The Vanishing Trick

Leander is an orphan, always hungry and without a safe place to live. When he meets a stranger, who offers him food and shelter and the possibility of speaking to his dead mother again, he feels compelled to accept. Unfortunately, Leander soon discovers this help is in exchange for his only treasured possession, his mother’s locket. His benefactor is Madame Pinchbeck a medium, fortuneteller and spiritualist. Leander soon finds he has been tricked, when he hands over the locket Pinchbeck captures a part of his soul, enchants the locket and transforms it into a magical cabinet, in effect a prison in which Leander soon finds himself trapped to be summoned at will by his new mistress. Not only that but Leander discovers other children share his fate; a boy called Felix desperate to find his beloved brother and a girl called Charlotte eager to return to her uncle who believes her dead.

This historical adventure focuses on the popularity of mediums in Victorian society. The story switches between the three children whose fate is so intertwined with that of their captor. They know she does not have the power to sustain keeping all three prisoners indefinitely - they need to escape. Can they escape her clutches without risking their own lives? This is an exciting story, a page turner with a satisfying ending for all three main characters and a suitable fate for their captor.

Read our Q&A interview with Jenni Spangler.