I hope you don’t think this is too forward. But, for goodness sake, this is 1908, and I think jumping in and introducing myself is quite acceptable. Although I know my mother and father would not approve. Regardless, my name is Myrtle Vanhoff, and my parents are Reginald and Amelia. My twin brother and I live with them in this little frontier city of Regina. Regina is the Latin name for queen and is the capital city of Saskatchewan. It used to be called Pile of Bones. Due to all the buffalo bones that were piled up to be sent by rail to goodness knows where and what for, I have no idea.
Forgive me, I digress. I was telling you about my day. I don’t like to complain, but my brother Leopold has received a new flashy auto for his birthday. While I was given a ball gown and dancing lessons! My brother also has a job at our father’s lumber company. Father doesn’t approve of women drivers; he says we are not suited to drive, so an automobile is not in my future, nor is a career. My place is in the home. And Mother, I’m afraid, agrees with Father. It seems my primary purpose in life is to marry and have children. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But I’m not ready for marriage, especially not to James Parish. I want a job and a chance to have a life before I settle down to (domestic bliss,) as my mother calls it. I want adventure. Which brings me to the subject of Séances. I convinced my brother to accompany me to Madame Scarlatta’s Seances. At the time, this seemed like a harmless lark.
Leopold and I decided not to give our real names. (Mother would be appalled if she found out we went to a séance; she is a staunch Christian.) So, we lied about who we were and made up a fake relative, Aunt Hortense, whom we needed to contact because we could not find her will. It seems like a good plan, doesn’t it?
We went to the séance house and waited in a dark, gloomy parlour with the other patrons. (Who, by the way, I feel so sorry for. They all have lost a loved one and want to contact them.) Leopold and I feel quite guilty about lying about our fictional Aunt Hortense.
The creepy Miss Fournier looks like a witch from a storybook I read as a child; anyway, Miss Fournier led us upstairs to a mysterious, spooky room for the séance. I have to say Madame Scarlatta was exotic-looking, with high cheekbones and piercing eyes. She sent a chill up my spine. And then things got very, very strange. Would you believe it, Madame Scarlatta contacted a spirit that weirdly said Aunt Hortense had nothing to give us? Imagine our shock and surprise.
But that wasn’t the worst part. A lady, Mrs. Sabo, fell off her chair while we were all holding hands on the séance table. Elise Sabo was dead. And it wasn’t from natural causes. How did someone kill her? I mean, we were all holding hands. What have Leopold and I gotten ourselves mixed up in? I’m determined to get to the bottom of it.
The Séance Murders: Saskatchewan, A Canadian Historical Mystery Book 10
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: April 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
1908: Regina, Saskatchewan, the railroad hub of the prairies, is booming. The foxtrot is the latest craze hitting the dance halls, and silent movies are all the rage. But it’s the newest fad, séances, that intrigues Myrtle Vanhoff.
Myrtle is tired of the constraints put on her by her father, Reginald Vanhoff, a lumber baron, and her mother, Amelia. Her mother is determined to make her and her daughter’s mark on Regina’s burgeoning social scene. But Myrtle has other ideas. On a lark, the rebellious young woman convinces her twin brother, Leopold, to attend Madame Scarlatta’s notorious séances. They find more than restless spirits. Someone murders a bereaved patron while everyone at the table is holding hands. Myrtle and Leopold are determined to find out who and how. A Regina police sergeant is appalled at Myrtle’s unladylike interest in the murders. But Jonathan Chapman of the Royal North-West Mounted Police is intrigued. Jonathan joins Myrtle and Leopold in their search for the murderer. When Myrtle gets too close to the truth, the murderer targets her as the next victim.
About the author
Joan Havelange is the author of five cozy mysteries and has been writing fiction since her early twenties, beginning with romance stories. Always a fan of mysteries, she is an avid reader and writer of cozy mysteries. She is an accomplished actor and director of community theatre, which lends well to her writing. Joan is a world traveller and an enthusiastic golfer. She lives on the prairies and has three grown children.