The Devil and Mrs. Davenport
It fits readers who want gothic historical fiction with supernatural tension, domestic control, and a woman clawing her way toward her own power.
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport
About the book
The bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil mines the subtle horrors of 1950s America in a gripping novel about a woman under pressure—from the living and the dead.
The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the voices.
Missouri, 1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquility—until a local girl is murdered and Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination. Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening.
Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse. With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work.
As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead, Loretta must first save herself.
Our take
A murdered girl, a fever, and voices no one believes are a great way to ruin the illusion of a perfect 1950s marriage. In The Devil and Mrs. Davenport, Loretta’s growing psychic abilities pull her toward the dead and away from the rigid life her husband expects her to keep. It fits readers who want gothic historical fiction with supernatural tension, domestic control, and a woman clawing her way toward her own power.
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