A review by zbayardo
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

A haunting, UNPUTDOWNABLE read, set in 1950s America, where domestic tranquility collides with the supernatural. 

Loretta Davenport is a young mother and wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. Their seemingly idyllic life takes a sinister turn when a local girl is murdered, and Loretta begins to receive messages from the beyond. 

I loved that the author included societal pressures and constraints faced by women in the 1950s, particularly the expectation of conformity within the confines of marriage and domesticity. Though it was infuriating reading about it let alone knowing it was a very real thing for women of the time!

In the epilogue, the author’s mention of today’s extremities, cognitive dissonance, and new Draconian laws asking the reader to measure those against that of the 1950s was a great end to this read.

This is a 5 star , must-read for horror, paranormal thriller readers!