Early Review – Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Bindery Books
Release Date: October 15, 2024
ASIN: B0CTMTYCCF
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula’s killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris—or have her thrown into an asylum.
Sam finds herself assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, daughter of the criminal mastermind and famed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes and a notorious detective whom no one wants to work with on account of her previous partners’ mysterious murders. Ranging from the elite clubs of Paris to the dark underbelly of the catacombs, their investigation sweeps them into a race to stop a Beast from its killing rampage, as Hel and Sam are pitted against men, monsters, and even each other. But beneath their tenuous trust, an unmistakable attraction brews. Is trusting Hel the key to solving the murder, or is Sam yet another pawn in Hel’s game?”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this. This is a Victorian paranormal mystery with strange killings happening. It features two strong women who venture into the dark depths of Paris, France to unravel a series of killings that look like they have been done by a werewolf or some other sort of beast
Sam is a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena but this time she wants to help with field work. She has a personal mystery that she thinks ties in to the mystery of the Beast. Since the Beast appears to be targeting only men Sam is given approval to help on the case and is paired with Dr. Helena Moriarty. Helena’s partners have a habit of turning up very dead despite Helena’s strange success rate on her cases. Can Sam survive her partnership with Helena, Sam keep her secret powers as a channel hidden, and unravel this gruesome mystery?
This is in a fairly generic paranormal Victorian setting. There is a bit of history around werewolves being extinct, but there isn’t a lot of depth to the world building here. I did very much enjoy our two main characters; they are both tough and resourceful women.
The mystery unravels slowly here and has a very Sherlock Holmes feel to it. The story was witty and entertaining with many twists and turns that kept me engaged.
There are some paranormal aspects with Sam’s strange channeling powers and some odd alchemy. There is a heavy theme of feminism and woman’s rights as well. Additionally, there is a hint of romance but I honestly found this to be a bit abrupt and odd in the way it played out. I didn’t dislike the way it played out, it just felt forced.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this but didn’t love it. I did love the characters, the twisty turny mystery and the Victorian Parisian setting. I would have liked more depth to the world building and a mystery that moved at a faster pace. I also felt like the side characters could have used more development. I definitely enjoyed this and would love to read more adventures with Sam and Helena and see this world developed a bit more.
