Estate Sale by Mia Dalia

Lethe Press, 2025

ISBN-13: 9781590215579

Available: Paperback, Kindle ebook

After the passing of Lady Koshmaroff, an estate sale draws the attention of the community, who knew very little about her and her late husband. Once the locals start buying the everyday objects from the house, strange things start happening to the new owners of these possessions. A writer buys a rocking chair and, after a long stint of writer’s block, he begins to write…and write…and write. A teenager, aspiring to be a comic artist, finds the quill her grandfather bought at an estate sale before he died holds an amazing secret that frees her from the confines of an uncaring mother and a stepfather whose recent medical condition she feels guilty about… maybe. A man returns to his hometown after an adventurous life, and caters the wedding of the man who was his first kiss, leading to rekindled, conflicting feelings, that end with a dark secret revealed and a mysterious engraved cup. A wife purchases a magnifying glass for her discredited investigator husband in the hopes it will give him some confidence, which leads to obsession over his most recent case. These are only a fraction of the objects purchased from the estate.

Between tales of the objects and their buyers is the strange history of Russian couple Ana and Pavel Koshmaroff, who managed to escape numerous atrocities in Europe in the early 20^th century, finally settling in the United States. Throughout their story, Pavel introduces Ana to friends made across the world, including the infamous Aleister Crowley and other practitioners of magick. He also collects a seemingly eclectic assortment of objects, which she inherits at Pavel’s death.

Dalia expertly weaves the couple’s travels through history with the stories of the buyers of objects from the estate sale. Her ability to turn what seems like an everyday object into something sinister, or a strange comfort, added to the suspense and mystery of the Koshmaroff line. Although there is a large cast of characters, Dalia provides each of them a distinct voice and personality, and sometimes they cross paths with each other. This effect makes the setting feel small, despite the fact that some characters have moved out the of community, only to be pulled back for various reasons, to come across the estate sale at the center of the book.

Estate Sale would be a great recommendation for readers who like historical horror, gothic horror, short story collections, and intricate yet simple world building. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker