August 2, 2021
In this unsatisfying series launch from Klaver (Shadows over London), Sherlock Holmes readily abandons his skepticism toward phenomena apparently irreconcilable with rationality. After the suspect in a forgery case is found to possess a cigarette case containing a woman’s severed finger, Holmes tests the blood remaining in the digit and finds its characteristics different from normal human blood. His pursuit of the victim of the mutilation leads to evidence of vampirism. Count Dracula becomes a client seeking help locating his kidnapped wife, and Watson winds up a vampire. The paranormal events are suspected to be the work of a diabolical mastermind known as the Mariner Priest. The plot is virtually all action, minimizing Holmes’s intellectual gifts. The blasé response to horrific developments—Mrs. Hudson starts serving Watson warm cups of blood instead of tea after his transformation—doesn’t make buy-in to this radical departure from the spirit of the canon easier to swallow. Readers interested in better treatments of this idea should check out pastiches by Loren Estleman and Mark Latham.