a distraction the more I read. It certainly didn't take long to settle into this well-written story. It certainly helps that the two main characters are likeable, each with a history. A very enjoyable mystery, and a very good start to a new series.

One thing I hate about reading a book in a series, especially when it’s the first one, is having to wait for the next installment. That is the case with this new series. I’ve not read anything by Alys Clare until The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits. I tend to read books placed within the Regency, Victorian or later time period. However, after reading this first installment in the World’s End Bureau, which does take place in a Victorian time frame, I just might have to jump out of my comfort zone and look up some of her other works. Clare introduces us to Lily Raynor who is the soul owner and proprietor of the World’s End Bureau. Lily’s reputation as reliable and discrete keep her busy and when she hires on Felix Wilbraham as an office assistant, she doesn’t realize what an asset she has acquired. When Ernst Stibbins walks in the door frightened someone is trying to kill his wife, Felix readily accepts the case. Lily has been hired by a Lord to check into the background of an actress who has been stepping out with his son. Together, Lily and Felix begin working the two cases not knowing they are headed into something bigger than they even imagined.

For me, the heart of this story is the dynamic of these two people coming together and finding companionship, friendship and solace in each other. Clare artfully builds their personalities and gives us a glimpse of the background that forged the personalities. She does hint at a major Incident in Lily’s background. but she doesn’t hurry to reveal it. This is my favorite book this year, so far. It was a highly enjoyable read for me and I just wanted it to keep going. You are immediately at ease with characters that she wants you to be comfortable with and uneasy with the more questionable without beating you over the head with their wicked ways. There are a few that you wonder what happened to them and others you know for sure Clare will bring up in later books. At least this reader hopes that will happen. I will be talking about this book to anyone who will listen. Adults and teens alike. I hope this series is a long running one. I want the next one NOW!
#TheWomanWhoSpoketoSpirits #NetGalley

I was really looking forward to reading this book but wondered whether I'd enjoy it as much as I'd enjoyed her previous historical novels, as it's set in a completely different period in history. I'm pleased to say I did! Set in the late 19th Century, a young, educated woman, Lily Raynor has set up a private investigation business and employs Felix Wilbrahim, as her Clerk. It quickly becomes apparent to Lily that Felix is versatile and very capable and his role is expanded so that he assists with investigations. There is one main storyline in this novel, with another smaller one running alongside it and it is through both storylines that the reader gets to know Lily and Felix. Their interactions with each other often made me smile and I look forward to seeing how their relationship develops as the books progress. The storylines themselves were well thought out and the main one keeps the reader guessing, the second storyline has a twist right at the end! I like Alys Clare's style of writing. I like her characters, I like the way you can almost touch and feel the period in which it's set. I loved this book.

I loved this! I am a fan of historical fiction and Victorian historical fiction in particular, so I was eager to give it a try. A few chapters in, throughly enjoying it, I looked up the author and Goodreads and saw that she has written many other books. I wasn’t surprised because the writing was great. I liked her two main characters very much. I liked the author’s use of the present tense. The plot was good and kept me guessing until the end. I like the fact that features of Victorian culture played a part in the mysteries- interest in the Egyptians, mediumship and seances and the Demi monde of the theatre world. I’ve read a lot of Victorian style mysteries and this was one of the best examples I’ve read. I’m really looking forward to reading some of Alys Clare’s other work while I’m waiting for the next in this series to come along. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.