Can you flimflam a ghost? It’s 1934. Former medium Dashiel Quicke travels the country debunking spiritualism and false mediums while struggling to stay ahead of his ex-business partner and lover who wants him back at any cost. During a demonstration at a college campus, Dashiel meets Hermann Goschalk, an Egyptologist who’s convinced that he has a genuine haunted artifact on his hands. Certain there is a rational explanation for whatever is going on with Hermann’s relics, Dashiel would rather skip town, but soon finds himself falling for Hermann. He agrees to take a look after all and learns that something is haunting Hermann’s office indeed. Faced with a real ghost Dashiel is terrified, but when the haunting takes a dangerous turn, he must use the tools of the shady trade he left behind to communicate with this otherworldly spirit before his past closes in.
"Are you actually suggesting that we try to flim-flam a ghost?"
Megaera C. Lorenz's The Shabti is an atmospheric ghost story set in the Thirties, featuring two protagonists in their forties while they try to solve a mystery and they helplessly fall in love. The only POV, a former swindler with a conscience, gets increasingly attached to an impossibly kind Egyptologist plagued by an infestation problem, and the resulting closed door romance is a sweet affair that warms the heart.
The supernatural threat stems from a possessed figurine, the eponymous shabti, and dealing with it results in very suggestive pages, especially during the scenes set in dark places. Another far more human threat comes from Dashiel's jilted lover and former associate, grounding the narration when needed.
The attention to detail shown in the descriptions of Egyptology of the time, also shows in the usage of appropriate language for that time period, featuring old-timey turns of phrase that make the reading experience a delight. The author also takes their time exploring the world of fake spiritualism with a firm hand, but the chaotic ending doesn't really stick the landing.
The Shabti is a fun adventure for ghost story lovers.
✨ 3.5 stars
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