Riddle of Spirit and Bone
In Buffalo, New York, in 2015, Dan is replacing a gas line when a human bone is discovered. Almost immediately, the job is shut down until archaeologists can excavate the site, remove the remains, and determine whether this is a solo burial. Intrigued, Dan joins in the dig and soon begins investigating the death of the unfortunate buried woman with the help of Karen, one of the archaeologists.
In 1851 New York, Lydia and Jane are orphaned cousins living with their Aunt Madeleine and Uncle George. Then Uncle George dies, and Madeleine, the second wife, finds out George has left her nothing. Madeleine, Lydia, and Jane are soon evicted by George’s sons from his first marriage and are left with only Madeleine’s jewelry as assets. Hurt and unable to believe this, Madeleine becomes acquainted with Alexander Dodge Lewis, a medium who claims he can communicate with the dead. Desperate to contact George beyond the grave and see if he really did provide for her, Madeleine begins attending traveling seances, along with her nieces. During these seances, Lydia discovers she herself is a medium. Jane, however, remains doubtful and suspicious, especially of Lewis, so she escapes into her love of art and meets a fellow artist, Jed Porter.
The 19th-century timeline is intriguing, especially the art of Jane and Jed and the “camera obscura” that they use in developing their sketches. The grief-crazed and betrayed Madeleine is the perfect example of the type of person a charlatan might have targeted. The romance of Jane and Jed is believable and moves at a perfect pace for the era. The 2015 romance of Dan and Karen is not as developed and feels rushed, but this time period is otherwise used well to peel back layers of the unsolved mystery. Recommended.
