Part of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, book 17
First published 2021
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes receive an unusual summons from Queen Marie of Romania, the royal granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II. The queen calls them to Bran Castle, her beloved gift from the Romanian people, perched high above the border with newly reclaimed Transylvania. Strange incidents plague the ancient fortress. Shadowy figures appear and vanish. Girls whisper of fears they cannot name. Accidents happen that may not be accidents at all. The detective duo arrives skeptical of what seems like supernatural nonsense, yet they cannot ignore the danger surrounding a young girl or dismiss the concerns of a queen who transformed her nation from obscurity into prominence through sheer force of will. This is Transylvania, the land of Vlad the Impaler, where old memories run deep and dark corners hide secrets. As Russell and Holmes investigate, they must determine whether the threat comes from folklore made real or from more earthly enemies using ancient fears as cover.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, detective, paranormal, 21st-century, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers, supernatural-elements
Setting: Bran Castle, Transylvania
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
360 pages · Hardcover · Bantam