*Silver Award-Winner in The Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Awards 2024 in the Historical Mystery & Crime Category with The Signare of Gorée*
Calista
by Laura Rahme
The mysterious death of a Greek-born woman sparks eerie happenings in this nightmarish detective novel where the uncanny meets with science.
England, 1848. When French Inspector, Maurice Leroux, arrives at Alexandra Hall to investigate two grisly murders, he finds superstition and fear rife among the servants and the new master of the house.
And what of the mysterious man who once owned this isolated Berkshire mansion? A decade ago, Aaron Nightingale returned from the Greek islands with his bride-to-be — the gifted village girl, Calista. Now husband and wife lie dead and two other occupants of the house have since been murdered.
Faced with a series of chilling and unexplained events, Maurice becomes convinced that a supernatural presence, perhaps Calista’s vengeful spirit, haunts Alexandra Hall.
But the Nightingales harboured dark secrets and Alexandra Hall has witnessed more horror than Maurice Leroux can imagine. As the French Inspector methodically unearths an inhuman evil, it will edge him closer to the terrors of his past and lead to an unforgettable discovery.
A Victorian gothic mystery at the frontier of the fantastique, CALISTA is a novel for lovers of the unknown.
Mesmerism
In my Victorian mystery, Calista, the female protagonist who bears this name possesses an extraordinary gift: an uncanny ability to heal and influence the minds of animals. This unique skill is not only central to who she is but becomes deeply entwined with the novel's unfolding mystery. It turns out, Calista Nightingale and her husband, Aaron Nightingale have both died.
As my French inspector, Maurice Leroux, arrives at Alexandra Hall to investigate the couple’s death and that of others, he uncovers a tapestry of secrets, not least, Aaron's fascination with animal magnetism. The Berkshire mansion itself, with its intriguing blend of architectural styles, becomes a metaphor for the shapeshifting Aaron but also for something more sinister. The very history of the mansion’s construction conceals a dark meaning and as Maurice discovers, there is hidden chamber that hints to a malevolent presence in the house.
To create a sense of dread and psychological tension, I had Maurice Leroux confront not only the hauntings of Alexandra Hall but also his own troubled past. There is an emotional aspect behind this theme of an abused child who as an adult confronts an authoritative figure. Does Maurice Leroux suffer from complex post-traumatic stress disorder? Perhaps.
But the force behind Calista’s mystery is mesmerism. Mesmerism, or animal magnetism, as theorized by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, was believed to be a natural, invisible force possessed by all living things.
I had previously featured mesmerism in my 19th century French revolution novel, Julien’s Terror, but in Calista, it returns in full force. I was not ready to leave it alone. This time I was able to play with the boundaries between science and the supernatural while also touching on the spiritual. My female character’s healing ability is in fact a quasi-mesmeric gift. She is no quack as debunkers of mesmerism accused Mesmer of being. She is simply a reluctant peasant girl harking from Corfu, one who does not fathom her true power. But she will learn, and the lesson will be horrifying.
Practitioners of mesmerism claimed they could manipulate this energy to heal, whether through trance, touch, or through their mere presence. In its extreme form, and if one considered it through a spiritual lens, mesmerism shares parallels with the healing powers that have long been attributed to figures like Jesus Christ and Grigori Rasputin. Since learning about him as a teenager, I became obsessed with Grigori Rasputin because deep down I do believe in the latent healing powers in humans. I am a Jung adherent and do not abide to the tenet that just because something cannot be proven by science, that it therefore does not hold. In my view, science remains limited. You could say this passion for Rasputin or just for the human potential drove a great part of my story even though it also gave birth to the darkest passages in the book.
Another facet of the novel which I enjoyed crafting is its edging into the fantastique genre. Without revealing spoilers, I can say that the themes I explored raise questions about true potential and challenges the belief systems we use when we evaluate the capabilities of any species. Just as certain animal species continue to surprise us, such that we even hold them in awe, what are we, humans, capable of?
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Laura Rahme
Laura Rahme is the author of seven historical novels.
Born in Dakar, Senegal where she spent her early childhood, she moved to Australia at the age of ten.
A graduate of two Honors degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Psychology, she has worked over two decades as an IT professional. Her greatest joy comes from travel, researching history, and penning historical mysteries.
She now lives in France with her screenwriting husband.
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Thank you very much for this brilliant banner (wow!) and for featuring Calista on your blog. It is always a pleasure to see your posts. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Laura. Thank you so much for your kind words.
DeleteI'm looking forward to reading Calista. :-)