Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn

Final Rating: 4.1/5

A most unusual murder mystery set in 19th-century Philadelphia

   Set during 1869 the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania serves as our historic backdrop for this most unusual murder mystery that begins with the ugly gossip that greedy charlatans are preying on the desperate and bereaved of the city as rich and poor reach into shadows and knock on inconspicuous doors begging for a chance to hear one final message from departed loved ones. But it can't be all bunkum, can it? Mr. Edward Clark believes it is and when asked by his employer to investigate the alarming number of claims around the city that people can contact and converse with the dead and then write an expose of the truth he is reluctant to accept the assignment and is determined not to become concerned in the matters of Spiritualism. What then starts out as a mundane and trivial venture for this reporter may soon open windows to other worlds and beg the questions of: is there something else at work in the parlors of Philadelphia or are these some of the cruelest tricks imaginable being played on the public?

   In the end, Things Half in Shadow was an entertaining mixture of some fascinating topics to this reader. This novel had quite a bit of details that I crave and honestly how could I not read about fraudulent mediums, the vogue of Spiritualism and a mysterious bizarre death that occurs in a locked room. With visions dancing in my mind, I jumped into this read with such expectations. Overall some of those expectations were surpassed in regards to the amount of pages dedicated to the practices of Séances, illusions, the Civil War seen though the eyes of a soldier and the respectful handling of the psychological aftermath. Those details shined but then I figured out too many of the twists very early, the dialogue and narration at times read as modern, there were a few holes of history in the story and one very noticeable plot hole and even though the novel moved very fluidly to the next event and topic it unfortunately tended to just ramble with going over the same locations and particulars. With breaks in between of action scenes worthy of a Hollywood production (and this would be a great novel to turn into a movie) the novel did become very vivid and fun with believable feats though. Still I would recommend Things Half in Shadow to those readers who can overlook a few negatives and prefer to just enjoy an unusual story as it unfolds. This novel seems to be the first of a new unique series that blends that mysterious fine line between life and death and I am very interested to read the next installment.

* I would like to thank Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy Things Half in Shadow