Gallic Books has landed THE SPIRIT GUIDE, the latest novel from Bridget Walsh and the third in the Variety Palace Mysteries series. Gallic’s Managing Director Joe Harper acquired world English language rights to the novel from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency for publication in Spring 2025.
The first in the series, THE TUMBLING GIRL, won the UEA Little, Brown Award for Crime Fiction in 2019, and was published by Gallic Books in May 2023, garnering starred reviews in Publishers Weekly (where it was also a Book of the Week Pick) and the Library Journal. It also peaked at No. 1 in the US Amazon Kindle Historical Thriller chart, and was a Best Historical Fiction Pick for May 2023 in The Times. The second, THE INNOCENTS, will be published in April this year by Gallic Books and has also received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, as well as being a The Financial Times ‘Best New Crime Books’ pick.
THE SPIRIT GUIDE returns to the Victorian London that served as a backdrop to Walsh’s previous two titles. It’s 1879, and an investigation into two mysterious deaths leads detective duo Minnie Ward and Albert Easterbrook to the Spirit Sisterhood, a female-only spiritualist group purporting to help its members commune with deceased loved ones.
Minnie isn’t buying it. Going undercover at the organisation’s countryside house, she finds herself drawn into a strange but alluring world of seances and spirits. But she is isolated from Albert and everyone she loves, and her situation becomes more dangerous by the hour.
Jo Harper says: ‘We are very proud to publish Bridget, and are delighted to have the opportunity to bring THE SPIRIT GUIDE – an absolutely brilliant crime novel – to existing fans of The Variety Palace Mysteries, and new readers, around the world.”
Walsh says: ‘Working with Gallic on the first two Variety Palace Mysteries has been a real joy. I’m delighted that the next episode in Minnie and Albert’s adventures will remain in such very capable hands.’
Isobel Dixon says: ‘Bridget Walsh takes readers – and her enterprising duo Minnie Ward and Albert Easterbrook – to thrilling and menacing new places with THE SPIRIT GUIDE, a brilliant follow-up to the first two Variety Palace Mysteries. It’s a wonderful journey to be on with Gallic Books.’
About Bridget Walsh
Bridget Walsh lives in Norwich. She has a PhD in ‘Murder in the Victorian Domestic Sphere’ and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia.
Praise for The Variety Palace Mysteries
‘Historical crime fiction at its most beguiling.’ – Barry Forshaw, The Financial Times
‘A narrative that neatly weds historical detail and quiet wit.’ – Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times, ‘The best historical fiction books of May 2023’
‘Ms. Walsh does a splendid job depicting Minnie’s flea-bitten yet appealing theatrical world and Albert’s monied yet treacherous milieu.’ – Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
‘Diligent research pays off in spades here, and her rich and nuanced portrayal of the period will leave readers feeling like they’re on the soggy streets of London.’ – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review and a ‘Books of the Week’ pick
‘Victorian crime at its exciting and grittiest best. Don’t miss it’ – Essie Fox, author of THE FASCINATION
‘Rich with theatrical detail and brimming with brilliant characters, this is a series not to be missed’ – SJ Bennett, author of MURDER MOST ROYAL
‘You can smell the greasepaint and hear the roar of the crowd on every page.’ – Imogen Robertson
Visit Bridget’s website