The Mesmerist

Before hypnotism, there was mesmerism. In 1894 Minneapolis, in the wake of a national financial crisis, spiritualism of every stripe is all the rage, and women are dying under mysterious circumstances. But until a new guest named Faith lands at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers, mute and refusing to explain her arrival, the sordid stories of unexplained deaths seem unconnected. Faith's reticence is quickly interpreted as malevolence, setting the house abuzz with whispers of dark magic. Abby, a staunch Quaker, lifelong supporter of progressive causes, and Bethany Home's treasurer, thinks the rumors of mystical powers swirling around Faith are nonsense, but she recognizes the danger of a good story. Refusing to allow scandal to cloud the home's important mission, Abby tasks Faith's roommate, May, with tracing Faith's path to Bethany Home. May is desperate to end her year at Bethany Home engaged and on track to her happily-ever-after—even if her prince charming is Hal, a man she's not sure she can trust. As she digs into Faith's shadowy background, May uncovers a Minneapolis she never expected, and her investigation brings her closer to polite society and to Hal. The more she learns, the more she questions the motives of everyone around her, including Abby and Faith, and as more women turn up dead May must reevaluate the future she wants, and which lies she's willing to tell and for whom.