Media Center: ‘Seance Infernale’ by Jonathan Skariton

WHO: Jonathan Skariton

WHAT: SEANCE INFERNALE, a novel

WHEN: Published by Knopf August 30, 2017

WHERE: The author lives in Kent, England.

WHY: “An inventive, gruesome first novel.
“In 2002, enigmatic collector Andrew Valdano hires movie memorabilia dealer Alex Whitman to find a copy of Séance Infernale — the legendary first-ever film, created by mysterious Victorian inventor Augustin Sekuler. A scattering of clues steer Whitman from L.A. to Europe and finally to Edinburgh — the city where his beloved daughter Ellie vanished a decade earlier, a tragedy that shattered his marriage and haunts him to this day. Racing to find the lost film, the world-weary Whitman traces a 19th-century mystery’s entanglement with a present-day series of inhumane crimes committed by an extravagantly psychotic serial killer.
“Laced with cinematic allusions (especially fun for classic film buffs), the obstacle course of a plot barrels past spooky historical flashbacks and pages of quirky typographic design, culminating in a Da Vinci Code–esque scavenger hunt. Breathless readers will scramble to keep up.” –PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“A post-millennial gothic ripsnorter
that blends old-fashioned suspense and up-to-the-minute sadism in the dark streets and even darker underbelly of Edinburgh…An intricately designed thriller…This debut novel resembles a series of trap doors springing open and shut and open again…Its basic premise fascinates, and its fog-shrouded intrigue keeps your head in the game.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS

“A menacing gothic nightmare,
a love letter to the dawn of cinema, to the ghost-ridden city of Edinburgh, and to the golden age of pulp fiction. There are subterranean tunnels and immolations; there’s knife play and gunfire, alchemy and patent theft. It’s a whipsaw ride, but always good, giddy fun.” —Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan

Media Resources:
About the book and author | Read an excerpt | Download the jacket | Download the author photo

Knopf. 296 pages. $26.95
ISBN 978-1-101-94673-2

To interview the author, contact:
Kathy Zuckerman | 212-572-2105 | kzuckerman@penguinrandomhouse.com