Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Veronica Speedwell #10
Publication Date: 3/3/26
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 336

Stoker and Veronica find themselves in a rare state of ennui, brought on by a disappointing lack of recent adventure. Veronica, in particular, is wishing for a bit of excitement to come their way—and Inspector Mornaday of Special Branch delivers exactly that. He arrives with a most unusual case: a young aristocrat found dead, his body completely drained of blood, with two small puncture marks along his jugular. Officially, the death has been ruled natural causes, and Mornaday has been expressly forbidden from investigating. Naturally, that doesn’t sit well with anyone involved. What?!

The case takes an intriguing turn when Veronica argues—quite seriously—that vampires may exist, while Stoker firmly insists they do not. Their resulting wager adds a layer of amusement, even as the mystery deepens. There is, after all, a man who presents himself very much like a vampire (without ever quite saying so), accompanied by a self-proclaimed witch. People seem to fall under their influence—but how?

The path to the truth is long and winding, weaving through a wide array of characters: aristocrats, eccentric American millionaires, retired schoolteachers, and struggling newspaper journalists. Each plays a role in unraveling the mystery. But time is running short, and the stakes rise dramatically as it becomes clear that Stoker himself may be the next target.

I love this series, but I have to admit I experienced a bit of my own ennui for much of this book. The pacing felt slow, and the story didn’t fully engage me—though that may have been a matter of my reading mood at the time. That said, things pick up significantly around the 80–85% mark, and from there it’s a rush of nonstop action leading to a truly whiz-bang finale.

One element that particularly frustrated me was the handling of a certain villain, who is not only allowed to escape but whose actions are, to some extent, defended. WHAT?! Considering what nearly happened to Stoker—an unconscious man with a knife poised over his heart—it’s hard to accept that outcome.

While this is my least favorite book in the series and not one I’m likely to revisit, it does offer some interesting development among the supporting characters. I’m curious to see how those threads play out in future installments.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Veronica Speedwell #9
Publication Date: 3/12/24
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 336

On one hand, I can’t believe we are already nine books into this intriguing, excellently written series, and on the other hand, I feel as if I have known Veronica and Stoker forever. This author has done an excellent job of fleshing out the characters so that it feels more like visiting a friend rather than reading a book. I didn’t care for Veronica at first – and almost didn’t read any more of the books – however, I decided I really liked Stoker and I’d give it another try. I am so glad I did because the character growth for both of them has been phenomenal and we are now to the point where I actually like Veronica – and I still love Stoker.

Lord Rosemorran, Veronica and Stoker’s benefactor has purchased a wax figure (similar to those in wax museums) and had it delivered to their workspace. To make it even more lifelike, he requests that Stoker add a mechanism to the inside of the chest so it appears to be breathing. The idea intrigues Stoker and he decides to begin work on it at once. Only, cutting into the wax figure was not exactly what Stoker expected – first, it was much more difficult to cut, and second, OMGoodness, it was a perfectly preserved human body! After he cast up his accounts, he and Veronica gave the body a thorough examination to determine the cause of death – if possible – and to try to identify her so she could be returned to her family. Stoker’s sense of justice and fair play will not allow him to rest until he knows who she is and what happened to her – even if it was years ago.

Lord Rosemorran does not want to call in the police and become involved in a scandal, so he asks Veronica and Stoker to investigate. With the help of their friends – and sometimes helpers – Mornaday (of Scotland Yard) and J.J. (a newspaper reporter) – they find information about the body of a young woman found floating in the Thames fifteen years ago. Further investigations made them sure they had the right body, but there was never an identification made of the young woman.

You’ll find some really vile villains, great friendships, an odd assortment of animals, two new characters to get to know, and the love between Stoker and Veronica growing deeper and deeper. What a fun, wild, exciting, and interesting read it was and I’m already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. I can definitely recommend this book and this series and should you choose to try it, I hope you’ll love it. Happy Reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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