The Ghost of the Mary Celeste

The Ghost of the Mary Celeste

Valerie Martin, 2014

In 1872, the Mary Celeste was discovered adrift off the coast of Spain. There was no sign of violence or a struggle, but the crew was gone. This mystery ties together the stories of author Arthur Conan Doyle, whose fictional account of the Mary Celeste caused a sensation in the United States, psychic medium Violet Petra, a popular Spiritualist with a personal tie to the tragedy, and journalist Phoebe Grant, who wonders if Petra is a talented fraud or perhaps the real thing.

This book is hard to review. As a story about the medium Violet Petra, I thought it was really good. I found Violet to be an intriguing character - not always sympathetic, but always interesting. I also liked the character of Phoebe Grant, whose interactions with Petra were the high points of the book for me. The Arthur Conan Doyle chapters were, to me, just okay. Well-written, but they just didn't interest me as much as the others, although his last little adventure was good. 

What disappointed me most, however, was the shocking lack of mention of the Mary Celeste itself. Aside from the last section - 30 pages or so - very little of the story tied into the mystery at all. It was always there in the background - Conan Doyle's story, Violet's connection to the Captain and his wife - but had little to do with the story overall. I went into this book expecting an interesting take on the mystery of the Mary Celeste, but that wasn't what I was given. 

So, as an interesting story about Spiritualism, I'd recommend it. I liked the characters and thought that Violet's story was fascinating. As a story about what might have happened aboard the Mary Celeste, however, it is severely lacking. 

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy through NetGalley.