![]() She actually grated on my nerves in places. Strangely, Greta was not my favorite character, even though I expected her to be. ![]() Reading about mass spectrometer results (hey, any Bones fans out there?), technical medical terms, and Greta’s desire to obtain a 3D printer so she can make replacement bones for mummies was a lot of fun, and it added a rich layer to the less serious, more relaxed parts of the book. Shaw adds plenty of scientific jargon, which makes sense because Greta is a doctor. There is a lot of humorous rolling of the eyes, and the subtle humor was definitely one of my favorite things about this story. Even the character of Greta is descended from the famous Van Helsings! Even better, the characters, who are “real” in this story, are both amused and distressed by how wrong the writers who wrote their stories interpreted things. Although I had never heard of Ruthven, I had heard of Varney, so it was simply a matter of a quick Google search, and I was grinning from ear to ear. This story was delightful in so many ways! I particularly loved the way Shaw brings in fictional characters from classic horror tales, like Varney the Vampire and Ruthven. Greta is more determined than ever to figure out the mystery behind the monks’ murderous behavior, stop the threat against her friends and save her practice. Monsters and the people who hang out with them seem to be the target. After Greta herself is attacked by the same monk with the same weapon, the threat becomes very real. As Greta, Varney and Ruthven begin their unofficial investigation, the two crimes seem to overlap. Someone is targeting prostitutes and leaving cheap plastic rosaries in their mouths. She immediately removes it, and Varney begins to get better, but several questions remain: Who was the attacker in monk garb? Why did he attack Varney? And what kind of weapon could make such an odd cross-shaped wound? Being a doctor, Greta is of course very curious, and so she and her friends embark on a quest to uncover the reasons behind the attack.Īt the same time, London is being plagued with a rash of serial killings à la Jack the Ripper. Sir Francis Varney (of Varney the Vampire fame) is in a great deal of pain, and when Greta investigates the wound site, she discovers an odd metallic material that is preventing Varney from healing. One day, Ruthven brings her a patient, another vampire who is in dire straights after being attacked by a monk-like figure with blue glowing eyes with an odd cross-shaped knife. Her closest friends are a vampire named Edmund Ruthven and a demon named Fastitocalon (“Fass” for short), and she runs her small, specialized and secretive practice in London. She inherited her practice from her late father, who taught her the ropes and the specialties of dealing with garlic poisoning, run-ins with iron weapons, and even the common cold. ![]() Her patients are vampires, ghouls, demons, mummies and other creatures of the night. ![]() Greta Helsing (yes, that Helsing, although the family has removed the “van” from their name) is one-of-a-kind in her field: she cares for monsters, not humans. I’ll explain more, but first a quick recap.ĭr. But for some reason I wasn’t blown away by Strange Practice, although other bloggers are really enjoying it. I very much enjoyed the characters, and there is a subtle but biting humor that didn’t surprise me because it takes place in London and is very British. This is what I’m calling a “kinder, gentler monster story.” Shaw gives us something unique, a story with the gothic feel of a classic horror tale like Dracula or Frankenstein, that is actually set in modern times. Strange Practice is about the monsters who live among us, but it’s not the horror story I was expecting. This is exactly the kind of cover that grabs my attention: quirky, brightly colored, and there is obviously an interesting story lurking behind it. When I first saw the cover of Strange Practice, I knew it was going to be different from other books I’ve read. The nitty-gritty: A modern-day supernatural mystery cloaked in Victorian garb, with monsters. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. ![]()
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