The Seance Society

It’s 1956 and millionaire inventor and spiritualist, Trexler Lloyd has invented a machine which will supposedly allow him to communicate with the dead. However, on its first run, he is electrocuted. Perhaps by coincidence (or maybe not), the local coroner is present and pronounces the death an accident. However, at least one of the guests at the séance suspects foul play and hires detective Lee Plunkett and his assistant, Mr O’Nelligan to investigate.

Despite being set in the US, The Séance Society has all the earmarks of a British cosy mystery including an English butler. The setting is somewhat circumscribed, more village than city and, although Plunkett and especially Mr O’Nelligan are very likable, there is not much depth to show more most of the characters. And, in the tradition of a good cosy, at the denouement the suspects are all gathered in the parlor of the mansion and the clues are laid out one by one until the perpetrator is revealed.

The pace is rather slow - these are the '50s as portrayed by Norman Rockwell with soda fountains and Elvis and without HUAC, the Cold War, or fear of the bomb or the military industrial complex. Even the dialogue tends to reflect a simpler time when words like ‘golly’ and ‘shenanigans’ were bandied about and not in an ironic way. But this is not to say that The Séance Society isn’t a fun read. It’s kind of like that old sweater you keep because, although it may be out of style, it’s familiar and warm, perfect for a nice quiet evening at home, curled up with a glass of wine and vinyl on the stereo. show less

Michael Nethercott brings his characters, Mr. O’Nelligan and Lee Plunkett, from the pages of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and gives them a proper debut novel. It’s 1956 and professional (“professional” in the sense that he has a license) detective Plunkett is asked to look into the death of a psychic medium. He engages the assistance of his new/old friend Mr. O’Nelligan. O’Nelligan holds no license and will accept no payment but he does have a bit of the Irish twinkle and turn of phrase. With suspects o’plenty (mostly under the same roof) the duo works in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen, complete with the gathering of all the suspects in a room to reveal the killer. O’Nelligan and Plunkett show more promise to be a comfortable “go-to” duo when nothing else seems to hit the mark.

This review was originally written for Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore. show less

Lee's father left him a private detective agency. When Lee's eternal fiancée, Audrey, takes him to the Otherworld's Fair along with her quirky neighbor, Mr. O'Nelligan. When one of the main speakers subsequently dies, the 2 men finds themselves investigating multiple plots of faked deaths, murder, ghosts, and con artists. The mystery definitely takes back seat to the interactions between the unlikely partners, including their verbal sparring, as well as the larger cast of flamboyant and interesting characters.

An okay but not exceptional mystery with minor romance on the side. Guessed the first part of the plot, somewhat surprised by the second.

Satisfying, old-fashioned mystery with likable characters.

Fun little mystery, set in the late 50's. I hope he follows up with more.

Awful. Mannered cross between Sherlock Holmes and Dashiell Hammett.