This exceptional literary debut combines historical details of early 20th century London with crime fiction and has been awarded prizes for both genres in Sweden.
A photographer dies leaving all his belongings, amongst them many notes and photographs, to his niece. Intrigued by her inheritance Johanna Hall decides to investigate the secrets of her uncle's early life. Travelling to London, where her uncle had lived and trained in his youth, she uncovers a macabre history laced with scandal.
In 1905 Madame Blavatsky holds Theosophist seances in London. Amongst the attendees is churchman Charles Leadbeater. Johanna discovers that Leadbeater used his position to take in young children and murder them, the fascination being to capture on film the souls of the children departing their dying bodies. Photographs of the seances and the children are taken by Herbert Burrows, to whom Johanna's uncle was apprenticed at the time.
The story is told both by Johanna in her present day research and then by her uncle who, as a young man, gives his version of the story. Part crime novel and part historical fiction, 'Camera' reflects upon the role of photography to record memories and document truth as Johanna's revelations unfold.
