The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson

 

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson.

Published 26th October 2023 by Moonflower Books.

From the cover of the book:

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself. Original and engrossing, this chilling Victorian Gothic ghost story is an outstanding piece of storytelling, perfect for fans of Sarah Perry, Erin Morgenstern and Jessie Burton.

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Caught up in a family tragedy at her previous position, governess Julia Perlie is unable to find work, and is forced to rely on the charity of her reluctant relatives. When a much needed legacy from her recently departed mother goes entirely to her brother, Julia is desperate to escape her predicament, but without a good reference it is almost impossible to gain employment in another household.

Then a curious chance comes Julia's way. A Dr Richmond requires a companion for his teenage daughter Olivia to prepare her for her upcoming debutante season in London, and he does not seem too concerned about Julia's sketchy references. However, when she arrives at the less than welcoming Mistcoate House in Norfolk, her chance for a new start does not look quite as rosy as she hoped. The house and its inhabitants are eerily sinsiter, and locals whisper that Olivia is cursed, naming her the Mistcoate Witch. Although Julia is initially inclined to agree with Dr Richmond's curt assessment that his daughter's strange ways are down to girlish folly, she cannot deny that Olivia knows rather more about people's private lives than seems usual - including the dark secrets that she is keeping...

In this deliciously creepy debut, Louise Davidson weaves a tale that thrums with oodles of Gothic gorgeousness. Combining elements of compelling mystery and beautifully crafted Victorian ghost story, Davidson channels brooding Bronte-esque atmosphere in her disquieting setting and the Jane Eyre like situation of her protagonist Julia, drawing you in and making you jump at shadows.

As Julia gradually uncovers the weird goings on in the Richmond family, you begin to learn of her past and the tragedy and heartbreak that have marked her, and Davidson injects genuinely terrifying undercurrents of horror that play nicely with the the threads of secrets, lies, passion, betrayal, and spiritualism. There are gripping twists and turns, and you are never quite sure what is real of imagined, but one thing you are sure of is that you desperately need Julia to draw on her courage to foil the plans of the melodramatic villains of the piece.

I could not put this terrifying story down, and absorbed it in a single chilling bite. It is full of menace, and will incite you to indignant rage at the patriarchal injustices Davidson writes about so well, especially when if comes to the horrific treatment of 'difficult' women deemed to be 'hysterical'. The perfect read for spooky season - with a fabulous feminist kick!

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Moonflower Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Louise Davidson was born in Belfast and has always worked in the creative arts in some capacity - from assistant to theatre directors to teaching scriptwriting classes in prisons to teaching English and drama to A-Level students. 

Growing up in Northern Ireland backgrounded by the Troubles led to a fascination with history, and this combined with her love of all things gothic inspired her to write her first book, a dark Victorian thriller set in a neglected and isolated mansion. 

Louise lives in London with her husband and step-son, and in her spare time is working on fulfilling her ambition to visit every museum in the city. 

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her debut novel.