Hunting Prince Dracula

July 15, 2017
Audrey Rose and Thomas return with Dracula-themed murders in the sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper (2016).Biracial Audrey Rose, her father a white British noble and her mother of Indian descent, is reeling with grief following the conclusion of the Jack the Ripper case when she and Thomas, who is white, head off to Romania to study at the Academy of Forensic Medicine and Science. While they are en route on the Orient Express, another passenger is found murdered, with a stake through the heart. At the academy--in what was once Dracula's castle--they learn that they haven't actually been accepted and are in a competition to determine which two of the nine students will be offered places. Rather than concentrating solely on their studies, the duo investigates the bodies piling up--some drained of blood like a vampire kill, others staked like a killed vampire. Throughout the mystery, narrated in Audrey Rose's appropriately gothic, overwrought voice, there are plenty of suspects and red herrings as well as tense escalations. In the less murderous subplots, Audrey Rose struggles to win her place in the school and holds back from chaste romance with Thomas because she doesn't want to have to ask any man, Thomas included, to allow her freedom. The supporting cast includes more women than the first, one a lesbian, and an African-American male supporting character. The ending promises a third book. A scenic, twisty mystery. (Historical thriller. 14-adult)

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August 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Still struggling with the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper case but determined to continue her medical studies, Audrey Rose Wadsworth travels to Romania to attend Europe's most prominent forensics school, housed in the castle once home to Vlad the Impaler. With her is Thomas Cresswell, former apprentice to Audrey's uncle, who is more than just a colleague but not quite a suitor to Audrey. The duo are prepared for autopsies and examinations, but when a fellow traveler, a villager, and one of the academy's own students die in quick succession, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin a murder investigation. Each death resembles a vampire attack, and locals are certain that the Impaler has returned, but Audrey is determined to prove that the killer is no vampire. As in the previous work, Maniscalco builds a believable and intriguing setting, this time through a blend of history, Romanian folklore, and fiction. Audrey Rose is a smart, fearless, and progressive heroine willing to flout both the rules of the forensics academy and 19th-century societal expectations. As analytical and cheeky as ever, Thomas regards Audrey as his equal in ability as well as intellect, and together, the pair make an investigative team readers will delight in. VERDICT Plenty of red herrings, a conspicuous absence of blood, and a developing romance make this a must-read for fans of Audrey Rose.-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University, SC

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