House of Shades: A Novel

In this dark, immersive tale steeped in atmosphere and drama, the author of Theatre of Marvels returns to Victorian London to tell the story of a young Black female doctor’s dangerous quest to find the truth that unearths the secrets of the past.

“Gripping, heart-breaking and brilliantly told. Hester Reeves is fresh and relatable—I felt every twist and turn of her story and was rooting for her from the get-go.”—Lucy Barker, author of The Other Side of Mrs. Wood

London, 1833. Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a life-changing commission.

But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in King’s Cross and move to Tall Trees—a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.

If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of.

But when Hester arrives at Tall Trees, she quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her. Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades—including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed.