The Witches of New York

By: Ami McKay

From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure comes a dark and riveting historical novel inspired by the cult and craft of Manhattan’s 19th-century mediums

New York, 1880: Every self-respecting socialite knows these women’s names. Eleanor St. Clair, proprietress of an apothecary and tearoom; Adelaide Thom, an intuitive beauty; and Beatrice Dunn, youngest of the three, an impulsive flirt who wields extraordinary power over men. From Union Square to Central Park, their séances are the toast of the town—“witchcraft” is all the rage these days among Manhattan society. But when seventeen-year-old Beatrice doesn’t appear for breakfast, suddenly help is nowhere to be found.

Though Isabelle is unconcerned, Adelaide fears a more sinister fate has befallen Beatrice. Her only lead is dream interpreter Peninah Katz, who was last seen holding Beatrice’s prized Maltese terrier. Perhaps Adelaide underestimated Peninah’s gifts. Perhaps the woman is more powerful than she knows. For magic is alive and well in the city—but so is evil.

Blurring the lines between waking and dreaming, magic and ruse, sanity and madness, The Witches of New York is a mesmerizing, atmospheric novel of powerful forces—both supernatural and human.