Wow!!! Paulette Kennedy, the Author of “The Devil and Mrs. Davenport” has written an intense, captivating and intriguing novel that contrasts the Protagonist dealing with the living and the dead. The Genres for this well-written and Gothic-like feel story are Paranormal, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Ghosts, Historical Fiction and Adult Fiction. The author vividly describes the scenery, plot, and the dramatic characters. One detail that stays with me is that the house seems to get cracks, when the protagonist is agitated. It almost reminds me of “The House” in “Encanto”.

Loretta Davenport is first realizing that she has the special ability to see and hear ghosts, especially those of dead people. There are several unsolved murders, and Loretta is getting signs and warnings from dead ghosts. Loretta is also manipulated and kept under the control of her husband Pete, who is a college professor at a Bible college. They have two children. Loretta wants to learn more about these powers and seeks out a prominent Parapsychologist, Dr. Curtis Hansen. Pete has strictly forbidden Loretta to speak to the Parapsychologist.

Pete is convinced that what is happening to Loretta is coming from the Devil, as Loretta is getting stronger powers. Loretta realizes that she has to somehow save herself.

I read this in one sitting, and loved everyone word in this story. There are twists, turns, betrayals, secrets, and murders. I appreciate that the author discusses important topics such as abortion, alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse, mental health, institutionalization, and lack of women’s rights. When the story takes place, women can’t open a checking account or bank account without a spouse, or brother being there. I highly recommend this memorable story.

Expected this book to be literary. It wasn't. It's more like a Lifetime movie with paranormal elements and a romance subplot. 300 pages of melodrama gets resolved with a few overly convenient turns and an unrealistically tidy epilogue. My biggest nope was the questionable romantic relationship. "You were never really my patient". It's like okay she only calls you DOCTOR HANSEN for 97% of the book. But sure. Whatever. It felt contradictory to read about a woman living under patriarchy in the 1950's struggling to find agency, and then having her happily ever after be leaving her husband for her doctor?? Maybe I'm missing something, but it felt uncomfy and gave me a headache. On the plus, this was quick to read, and entertaining at times. Just don't go in expecting anything too intellectual.

I inhaled The Devil and Mrs. Davenport. It did take a few chapters to completely suck me in but after that I couldn't put it down. Well... that's not completely true. I did have to set the book down a time or two because Loretta was about to do something that made me too nervous, but only for a second! I went into this kinda blindly and I think that added to my enjoyment. No spoilers in this review!

This book is atmospheric and lightly spooky. You can read this at night and not have to worry about sleeping with the lights on.

Paulette Kennedy I cannot thank you enough for providing me with a glimpse of being a woman in the 50’s that made me so very thankful to have not had to endure being so very oppressed. It helped me understand the lives my mom and aunts were subjected to. I loved, loved, loved Loretta…she epitomized the housewife of the 50’s so very perfectly. Until I read this book I never realized that women were unable to open a bank account without their husband’s permission or that of a male family member. I had read books about women being committed to institutions by their husbands under the guise of suffering from hysteria - more likely those who were beginning to assert themselves or for those husbands who had found a new target for their affections.
Loretta will linger in my mind for quite a while. Her ability to hear the voices of those who had unfinished business in the living world was fascinating to me, as was her relationships with Curt, Barbara and Vera. As the house began to crack I couldn’t help but compare it to Loretta’s life.
So many topics covered within these pages so very effectively…oppression, spousal abuse, divorce, paranormal activities, institutionalization, police produces of the 50’s, psychologists, girls missing, and others that I can’t think of right now.
Once you start this book you will not want to put it down as Paulette Kennedy weaves her magic. I cannot speak highly enough of this incredible five star read.
My sincere appreciation to Paulette Kennedy, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for affording me the amazing opportunity to read an arc of this just published book.

“The death of someone you love is difficult to deal with in the best of circumstances. But when an accident—or worse—happens, it can make the grief seem overwhelming.”

Woah! I am not sure what I expected going into this one but I am blown away. This book is like a juxtaposition of horror, historical fiction, and murder mystery. You may think that that’s too much and it can’t possibly work but..it does. In the best possible way. This book made me both feel and think and I can’t ask for much more while reading.

Boy am I glad I live in this day and age because if I lived back then where I couldn’t open a bank account or cash a check without a man in my life present.. that would not have ended well for me. 😤 #StrongPersonality

Reading the author’s note is always one of my favorite parts of a book, and the book is very well researched. She really made me think…who WAS the devil in this story? I’ll let you read and decide for yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this arc.


There is a lot going on in The Devil and Mrs. Davenport – there is a strong central storyline having to do with Loretta coming into her own, and butting up against the sexism of the era and of her controlling husband. In one scene she tries to open a secret bank account – she’s been making some money writing for the Kansas City Star – and is told that she can’t open an account without her husband present. She’s also dealing with past traumas, chiefly the death of her mother. Loretta’s relationship with Pete deteriorates throughout the course of the novel, and the Davenport home is crumbling literally, not just metaphorically – cracks appear in the foundation and a leak causes the bathtub to fall into the kitchen below.

There’s the mystery of Darcy’s murder and the other girl’s disappearance, as well as a girl named Joan who Loretta has premonitions of danger about. I wasn’t sure how (or if) the disparate mysteries were related, though I assumed there would be some personal connection for Loretta. As such I was suspicious of the two male leads, Pete Davenport and Dr. Curtis Hansen, though I don’t know that I was supposed to be suspicious of both of them.

On top of these two elements there’s the paranormal aspect. I hesitate to call this the weakest part of the novel, because it did serve as a way for Loretta to come into her own – her abilities gave her a sense of self-worth that had been lacking for a long time. I appreciated them as a metaphor but when Dr. Hansen talked about the phenomena as if they have scientific validity, I didn’t like it. I couldn’t reconcile my real-world beliefs with something that feels not just not real, but like a hoax, a scam. So there’s that – it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book but it was a negative for me.

The story gets increasingly gothic and nightmarish, and Loretta has to find the courage to confront the truth and vanquish an enemy, for her own sake and for her children. The ending was fine but the epilogues piled on heavy with an HEA that didn’t work for me.

I am a little ambivalent (as usual) on a grade – Loretta was a strong heroine, and the good elements were probably A-. The things I didn’t like were maybe C+, making an average grade of B. But I’d recommend this to readers who like the 1950s setting or simply are in the mood for a little something different.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is such a unique story that really got me excited about reading again. Really, the only negative was Pete. I did not like him one bit.

I can see this book playing out like the movie Pleasant ville. Loretta lived in a black and white world until she started getting visions. The life and color come into her life.

Sorry it's 2:30 am and I'm tired.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy is a compulsively readable novel, as it tackles the study of parapsychology and metaphysics in the 20th century United States, Pentecostal faith-healing practices, and the oppression of women.
The time is 1955. The setting is a town in the Missouri Ozarks. Loretta is a housewife, mired in the drudgery of cooking, cleaning, raising children and being subservient to her misogynistic husband Pete. He teaches at the local fundamentalist Bethel College, but is a closet alcoholic, and more. As Loretta chafes in her role in this restrictive environment, she is conflicted by her desire to pursue her dream of a writing career and her duties to be docile and please her husband. Then, local teenage girls go missing and Loretta has visions which can help solve the crimes.
The plotting is fairly predictable. The reader follows Loretta as her husband has her committed to a mental hospital, because she has “visions,” and also because she is recalcitrant to his demands. The revelations of his dark activities and the solution of the murders are suspenseful and satisfying!
The strength of this book is the writing, which is intelligent, engaging, and atmospheric, as it captures the essence of the conservative religious movement that dominated social conventions in the mid-century Midwest and South.
In the Author’s Note, Ms. Kennedy explains her inspiration and purpose in writing this novel, as well as the parallels with that restrictive time and the present. “The biggest threat to liberty is our own hypocrisy and indifference.” (Paulette Kennedy)
This message is a profound takeaway for women who read this book—even in this 21st century, our freedom is fragile, and must be defended and protected by women of all ages.

Thank you to Lake Union Books and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I did not read the synopsis of this book before I started. I like to live dangerously and be surprised by what comes my way. From the title of the book, I didn't really know what to expect. This is a gothic thriller with paranormal. Not quite what I imagined, but I'm not mad about it at all. This book is eccentric, I loved the twists, and Paulette Kennedy did a fine job executing her work.

Take the '50s idealism but make it horror! Wow! You can't trust many people in this book, and part of the fun was identifying who you could/could not trust. This was weird and wild and I loved every page.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport revolves around a seemingly content 1950s housewife whose life turns chaotic when she starts having visions of a murdered girl. As if life wasn’t scary enough for a woman back then, the main character in this story starts to experience terrifying visions, all while enduring physical and emotional abuse from her husband. There were parts in this story that made me so angry. The way Loretta was treated by her husband and society was horrible. I thought Loretta was a strong and likable character. It was hard at times to read about what she had to experience.

I definitely recommend this book, especially to lovers of historical fiction and paranormal fiction. I loved the author’s writing and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC!

The Devil and Mrs Davenport is historical fiction set in 1950s Ozarks with a strong speculative slant. It follows Loretta, a trad wife, who wakes up from an illness to discover she has psychic power, including the power to see the dead.

This book is the perfect feminist story of a woman trapped in patriarchy and religious indoctrination rediscovering herself and growing into her own power. It’s gut wrenching at times as you witness the struggles of a woman without power; it feels like a nightmare as the men in her life control and abuse her.

The speculative elements of seeing the dead are so well done and fascinating. I definitely got hooked and needed to know the answer the mysteries!

Overall, this is a definite recommend!

This is my second Paulette Kennedy book and it was an absolute winner for me. The author is a masterful storyteller. Set in1950s in Missouri, the author has stayed true to the time period and effortlessly captured the atmosphere and the treatment of women during that time.

Loretta, a housewife in 1950's develops disturbing psychic abilities after a fever. Her husband, a professor at a Bible college becomes convinced that the Devil is to blame.

Loretta's story was inspiring. Dealing with the horrors of an abusive marriage, judgemental neighbours, abiding by the demands of fundamental religion and a bit of supernatural too, Loretta did not have an easy life but with her perseverance and determination and support from Dr. Curtis Hansen, a parapsychologist, she finally manages to find her voice and place.

I could not put the book down. Taut with suspense and a gothic atmospheric feel, this was a very compelling read and one I truly enjoyed from start to finish.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy was an incredible story that I couldn’t put down.
The writing is exceptional, and the pacing is perfect, keeping readers engaged from start to finish.
The setting and dialogue are atmospheric, transporting readers back to 1950s where they can fully immerse themselves in the story.
The character’s were engaging and the haunting atmosphere created just added to the feeling of suspense and tension.
Kennedy created a haunting atmosphere throughout and tension that steadily increased as the story went on.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

What devil is worse - the known or unknown?

This book combined many of my favorite genres, with a few others sprinkled in to round out the story. It is a combination of suspense, historical, horror, paranormal, and a touch of romance.

Loretta Davenport is trapped in a marriage that has gone downhill over time. But is it her doing or her husband's fault? The answer is not that simple, and with the book set in the 1950s, there is more she has to overcome than just a bad relationship. This is a time where women were not allowed to open bank accounts without a male family member's permission and signature. That alone sends shivers down my spine. Top that with women are considered weak and crazy, it isn't hard to see why Loretta is fighting for her life and her children.

There is another twist to the story: Loretta is psychic and doesn't discover her abilities until later in life. She isn't sure what is going on, but her husband, Pete, is no help whatsoever. However, there is a psychologist who studies parapsychology, and he is able to guide her in these new abilities. It doesn't hurt that he can use her as a study subject for his field. It isn't all work for Dr. Curtis Hansen, and there is attraction and admiration for Loretta that brings them closer together.

It is hard to sum up this story in a few words or sentences. The story is gripping, and if you have ever been exposed to the Pentecostal faith and casting out of demons and such, you might understand this book a bit more. There is the time setting that works against Loretta, and then Pete's religious fanaticism causes issues for them. It is like a train wreck that you can't look away from because you know what is going to happen.

I rooted for Loretta and admired her attempts to find a way to support herself should she be able to leave her husband. It isn't easy since women aren't given high paying jobs, if they can even find one outside of the home as a housewife. But she digs down and finds a way. Top it off with these discovered psychic abilities; she is able to assist in solving several crimes. It is a good thing that some people believe in her abilities!

There are many moments that I held my breath wondering if certain situations would work out for Loretta and those around her. I also appreciated a jump forward twenty years to see where her life ended once everything was resolved.

This was a fantastic read, and we give it 5 paws up.

This was such an engaging read, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up reading the whole book in one afternoon. The plot wasn’t surprising but everything worked well here. Especially the writing. Clear, concise, addicting in nature. Really well crafted as a story. One of those rare writers who can conjure a clear picture for the reader.

This is yet another book I had high hopes for. There was such a compelling description. It started out interesting enough. It soon devolved not 8th the gothic style tension I expected but into a run of the mill story of a woman not being treated with respect. It felt like someone had taken one of the many books about a woman losing it and just changed the time.

Wow, that was a ride - in the best way possible!
The story follows Loretta, a young mom in the 1950's. Living an isolated and uneventful life, with her two children and husband, until a local girl gets murdered and Loretta starts to gets visions from beyond.
This book was a mix of historical fiction, mystery and horror. I was captivated from the beginning and I can't remember a time I was that invested in a story and its characters.
The book shows the social norms and especially misogyny in the 1950's very well and it's making Loretta's life living hell. I think she was such a well rounded character and I was rooting for her and her dreams from the first minute. My heart shattered later in the book and I don't want to think about people, outside this fictional world, going through the horrors Loretta had to face.
I loved the side characters and even though this book has some very dark moments there are also equally beautiful scenes between the characters.
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is not an easy read but if you feel ok after reading content warnings I highly recommend picking this one up. I would love to write more about this amazing novel but I also don't want to spoil the story for you, so I'll stop here. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you to Paulette Kennedy, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The vintage cover and dark occult-ish 1950s setting lured me into requesting this one on Netgalley. It was an easy (if ultimately cheesy) read that took some dark turns and held my attention, but the plot was just a little too simplistic.

Loretta Davenport is a frustrated suburban housewife in 1950s Missouri, married to Pete, a Bible studies professor and religious fanatic. When Loretta begins to have visions following a dose of flu, Pete dismisses them as delusions and encourages Loretta to turn to God. Loretta seeks out the help of a parapsychologist instead to help her make sense of the visions, enraging Pete who sees it as his job to expel the devil possessing Loretta.

The book reminded me of a short story I’d have read in my mum’s Women’s Way or Reader’s Digest in the 1980s/90s, in the sense that it is well written, but fairly twee and with some quirky/bizarre elements thrown in (the crumbling house 🤷🏼‍♀️). The book has a lot to say about the role of women in society in the 1950s, even if this is a bit laboured and obvious at times. It also speaks to religious abuse, a topic as relevant today as it was in the 1950s.

If you’re looking for an easy read with a mid-century setting and a neat ending, it’s one you might enjoy.

The Devil and Mrs Davenport will be published on 7 March and available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited if you’re a subscriber. Thank you to the publisher Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the arc. As always, this js an honest review.

This book is so good, I almost read it in a one day.
I’ve always been interested in ESP. I like to think it’s a gift from God and not the devil. Parts of this book really made me mad and I felt for Loretta. In this day and age I couldn’t imagine having to have your husband’s permission to open a bank account. Definitely recommend.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy