The Egyptian Elixir

The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom #2

by Page Zaplendam

What could possibly go wrong on a surveillance trip to Parliament? Apparently everything.

Vampire and bacteriologist John Grissom and vampire hunter Van Helsing are unlikely friends and coworkers. As members of Bow Street's fledgling clandestine investigative division, Odd Crimes, they find themselves witnesses to an assassination attempt on the Marquis of Wellesley and discover London's most notorious purveyor of stolen goods at the bottom of it.

But Sir Antony's ability to influence people is unusual to say the least. The vampire and the hunter investigate, but the Egyptian elixir may prove the undoing of them both.

136 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2017

Reviews

[Carolyn]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Egyptian Elixir without even having read the first book in The Unofficial John Grissom Chronicles (although I'm eager to read that first book now). Grissom comes across as an honorable fellow, a vampire who has disciplined himself to feeding only on bovine blood. Despite his super-human abilities, his weaknesses make him endearing and the Regency-style banter between Grissom and Van Helsing entertains whether they are discussing the case at hand or in mortal (or immortal) peril.

The mystery held my attention and the climax left me reluctant to set down my Kindle to tend to dinner preparations. The writing is excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Grissom.

(I received a review copy from the author. Opinions expressed are my own.)

[Deedra]

Loved it!

[Jayne]

Audiobook

[William Bitner Jr.]

Finished reading “The Egyptian Elixir: The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom” Book 2” by Page Zaplendam. I had the opportunity and privilege to read this book before its release date. I loved this newest addition to the John Grissom Series. It is a Gothic Regency Vampyre story that continues with the adventures of John Grissom and Van Helsing in 1800’s England. We are introduced to some new characters but all the original characters are still a part of the book. This was a shorter read than the first book, but was still packed with a lot of suspense and story. The story flowed nicely and the characters are well developed and continue to evolve. With a third book in the works “The Hellhound of Derbyshire” I can only imagine where Page will take us next on this fantastic journey.

Synopsis (from back cover): What could possibly go wrong on a surveillance trip to Parliament? Apparently everything.

When John Grissom and Van Helsing find themselves witnesses to an assassination attempt on the Marquis of Wellesley, they discover London’s most notorious purveyor of stolen good at the bottom of it. But his ability to influence people is odd to say the least. The vampire and the hunter investigate, but the Egyptian elixir may prove the undoing of them both.

[Lilyan Frisch]

This was a fantastic read. I stayed up late finishing it because I was unable to put it down. This is the second book I have read in the "Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom". The characters are endearing, the brash vampire hunter, Van Helsing, and the eloquent John Grissom. This was an enthralling novella and I'm looking forward to more in this series. Well done!