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A new spin on old classics with rich atmosphere and two heroines that grow on each other (and you).

Summary: At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula’s killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris―or have her thrown into an asylum.

Sam finds herself assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, daughter of the criminal mastermind and famed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes and a notorious detective whom no one wants to work with on account of her previous partners’ mysterious murders. Ranging from the elite clubs of Paris to the dark underbelly of the catacombs, their investigation sweeps them into a race to stop a beast from its killing rampage, as Hel and Sam are pitted against men, monsters, and even each other. But beneath their tenuous trust, an unmistakable attraction brews. Is trusting Hel the key to solving the murder, or is Sam yet another pawn in Hel’s game?

Review: Strange Beasts is a delicious adventure and mystery wrapped in threads of gothic paranormal fiction and gives us a fresh look at stories we have loved before. Here, the children of Professor Moriarty and Mina Harker (of Sherlock and Dracula fame), Hel and Sam, are women working for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena out of London. Sam is a researcher out of her depth trying to outrun a family curse. Hel is a field agent that no one trusts due to her parentage. But in this case, they end up as reluctant partners. 

As with all great mysteries, both women have secrets they’re trying to keep while tracking down the Beast who’s gone on a killing spree in Paris. At every turn they are met with resistance and tricks, often at the hands of people they know well. Forming a tenuous alliance filled with tension and faint whispers of trust, they must work together to reach a resolution that will leave both of them alive. 

The writing was sharp, the tension and secrets played out well, and the atmosphere was rich and inviting. You felt like you were in the salons and catacombs of Paris. The dynamic between Hel and Sam is perfection, and the end sets us up for a continuation of the world and the underlying mysteries that go beyond the Beast murders the women were sent to solve. We also have a slow-burn romantic tension between Hel and Sam that is lovely to see unfold. They are the definition of opposites attract, and I would love to see more of their story unfold. 

Final Thoughts: Loved this! I do hope it becomes a series, like The Invisible Library. There is so much more world to explore here, and Hel and Sam are perfect guides through it. I read this as an ARC from Netgalley and Bindery Books. Publication date is October 15th, 2024.