Book Review: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula
Whitby Harbor, England. October 1890
In the middle of a sudden and fierce storm, the Russian schooner Demeter runs aground in Whitby Harbor, England. Immediately after, witnesses state that a large black dog had leapt from the boat and run off into the darkness. The Demeter's dead captain was found with his wrists bound at the wheel beside a set of rosary beads. Two small puncture wounds, nearly an inch apart, were found on his neck.
Such were the facts presented to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson by a local reporter. Intrigued, the pair set off from London to Whitby where they find themselves confronted by the ghostly form of Lucy Westenra, now a vampire, kidnapping children and draining them of blood. Holmes and Watson attempt to trap her late one night but she escapes back to her crypt--only to be killed by a stake driven through the heart. The trap had been set by four men including Professor Abraham Van Helsing,
After an exchange of information with Holmes, Van Helsing warns the famous detective to keep out of his way and do not interfere with his pursuit of Dracula. For it was the Count himself that had fled the Demeter in the form of a wolf.
While Watson is blatantly dismissive of such ludicrous claims, Holmes is suprisingly receptive. The detective even goes so far as to buy a book on vampires, to the good doctor's chagrin. A series of confrontations with Dracula follows, including one resulting from his abduction of Watson's wife, Mary.
Loren Estleman does an admirable job presenting the tale in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As with all Sherlock Holmes stories, they are told from first person perspective of Dr. Watson. This time, Watson "writes" an introdcution in which he claims that Bram Stoker completely ignored the facts of the case when he deliberately failed to mention Holmes or Watson in his novel.
There are one or two weak chapters in the middle but they provide the service of leading up to a suspenseful climax aboard an American ship, the Baltimore. Van Helsing and the other characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula made cameo appearances for the sole sake of explaining much of Dracula's history and to warn off Holmes. I had hoped for teamwork between Van Helsing and Holmes and was disappointed when the vampire hunter never returned to the story.
All told, it was a quick and enjoyable adventure but one that had potential to be much more.
In the middle of a sudden and fierce storm, the Russian schooner Demeter runs aground in Whitby Harbor, England. Immediately after, witnesses state that a large black dog had leapt from the boat and run off into the darkness. The Demeter's dead captain was found with his wrists bound at the wheel beside a set of rosary beads. Two small puncture wounds, nearly an inch apart, were found on his neck.
Such were the facts presented to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson by a local reporter. Intrigued, the pair set off from London to Whitby where they find themselves confronted by the ghostly form of Lucy Westenra, now a vampire, kidnapping children and draining them of blood. Holmes and Watson attempt to trap her late one night but she escapes back to her crypt--only to be killed by a stake driven through the heart. The trap had been set by four men including Professor Abraham Van Helsing,
After an exchange of information with Holmes, Van Helsing warns the famous detective to keep out of his way and do not interfere with his pursuit of Dracula. For it was the Count himself that had fled the Demeter in the form of a wolf.
While Watson is blatantly dismissive of such ludicrous claims, Holmes is suprisingly receptive. The detective even goes so far as to buy a book on vampires, to the good doctor's chagrin. A series of confrontations with Dracula follows, including one resulting from his abduction of Watson's wife, Mary.
Loren Estleman does an admirable job presenting the tale in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As with all Sherlock Holmes stories, they are told from first person perspective of Dr. Watson. This time, Watson "writes" an introdcution in which he claims that Bram Stoker completely ignored the facts of the case when he deliberately failed to mention Holmes or Watson in his novel.
There are one or two weak chapters in the middle but they provide the service of leading up to a suspenseful climax aboard an American ship, the Baltimore. Van Helsing and the other characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula made cameo appearances for the sole sake of explaining much of Dracula's history and to warn off Holmes. I had hoped for teamwork between Van Helsing and Holmes and was disappointed when the vampire hunter never returned to the story.
All told, it was a quick and enjoyable adventure but one that had potential to be much more.
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