A gothic, darkly witty historical fantasy about a sharp-tongued spirit photographer in 1870s Boston who, while investigating a murder, must confront inherited faith, family loss, and the dangerous cost of refusing easy answers about who she’s meant to become.
Cameron Obscura is a gothic, darkly witty historical fantasy for women who grew up asking harder questions than they were allowed to voice. Set in 1870s Boston, it follows Cameron—a sharp-tongued spirit photographer who works crime scenes for the police, documenting the nearly dead while carrying the weight of family loss, inherited faith, and unwanted spiritual gifts. As Cameron investigates a murder that introduces her to a defiant, unforgettable spirit, she’s drawn into a confrontation with a power-hungry cult leader and the truth behind her father’s death. With the moody intimacy of Wuthering Heights, the spiritual ache of My Name Is Asher Lev, and a streak of subversive humor, Cameron Obscuraexplores what happens when you refuse tidy answers—and choose to live anyway.
Listen to the playlist that helped inspire the book! Author MD Smith shares her favorites here.
Nothing Else Matters, Phoebe Bridgers
Celebrity Skin, Hole
Picture Window, Japanese Breakfast
Undisclosed Desires, Muse
Everything I Wanted, Billie Eilish
Motion Sickness, Phoebe Bridgers
Hate Me, Miley Cyrus
Zombieboy, Lady Gaga
Monument (Inevitable End Version), Röyksopp and Robyn
Heaven is a Place on Earth, The Scarlet Opera
Wildflower, Billie Eilish
Be Sweet, Japanese Breakfast
Sinner's Prayer, Lady Gaga
This is Why We Fight, The Decemberists
Funeral Singers, Sylvan Esso
Evergreen, Yebba
Midnight, Caravan Palace
Vampire, Olivia Rodrigo
Deathly, Aimee Mann
All-American Bitch, Olivia Rodrigo
Muddy Feet, Miley Cyrus
Matilda, Harry Styles
Bloody Mary, Lady Gaga
Kill Me, Hayley Williams