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Whose footsteps in the dark?
He is heir to the earldom of Batheaston and lives in an elegant, stately home, but handsome twenty-something Freddie Lanyon is not a happy man. Not only is he gay and dreading coming out to his family, but he’s also troubled by ghosts that nobody else can see.
When Freddie’s impulsive purchase of an antique dressing case triggers even more ghostly happenings with potentially catastrophic consequences, he has to take action.
Freddie contacts charismatic psychic Marcus Spender for help and feels an immediate attraction to this handsome antique dealer –– a feeling that is mutual. But the pair’s investigations unearth shocking, long-buried secrets, which prove a major challenge to their task of laying unhappy spirits to rest and to their blossoming relationship.
Being brave isn’t one of Freddie’s standout qualities, but he’ll need all the courage he can muster to rid himself of wayward phantoms and get his life on track.
A Plethora of Phantoms is an uplifting ghostly tale about love, friendship, and acceptance.
From the opening chapters of A Plethora of Phantoms, there’s a quiet sense that something isn’t quite right. Lanyon Park feels established and familiar, shaped by routine and expectation, but it never fully settles. Even in the more ordinary moments, there’s an undercurrent running through it, as though the house itself is holding onto something that hasn’t been properly addressed.
Freddie is a particularly effective character to centre the story around because he doesn’t immediately try to take control of what’s happening. He notices things, questions them, and—at least at first—tries to rationalise them. That hesitation makes the early stages of the haunting feel more believable, because you’re seeing it through someone who isn’t ready to accept it straight away. As things begin to escalate, that approach becomes harder to maintain, and the shift in how he responds feels gradual rather than forced.
Marcus changes the tone of the story the moment he becomes involved. He’s more willing to confront what’s in front of him, even when it doesn’t make sense, and that creates a different kind of momentum. At the same time, there are moments where it’s clear he’s not entirely untouched by what’s happening either, which adds a subtle layer to his role in the story.
The relationship between them develops alongside all of this rather than apart from it. It isn’t built on isolated moments, but on shared experience—conversations, decisions, and the slow realisation that neither of them is dealing with things alone. That gives it a sense of progression that feels steady, even when everything else around them is becoming less certain.
The haunting itself never settles into something simple. Early on, it feels almost manageable—strange, but not necessarily threatening. Then something shifts. The tone changes, the presence becomes more direct, and it’s much harder to dismiss. The long gallery, in particular, stands out as one of the points where that shift becomes impossible to ignore, turning unease into something far more immediate.
What keeps the mystery engaging is the way it unfolds through detail rather than revelation. The dressing case becomes an important part of that, not just as an object, but as something that draws attention to connections that might otherwise have been missed. Following those threads takes the story beyond the house, opening it out into something that feels more layered and interconnected.
As the story moves forward, the focus shifts from what is happening to why it remains unresolved. The past doesn’t sit quietly in the background—it presses into the present, not through intention, but through what has been left unfinished.
By the end, there’s a sense of things settling, but not in a way that feels overly neat. It’s more a feeling of recognition—that what needed to be understood has been, and that in doing so, something has been allowed to rest. That applies not just to the house, but to the people connected to it as well.
A Plethora of Phantoms builds its impact gradually. It doesn’t rely on sudden shocks, but on atmosphere, character, and the steady layering of detail. It’s the kind of story that draws you in without making a great deal of noise about it, and by the time you reach the end, you realise how much it has quietly settled in.
Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series. There are now four novels in the series, with the latest, An Adventurer’s Contract, released in November 2024. Penny also enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with a hint of the paranormal, because where do ghosts come from but the past? The Unquiet Spirit, a spooky mystery/romance set in Cornwall, is the first in the Spirited Encounters Series. Look out for A Plethora of Phantoms coming soon.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).
If you’ve enjoyed any of Penny’s books please leave a review on Amazon, Bookbub, or Goodreads, and let other readers know!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and review my book. I'm delighted you enjoyed A Plethora of Phantoms!
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