The Golden Key – Marian Womack
1901. After the death of Queen Victoria, England heaves with the uncanny. Séances are held and the dead are called upon from darker realms.
Helena Walton-Cisneros, known for her ability to find the lost and the displaced, is hired by the elusive Lady Matthews to solve a twenty-year-old mystery: the disappearance of her three stepdaughters who vanished without a trace on the Norfolk Fens.
But the Fens are an age-old land, where folk tales and dark magic still linger. The locals speak of devilmen and catatonic children are found on the Broads. Here, Helena finds what she was sent for, as the Fenland always gives up its secrets, in the end…
My thanks to Polly Grist at Titan Books for the review copy and a chance to host this leg of The Golden Key blog tour.
It’s 1901. The Queen is dead and at the start of the 20th century the “norms” of Victorian England are being challenged a bit more than some may have considered possible during the long reign of Victoria. One notable change is a rise in spiritualism and the need for people to reach out and contact the deceased. As has always been the way; the rise in demand will increase the number of spiritualists who may appear and make themselves available. Through the story of The Golden Key I enjoyed seeing the spiritualists and mediums that arrived in London were being challenged and treated with suspicion by the Gentlemen who sought proof their craft was real. Seances in controlled situations were demanded, investigations into how the spiritualist could possibly know personal information about their paying customers were conducted. I also very much enjoyed being reminded that these gatherings and seances would take place in the spiritualist’s home, an evening gathering in the parlour where dark rooms were lit by candles and shadows dominate the proceedings – it creates wonderful imagery.
Much of The Golden Key is viewed through the eyes of Helena Walton-Cisneros. She is a feisty and determined character, indeed the first time we meet her she appears shifty, out of place and then to avoid scrutiny she delivers a single blow to our (then) narrator to render him unconscious. What a great way to introduce the lead character, though perhaps not so great for our other main voice (Sam Moncrieff).
Sam’s story is interwoven with that of Helena. He is plagued by recurring dreams of a terrifying house and he cannot recall if he has visited the house in question or if it is a figment of his imagination. He feels Helena may be able to help him find some answers, however, he also has a degree of caution and suspicion around her skills. When he challenges her to read his cards and asks that she does not try to embellish her performance and just deal in facts Sam finds there may be more to Helena’s skills than he is willing to accept.
The story is, at heart, an investigation by Helena into the disapparance of three sisters on the fens many years earlier. This issue fades into the background for parts of the story but the narrative keeps us pushing along and often incidents which appear unrelated can be tied to the main story. As befits a Victorian ghostly story the narrative can be fanciful in telling and once or twice I was re-reading passages to re-affirm to myself what had just occurred (the curse of being something of a skim reader). I was most happy when the ghosts were abound or the seances were ramping up but I did enjoy watching Helena piece together elements of the case she had been engaged to investigate.
Crossing a ghost story with a historical novel is always great for that creepy, gothic vibe and The Golden Key ticked all the boxes in that regard. Once the characters had been established and the tale picked up pace I found I was drawn into the story and every creak of my house would make me jump.
Fun reading – slightly too flighty in the narrative at times as events jumped around a bit more than I had expected but a good tale running through this one and ghostly appearances are always time well spent in a book.
The Golden Key is published by Titan Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1789093252/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0