Charles Maddox's
latest case is to vet the credentials of a wealthy Austro-Hungarian
nobleman who offers a gift to the Bodleian Library. Oxford is eager
for the gift, but doesn't want to be embarrassed later, so Charles is
sent to visit Freiherr von Reisenberg in his castle.
The castle is lavish
and the scientific achievements of von Reisenberg are astonishing. At
first Charles is overwhelmed, but as days pass the atmosphere in the
castle weighs on him. Like the original Count Dracula, von Reisenberg
doesn't seem to eat. He stays away from the sun, and there are no
mirrors in the castle. In addition there are rooms that Charles is
not supposed to visit. As the days wear on, he feels that something
is amiss and investigates. His searches get him into trouble, but
finally he is able to reach London.
Back in London the
Great Exhibition is opening, and the news is rife with the violent
murders of young women. Charles is again involved in the
investigation.
The chapters about
Charles' investigation are interspersed with chapters from Lucy's
journal. She is a young woman from Vienna who helps her father with
illusions. Although at first the two parts of the story seem
unrelated, Shepard manages to wind it all together at the end.
This book follows
the plot of Dracula closely including the rather archaic language of
Bram Stoker's original. Although true to the period, Shepard's prose
feels pretentious and somewhat out of place. The digressions to
explain what a character is thinking do not feel natural. I think the
story could have been carried without having to resort to stylistic
devices from an earlier era.
If you're a fan of
the Charles Maddox series, you'll enjoy this book, but I wouldn't
suggest starting here. There are many unexplained background
occurences that make clear the main character's motives that are not
fleshed out in this book. While I'm glad the author didn't spend time
on long background sections, it does make it difficult to understand
the relationships between the characters.
I reviewed this book
for the Amazon Vine Program.
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