Sarah Penner
Sarah Penner has published 4 books across 2 series. The recommended reading order starts with The Lost Apothecary (2021).
Sarah Penner is an American author who writes historical fiction.
Penner traded the ledgers of corporate finance for the shadowed corners of 18th-century London. A graduate of the University of Kansas with a finance degree, she spent thirteen years in that field before turning to writing. She worked as a magazine editor and freelance writer before her debut novel, The Lost Apothecary, was published in 2021. That book, about a secret society of female poisoners, became a New York Times bestseller, selling over a million copies and being translated into more than forty languages. She followed this success with The London Séance Society, further cementing her reputation for weaving intricate, suspenseful plots. Now writing full-time from St. Petersburg, Florida, she infuses her narratives with a moody, atmospheric tension that pulls readers into the past. In her free time, Penner enjoys hiking, yoga, and cooking, and sits on the Board of Directors at her local animal shelter, Friends of Strays.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Short Stories/Novellas
- Tagsshort-storiesDescriptionSarah Penner, known for her atmospheric historical fiction, turns her attention to the world of illusion and secrets in this evocative tale that blurs the line between what we see and what we believe. A conjurer's wife lives in the shadows of her husband's performances, watching him command audiences with tricks that dazzle and deceive, but the real magic happens offstage where the cost of wonder is measured in silence and sacrifice. She knows the mechanisms behind every vanishing act, every sleight of hand, yet there are mysteries in her own life she cannot explain away with mirrors and misdirection. When the boundary between performance and reality begins to dissolve, she must decide whether to remain the assistant who keeps the secrets or step into the light and reveal the truth that could shatter everything. The stage that once felt like home becomes a place of danger, and the man she thought she knew transforms into someone—or something—far more enigmatic. Penner weaves a story that examines the price of devotion and the power dynamics hidden within partnerships, all while maintaining the gothic tension and period detail her readers have come to expect. This is a story about what happens when the person closest to you is also the greatest illusion of all.Publication dateJanuary 1, 2025Amazon rating4.1/5Print length39LanguageEnglishPublisherAmazon Original Stories
Order of Standalone Novels
- Tagshistorical-fictionliterary-fictionmysterysuspensecrimethrillerDescriptionNella runs a hidden apothecary in eighteenth-century London, dispensing carefully disguised poisons to women who need to rid themselves of dangerous men. It's a grim trade, but one governed by strict rules—until a twelve-year-old girl arrives at her door and makes a mistake that unravels everything. What follows is a cascade of consequences that will ripple forward through time, leaving murder and mystery in its wake. Two centuries later, Caroline Parcewell is supposed to be celebrating her anniversary, but instead she's alone in London, her marriage fraying at the seams. When she unearths a cryptic clue tied to a series of unsolved poisonings, she's pulled into Nella's long-buried story—and the two women's fates begin to intertwine in ways neither could have imagined. Penner weaves their narratives together with a deft hand, building tension as past and present converge. This is historical fiction with teeth: a story about the lengths women go to reclaim power, the secrets they carry, and the unexpected ways they reach across centuries to save one another. Dark, propulsive, and deeply satisfying.Publication dateMarch 2, 2021Amazon rating4.2/5Print length320LanguageEnglishPublisherPark Row
- Tagshistorical-fictionmysterycrimesuspensethrillerDescription1873, Victorian London, where grief and deception walk hand in hand through gaslit parlors. Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary, returns with a haunting tale of two women who make it their mission to expose the fraudulent mediums preying on the bereaved—until one séance changes everything they thought they knew about the boundary between life and death. Lenna Wickes has spent years unmasking fake spiritualists alongside her partner in the London Séance Society, driven by her own losses and a fierce need for truth. But when a powerful member of Parliament hires them to investigate a medium claiming to contact his dead daughter, Lenna finds herself drawn into a case that defies every rational explanation she's built her life upon. The evidence suggests something impossible: that this medium might be genuine. As Lenna digs deeper, she must confront not only the mysteries of the séance room but also the secrets of her own past and the grief she's never allowed herself to fully face. The investigation becomes a reckoning with everything she believes about love, loss, and what might lie beyond the veil. Penner weaves atmospheric historical detail with genuine emotional depth, crafting a story that asks what we're willing to believe when we're desperate to hold onto those we've lost. This is Victorian gothic with a beating heart, a mystery that lingers in the mind like fog on the Thames.Publication dateMarch 7, 2023Amazon rating4/5Print length352LanguageEnglishPublisherPark Row
- Tagshistorical-fictionfantasymysteryromanceparanormal-romancehorrorDescriptionPositano should be paradise, but something is wrong with the water. Haven Ambrose arrives at this sun-drenched village on the Amalfi Coast with two missions: investigate the mysterious shipwrecks littering the seabed, and find the cache of priceless gemstones her late father glimpsed on his final, fatal dive. She's a nautical archaeologist used to secrets buried in the deep, but she's unprepared for what surfaces after her arrival—strange maelstroms, inexplicable disasters, a town gripped by fear. The deeper Haven dives, the more she uncovers a story that predates her father's death by centuries. There's an old tale woven into these cliffs and waves, one of a woman who wielded stregheria—the legendary art of ocean magic—to protect her lover and her village from ruin. Ancient sorcery, desperate love, and a curse that never quite let go. Now Haven must decide: is Positano's present chaos the work of nature's fury, or has she awakened something that should have stayed submerged? Sarah Penner spins a lush, atmospheric tale that braids modern-day treasure hunting with folklore and dark enchantment. The stakes climb with every page as Haven races to break the Amalfi Curse before it drags an entire region under. This is mystery steeped in salt and shadow, where the past refuses to stay buried and the ocean keeps its own counsel.Publication dateApril 29, 2025Amazon rating4.2/5Print length336LanguageEnglishPublisherPark Row
Frequently Asked Questions about Sarah Penner
Sarah Penner's novels are written as standalones, so they do not need to be read in a specific order. Readers can begin with any of her published works. Her novels explore themes of history, secrets, and the supernatural. The Conjurer's Wife and The Amalfi Curse are forthcoming.
A good starting point for Sarah Penner's novels is The Lost Apothecary, published in 2021. This book introduced readers to her style of blending historical settings with elements of mystery and magic. It was followed by The London Séance Society in 2023. Both novels can be enjoyed independently of each other.
Sarah Penner writes standalone novels, meaning each book tells a complete story and does not require knowledge of previous installments. Readers can pick up any of her novels and understand the plot without having read others. Her books are not part of a connected series.
Sarah Penner writes standalone novels. Each of her novels, including The Lost Apothecary and The London Séance Society, can be read as a complete story. She has also written short stories and novellas, such as The Conjurer's Wife, which is forthcoming. Her works are not structured as a series.
As of 2024, Sarah Penner has published two standalone novels, The Lost Apothecary (2021) and The London Séance Society (2023). She has also written short stories and novellas, with The Conjurer's Wife and The Amalfi Curse scheduled for release in 2025. This brings her total to four announced books.
The first book Sarah Penner published was The Lost Apothecary, released in 2021. This historical fiction novel follows a secret society of female apothecaries in 18th-century London and a modern-day historian who discovers their secrets. It established her characteristic blend of mystery and historical elements.
Sarah Penner's most recent book is The London Séance Society, published in 2023. This novel centers on a group of women in 1890s London who claim to contact the dead. It continues her exploration of historical settings intertwined with supernatural intrigue, following her debut, The Lost Apothecary.
Sarah Penner writes historical fiction with elements of mystery and the supernatural. Her novels often feature secrets, forgotten histories, and women in historical settings who grapple with unusual circumstances. Themes of magic, the occult, and hidden societies appear in her work.
Alexis Daria
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Mo Hayder
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We verified the reading order for Sarah Penner's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: April 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Sarah Penner Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/sarah-penner