Grave Importance

Starred review from July 8, 2019
Shaw’s delightful third novel featuring Dr. Greta Helsing (after Dreadful Company) is a quirky medical mystery that takes the reader to the streets of New York and Rome; a secret, exclusive French spa for mummies; and Dr. Faust’s hospital in Hell. Greta is invited to become the interim medical director for the spa, Oasis Natrun, but her enjoyment in working with its high-tech setup is overshadowed by the dangerous fainting fits suddenly plaguing several of her physically fragile undead patients. Romance abounds as relationships begun in earlier books—between Greta and the vampyre Sir Francis Varney and between the vampires Edmund Ruthven and Grisaille—and a tender new connection flourishes between two Earthbound angels, grounding Shaw’s community of outcasts. The creative worldbuilding around magically enhanced mummy medicine and mystical Egyptology hits just the right note, and her bold story engages the powers of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between while maintaining a character-centered, intimate approach that keeps the reader deeply involved. Readers will hope they haven’t seen the last of Greta and her crew. Agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management.

July 15, 2019
In the conclusion to Shaw's Greta Helsing trilogy (Dreadful Company, 2018, etc.), Greta must puzzle out the cause of a strange illness running rampant throughout the mummy community. Mummy specialist Dr. Greta Helsing is thrilled to be asked to temporarily take the reins at Oasis Natrun, Marseille's private and exclusive mummy spa and resort, and jumps at the chance to escape rainy London for sunny France. Greta is dazzled by the beauty of the hillside resort, not to mention its state-of-the-art medical equipment and uber competent nursing staff (including a mummy who used to be an Egyptian priest). Greta barely settles in before one of her patients suffers a mysterious fainting spell that drains his energy. The episodes are spreading, and the only thing that might be able to help is an ancient and rare Egyptian artifact ensconced very securely in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Meanwhile, during a trip to Italy with Grisaille, his new boyfriend and a master thief, the fashionable vampire Edmund Ruthven, Greta's old friend, experiences a vicious bout of sickness and is whisked off to Oasis Natrun for treatment tout de suite, and Greta's boyfriend, vampire Sir Frances Varney, joins her at the resort for moral support. Then there are those slightly creepy angelic creatures/fashion models that seem to be up to no good on the earthly plane. Greta has a lot on her plate, but her calm, take-charge attitude and compassionate bedside manner are a balm for her patients, and passages detailing her clever treatment practices add weight to her strange profession. Shaw's characters, both human and supernatural (ghouls, witches, screaming skulls, oh my!), are genuinely fascinating, and her prose is just as droll and witty as ever, but it's Greta, with her big heart and determination to do the right thing, that makes this series sparkle. Readers will be happy to be pulled along in Greta's bustling wake--which includes an enlightening trip to hell--for as long as it takes to solve the mummy conundrum and finally spend some quality alone time with Varney. A satisfying wrap-up to a delightfully gothic contemporary urban fantasy series.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 2, 2019

Dr. Greta Helsing is London's mummy specialist, and she's thrilled to have the chance to work above Marseille at Oasis Natrun, the premier, private luxury health spa for mummies. Invited to be the interim medical director for four months, she leaves behind her own clinic to treat clients in the state-of-the-art French facility. However, she soon realizes that some of her patients have peculiar symptoms, and discovering their cause leads Greta, her vampyre love Sir Francis Varney, and her friends down a trail of Egyptian artifacts, magical spells, museum thievery, angels and demons, and trips to (literal) hell. It's not only the mummies who are crumbling to dust, but the entire fabric of reality is being damaged. VERDICT Intelligent prose and an intriguing cast of characters enhance the range of story lines, culminating in a breathtaking climax. Shaw's third "Dr. Greta Helsing" novel (after Dreadful Company) blends medical mystery and fantasy adventure to wrap up a delightfully modern undead trilogy.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
The final book in Shaw's entertaining Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy (beginning with Strange Practice, 2017) is a satisfying conclusion for the bright and determined main character. The trilogy has followed Greta as she uses her expertise to attend to the health of supernatural creatures. Her reputation as an expert in her field has grown, and now her hard work is being rewarded as she is asked to step in as interim medical director for a luxury health spa for mummies. Greta always seems to find herself in more trouble than she intended, and this book is no exception as her new patients fall ill from a mysterious condition. Shaw pulls in literary figures, such as Faust, a new supporting character here, reimagined in roles for a modern and more inclusive world. While the stakes have risen with each book, Shaw stays true to tone and characterization, maintaining the wit and sophisticated writing of the previous books and advancing Greta's character as a strong woman and caring medical professional.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)