This installment of Veronica Speedwell pleased me very much. Deanna Raybourn’s cheeky tone is perfect. Fans of her Lady Julia series will be delighted to have that woman and her Nicholas Brisbane make an appearance to help with the investigation. Veronica appears to be taken with the couple, so it seems that the two storylines may be merging.
Raybourn has previously written a gothic novel with hints of vampirism (The Dead Travel Fast). Her research from that novel serves her well as Veronica and Stoker debate whether revenants are a thing and if their current case involves one. Stoker is an emphatic NO to both questions but Veronica is more willing to entertain the possibility.
There are some grand lines. The reporter J.J. loses her job and declares, “I shall have to live on stale crusts and cheese stolen from mousetraps. I will be forced into degrading work like prostitution or standing for Parliament." (Many Canadians feel similarly about our House of Commons.)
Later, Veronica and Stoker find the body of a wealthy American after breaking into his home. Veronica explains why they must not report the murder. “Once news of Von Hilsing's death is known, the press will descend like vultures. Our British newspapers are bad enough, but just consider, dearest--"
"The Americans," he said hoarsely. His face had gone very white, and he slumped into a chair. "It will be awful. They will accuse us of terrible things and they shall do so ungrammatically."
Raybourn, as a Texan, can get away with twitting her countrymen in this fashion. The names she uses have purposeful similarities to characters in Bram Stoker's Dracula, providing another layer of amusement for fans of that novel. Thoroughly entertaining and worth the wait.
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