Winner of the 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Award for General Fiction“Beautifully written and satisfyingly creepy, this is one of the most poignant and original ghost stories I've ever read.” —Mark Haskell Smith, author of Blown
“Sary's instinct for the miraculous is indeed strong in this tender novel that lovingly captures the yearning for human connection.” —Donia Bijan, author of The Last Days of Cafe Leila
“I was transfixed by this novel set in a town suffused with ghosts figurative and literal, and moved deeply to witness an eccentric woman’s grief transmuted into a gripping testament to the power of the individual imagination.” —Antoine Wilson, author of Mouth to Mouth
“Magdalena is a unique and beautiful story, one framed by a mystery that propels the reader swiftly through its pages. Sary’s tale of love, loss and maternal devotion pulls hard at the heartstrings and is impossible to put down.” —Diane Haeger, best-selling author of Courtesan
“In a small seaside town haunted by ghosts and run by the Catholic church a woman finds unexpected power in telling her own story. A quirky and suspenseful read!” —Katya Apekina, author of The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish
“Is it possible to write a modern day ghost story that’s also a poignant tale about love, loss, and redemption? Candi Sary has done just that with her second novel, Magdalena. Shirley Jackson fans will be kicking up their heels.” —Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, author of Palm Springs Noir (Akashic) and host of Writers on Writing
“Ghostly and mysterious yet rooted in the claustrophobic reality of a small town, Magdalena investigates a woman’s search for connection to the idiosyncratic people who cross her path, and most of all, to herself. This dark and delicate novel is a mesmeric read.” —Siel Ju, author of Cake Time
“Magdalena took me into a world of obsessive love and the desperation we all have for connection in this world and the next. Candi Sary lured me into the heart of Dottie, her misfit narrator whose loyalty carries her up and out of loneliness and tragedy. Once you get started, you won't put it down and you won't want it to end.” —Mary Castillo, author of The Dori O. Paranormal Mystery Series
