Nothing gets me more excited than learning that my favorite author is starting a brand new series. That’s right, Leanna Renee Hieber is back with more Gothic gaslamp fantasy! The first book that I ever reviewed on this blog over three years ago was Leanna’s Darker Still, a thrilling love story about a young woman named Natalie who saves the dashing Lord Denbury from demonic forces. Now, nineteen years after their happily ever after, it’s time for the next generation to join the fight against evil. The Spectral City is the first book in a new series starring Eve Whitby, Natalie and Lord Denbury’s daughter. The book comes out tomorrow, November 27. If you’re in the area, join me at the Spectral City Launch Party at WORD bookstore in Brooklyn on November 29!
For Eve Whitby, a connection to the supernatural seems to run in the family. A talented medium like her grandmother Evelyn, Eve has decided to turn her ghost-related abilities into a career. With the support of New York City governor Teddy Roosevelt, she quietly forms a Ghost Precinct within the NYPD to solve cold cases via otherworldly means. Their specialty is finding missing children, but when one of their own ghost operatives goes missing, Eve realizes that they may be dealing with something bigger than she’s ever faced before. Meanwhile, a troubling thread of strange coincidences seems to be running through all of their cases: poison, the powerful Prenze family, and the ominous warning “Don’t let anything in.” Eve will need to call on all her allies—from her grandmother to the long-time veteran of psychic battles, Clara Bishop, and the handsome Detective Horowitz—in order to get to the bottom of this mystery.
The best part of this book is the girl gang of powerful and compassionate women that form the Ghost Precinct. Eve heads the group, but luckily she doesn’t need to work alone. Her second-in-command is Cora, the mixed-race daughter of Andre Dupris, whom Hieber fans will remember from the Eterna Files series. Cora uses her special relationship with her ghostly uncle Louis and her skill with psychometry—getting psychic readings from objects—to find new leads for their cases. But even more invaluable is her ability to take up the reins when Eve is worn out or pulled in too many directions. The next member of the team is Antonia, who was led to Eve’s doorstep by the spirits while the precinct was in the middle of a seance. As a trans woman, Antonia had to leave her home and family behind in order to live her life on her own terms, and she finds a new family in the Ghost Precinct. I view her as the heart of the group, since she prioritizes making sure they are all healthy and cared for over the glory of being the first on the scene, and she helps to balance out Eve’s impetuousness. Last is little Jenny, an eight-year-old Irish orphan who was brought to the precinct by the ghosts of her dead parents. While she is a powerful member of their team, the others recognize that she is still a child and try not to push her beyond her limits. These four women, brought together by their connection with the spirits, create a powerful sisterhood that makes crime-solving a collaborative effort.
As much as I love beautiful female friendships, I’m also here for the romance! Eve and Detective Horowitz’s relationship follows one of my favorite romance tropes: the fake boyfriend. Eve needs to pretend to have a suitor in order to get her parents off her back. Since she and the detective have been working together on a case, he’s a convenient choice. But when she’s with him, it feels just a little bit too easy to pretend…. Theirs is a slow-burning romance, and I can’t wait to see where it leads in the rest of the series!
If you want to read The Spectral City for yourself, you can buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link, or order the paperback directly from Leanna’s Etsy page to get a personalized signed copy. You can also find it at your local bookstore starting tomorrow. And, again, if you’re in town come to the release party at WORD on Thursday!