The Mesmerist
A Novel
“Immersive and compelling . . . The Mesmerist will linger long after you turn the last page.” –NPR
Before hypnotism, there was Mesmerism. In 1894 Minneapolis, spiritualism of every stripe is all the rage, and women are dying under mysterious circumstances. When a new guest arrives at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers, refusing to speak, the stories of unexplained deaths seem unconnected—until Faith’s suspicious reticence sets the house abuzz with whispers of dark magic.
Abby, the Bethany Home’s treasurer, thinks the rumors swirling around Faith are nonsense, but she recognizes the danger of a good story. Abby tasks Faith’s roommate, May, with tracing Faith’s path to the Bethany Home. Desperate to end her year at Bethany Home engaged and on track…
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July 15, 2025CAROLINE WOODS holds an M.F.A. in fiction from Boston University. She is the author of the novels The Lunar Housewife and Fräulein M., and she has taught fiction writing at Loyola University Chicago, Boston University, and the Boston Conservatory. Raised in Delaware, she now lives near Chicago with her husband and two daughters.
The Mesmerist
Caroline Woods