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The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson
Before Jekyll and Hyde, there was someone else …
The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson is a gothic delight. It tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s friendship with the charming Eugene Chantrelle and the murder mystery that contributed to Robert’s need to create a novel focused on the dualistic nature of the psyche.
From a séance with the Shelleys at Boscombe Manor to a haunted wardrobe made by an infamous Scottish criminal, the novel is underscored by the story of two writers very much in love. Fanny and Robert were married in 1880, when she was forty and he was twenty-nine. An American who divorced her philandering husband to marry Robert, she was already the mother of children, a self-supporting writer, and with intelligence and wit very much the rock in their relationship.
Brilliantly told in Fanny’s voice, this atmospheric novel is both the story of an unconventional literary relationship and a page-turning mystery that reveals the truth about the people, objects and events that inspired Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Praise for Belinda Lyons-Lee’s Writing
'It’s an exhilarating ride, and the writing is astute, and often elegant.’ – Thuy On, Sydney Review of Books
'Lyons-Lee can absolutely craft a ripping yarn.’ – Jodie Sloan, The AU Review
'Fully researched, but never lets the learning dominate. Rather the sense of a lost time is palpable …’ – Lucy Sussex, The Australian
The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson is a gothic delight. It tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s friendship with the charming Eugene Chantrelle and the murder mystery that contributed to Robert’s need to create a novel focused on the dualistic nature of the psyche.
From a séance with the Shelleys at Boscombe Manor to a haunted wardrobe made by an infamous Scottish criminal, the novel is underscored by the story of two writers very much in love. Fanny and Robert were married in 1880, when she was forty and he was twenty-nine. An American who divorced her philandering husband to marry Robert, she was already the mother of children, a self-supporting writer, and with intelligence and wit very much the rock in their relationship.
Brilliantly told in Fanny’s voice, this atmospheric novel is both the story of an unconventional literary relationship and a page-turning mystery that reveals the truth about the people, objects and events that inspired Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Praise for Belinda Lyons-Lee’s Writing
'It’s an exhilarating ride, and the writing is astute, and often elegant.’ – Thuy On, Sydney Review of Books
'Lyons-Lee can absolutely craft a ripping yarn.’ – Jodie Sloan, The AU Review
'Fully researched, but never lets the learning dominate. Rather the sense of a lost time is palpable …’ – Lucy Sussex, The Australian
Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 4, 2025
Dark, mysterious, ghostly and exhilarating with a scattering of the supernatural.
Belinda Lyons-Lee has penned a truly gothic compelling read.
The historical fiction author has taken a moment in history and poured in a dash of myth and created a deliciously mischievous and eldritch tale.
Told from the point of view of Fanny who later married infamous writer Robert Louis Stevenson.
Her friendship with the medium Lady Shelley, Robert’s companionship with charismatic Eugene Chantrelle, an enthralling mystery, a haunted wardrobe and the inspiration behind Robert’s classic masterpiece of Jekyll and Hyde, all have their place in this eerie story.
A book that opens with a seance sets the scene for a thrilling rapture and chilling atmosphere.
It’s a page turner that simmers with suspense and boils over with intrigue.
A cast of standout characters, a sense of speculation, mystery, a shadowy setting, premonition all make for an exciting piece of readable work.
I embraced this novel that is a fine line between reality and imagination.
An addictive, captivating and atmospheric read.
Belinda Lyons-Lee has penned a truly gothic compelling read.
The historical fiction author has taken a moment in history and poured in a dash of myth and created a deliciously mischievous and eldritch tale.
Told from the point of view of Fanny who later married infamous writer Robert Louis Stevenson.
Her friendship with the medium Lady Shelley, Robert’s companionship with charismatic Eugene Chantrelle, an enthralling mystery, a haunted wardrobe and the inspiration behind Robert’s classic masterpiece of Jekyll and Hyde, all have their place in this eerie story.
A book that opens with a seance sets the scene for a thrilling rapture and chilling atmosphere.
It’s a page turner that simmers with suspense and boils over with intrigue.
A cast of standout characters, a sense of speculation, mystery, a shadowy setting, premonition all make for an exciting piece of readable work.
I embraced this novel that is a fine line between reality and imagination.
An addictive, captivating and atmospheric read.
August 18, 2025
The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee is the story behind the events that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. With a killer Prologue about wardrobes and their ability to absorb the essence of their creator as well as those who have used it to keep their belongings safely inside it, I dare you to read the first page and not continue.
When the story kicks off we're in 1885 in the seaside town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England. The novel is told from the perspective of Fanny Osbourne, a married American writer who went on to divorce her husband and marry Robert Louis Stevenson to become Fanny Stevenson.
I appreciated the character list at the beginning of the book and it certainly helped me keep the Shelley characters straight in my mind. In telling her tale to Lady Shelley, Fanny confides:
'It's a strange tale,' I said. 'A wardrobe, a hundred-year-old hanging of an infamous criminal, a cunning poisoner, and plenty of greed, lust, betrayal and madness.' Page 66
You might be wondering if you need to have read any of Robert Louis Stevenson's work (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or Treasure Island) in order to enjoy this gothic historical fiction novel and my answer is a resounding no. I haven't read the Jekyll and Hyde classic, although those who have done so will definitely enjoy the few snippets of writing shared in this novel as Stevenson throws himself into his work creating a novel about the duality of nature.
At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green and it had additional relevancy for me as Stevenson is portrayed as having a consumption like illness (now called tuberculosis) which played a large part in the events of the novel.
This is my second time reading the work of this Australian author, having enjoyed Tussaud by Belinda Lyons-Lee back in April 2021 and I was pleased to find this just as well researched and containing a similar dark gothic atmosphere I've come to appreciate in her writing.
The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee is recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction based on the lives and actions of real people from history with a touch of the supernatural.
* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *
When the story kicks off we're in 1885 in the seaside town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England. The novel is told from the perspective of Fanny Osbourne, a married American writer who went on to divorce her husband and marry Robert Louis Stevenson to become Fanny Stevenson.
I appreciated the character list at the beginning of the book and it certainly helped me keep the Shelley characters straight in my mind. In telling her tale to Lady Shelley, Fanny confides:
'It's a strange tale,' I said. 'A wardrobe, a hundred-year-old hanging of an infamous criminal, a cunning poisoner, and plenty of greed, lust, betrayal and madness.' Page 66
You might be wondering if you need to have read any of Robert Louis Stevenson's work (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or Treasure Island) in order to enjoy this gothic historical fiction novel and my answer is a resounding no. I haven't read the Jekyll and Hyde classic, although those who have done so will definitely enjoy the few snippets of writing shared in this novel as Stevenson throws himself into his work creating a novel about the duality of nature.
At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green and it had additional relevancy for me as Stevenson is portrayed as having a consumption like illness (now called tuberculosis) which played a large part in the events of the novel.
This is my second time reading the work of this Australian author, having enjoyed Tussaud by Belinda Lyons-Lee back in April 2021 and I was pleased to find this just as well researched and containing a similar dark gothic atmosphere I've come to appreciate in her writing.
The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee is recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction based on the lives and actions of real people from history with a touch of the supernatural.
* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *
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August 6, 2025a bit contrived and silly, and i didn’t love the execution of the non-linear storyline; however i did really appreciate the fact that even minor characters were all real people (albeit obviously semi-fictionalised). i guess it’s nice to write on an author whose works were so influential that his life was well-documented lol! and of course fascinating to learn about the oft-forgotten wives of famous authors
August 6, 2025
Reviewed by Nan van Dissel for Transit Lounge and Bluewolf Reviews.
Belinda Lyons-Lee has done Gothic historical- fiction more than justice with this her second book; not only is it a page turning retelling of the stranger than fiction history of Robert Louis Stephenson’s inspiration for one of his best known and greatest works, but this narrative also cleverly merges fact and fiction. While she has used factual events, dates, times and people of history, this is still a historical fiction novel.
Narrated by married American novelist and artist Mrs. Fanny Osborne, who in 1876 met Robert Louis Stephenson in Gretz, an ‘artist colony of sorts’ south of Paris and after developing a deep affection for him they were married in 1880. Due to Louis’s poor health the couple moved to Bournemouth, in the south of England, where it was hoped his health would improve. Since childhood Louis had always been haunted by the wardrobe made by the notorious William Brodie, a Scottish cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and Edinburgh city councillor; Louis decided to write his next book about Brodie, who maintained a secret life as a burglar in order to support his mistresses and to fund a gambling addiction in the late 1700s.
In Bournemouth the Stephensons form a friendship with the Shelleys (son and daughter in law of poet Bysshe and Mary author of Frankenstein). After dinner Lady Jane Shelley, who is a spiritualist, encourages the visitors to join her in a séance to summon up Mary, but to Louis’s distress, she conjures up the charming charlatan Eugene Chantrelle, an erstwhile friend in the Louis’s past. Why does this have such a discomforting effect on Louis and Fanny and how is the haunted sinister wardrobe connected to their uneasiness?
‘The Haunting of Mr. & Mrs. Stephenson’ is a clever mix of thoroughly researched history, a gothic mystery and the story of Fanny and Louis’s marriage and romance. This addictive, captivating and atmospheric narrative is a must for those with an interest in Victorian- era spiritualism and the darker history of Edinburgh. The author’s aim was to create a story, which is illuminating, entertaining and transporting; she has certainly done this!
Belinda Lyons-Lee has done Gothic historical- fiction more than justice with this her second book; not only is it a page turning retelling of the stranger than fiction history of Robert Louis Stephenson’s inspiration for one of his best known and greatest works, but this narrative also cleverly merges fact and fiction. While she has used factual events, dates, times and people of history, this is still a historical fiction novel.
Narrated by married American novelist and artist Mrs. Fanny Osborne, who in 1876 met Robert Louis Stephenson in Gretz, an ‘artist colony of sorts’ south of Paris and after developing a deep affection for him they were married in 1880. Due to Louis’s poor health the couple moved to Bournemouth, in the south of England, where it was hoped his health would improve. Since childhood Louis had always been haunted by the wardrobe made by the notorious William Brodie, a Scottish cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and Edinburgh city councillor; Louis decided to write his next book about Brodie, who maintained a secret life as a burglar in order to support his mistresses and to fund a gambling addiction in the late 1700s.
In Bournemouth the Stephensons form a friendship with the Shelleys (son and daughter in law of poet Bysshe and Mary author of Frankenstein). After dinner Lady Jane Shelley, who is a spiritualist, encourages the visitors to join her in a séance to summon up Mary, but to Louis’s distress, she conjures up the charming charlatan Eugene Chantrelle, an erstwhile friend in the Louis’s past. Why does this have such a discomforting effect on Louis and Fanny and how is the haunted sinister wardrobe connected to their uneasiness?
‘The Haunting of Mr. & Mrs. Stephenson’ is a clever mix of thoroughly researched history, a gothic mystery and the story of Fanny and Louis’s marriage and romance. This addictive, captivating and atmospheric narrative is a must for those with an interest in Victorian- era spiritualism and the darker history of Edinburgh. The author’s aim was to create a story, which is illuminating, entertaining and transporting; she has certainly done this!
July 24, 2025
Fascinating tale told in the superbly eloquent style that encapsulates the mystical and supernatural elements of another fabulous Belinda Lyons-Lee story.
A haunted wardrobe, a literary genius and his relationship with an unconventional women, form a small part of this story. Then of course there's a seance and the ghost of Mary Shelley, and Bysse too– do I need to continue? That it's all based on historical proves once more that fact is stranger than fiction.
So many fascinating layers to this wonderful book. Did mention murder by surreptitious poisoning?
A haunted wardrobe, a literary genius and his relationship with an unconventional women, form a small part of this story. Then of course there's a seance and the ghost of Mary Shelley, and Bysse too– do I need to continue? That it's all based on historical proves once more that fact is stranger than fiction.
So many fascinating layers to this wonderful book. Did mention murder by surreptitious poisoning?
August 8, 2025
I enjoyed this gothic, supernatural story about the author of Treasure Island and his wife more than the author's previous historic fiction piece, Tussaud. I found the characters more sympathetic in this story and the writing was better. I also love a good ghost story and though I've enjoyed the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, I knew nothing of his fascinating wife or their involvement in a murder and a court case. I also found the characters, including the side ones, to be well-drawn and believable. A very entertaining and absorbing read. I'll keep reading this author.
July 15, 2025
If i could I would give this 4,5 stars. The writing is superb. Suspense till the end. Only little thing that took away from my personal enjoyment was that the ending felt a little bit rushed. Only my opinion, i would have liked to have a little bit more!! Also I really liked how the writer managed to interwove all the historical real characters together, and the special mention for Joseph Bell. Really clever!
July 29, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews