The Crooked Medium's Guide to Terror: A Spooky Victorian Mystery

by Stephen Cox

Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 14, 2026

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crooked Medium’s Guide To Terror by Stephen Cox is an entertaining historical novel. It is the second book in The Crooked Medium series and can be read as a stand-alone.
The reader enters the world of late Victorian Britain in 1882. There are cultural references of the day such as Gilbert & Sullivan, and D’Oyly Carte. I found myself singing the rhyme at the end of the book, in my head!
There is more to life than we can see. Life is a spiritual battle between good and evil. We need to call on the Name of Jesus in order to defeat the powers of darkness.
We also learn the importance of repentance. To be a better person tomorrow, we need to repent of our past sins today, and remind ourselves to be a better person tomorrow.
Stephen Cox writes in a style that does feel straight out of Victorian Britain. This gives a feeling of authenticity to the time period as we become involved in the action.
The Crooked Medium’s Guide To Terror shows the ultimate triumph of good over evil. We need to remember that in times of trouble, we must call out to God.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

[Ben Jeapes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hard to pin down. On the one hand, yes, it's a most satisfying follow-up to The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder, being the further adventures of the formerly fake, now genuine medium Mrs Ashcroft and her Sapphic companion Braddie, with old and new friends. The first book, like this one, took an unexpected twist towards redemption of a clear and obvious baddie. Here the threat is a combined effort by human and supernatural forces and the target shifts from one to the other; there is another redemptive twist but it results in neither ever being held fully to account, which you can only help will be dealt with in a third book. But Stephen Cox manages to submerge himself in the Victorian era while keeping a snorkel in the present day; there are enough clever little literary jokes to make you suspect there are many more; and the terror, when it comes, is properly terrific.