Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes return to solve a mystery that appears far from menacing in Evaline's opinion. Princess Alix has asked Mina and Evaline to investigate Willa Aston, the daughter of a closer personal friend who'd died recently. Willa is convinced she's speaking to her dead mother. Is someone playing a cruel trick on Willa in an effort to take her money and make her appear "lunatic"?

Evaline has much more important events to investigate, like the return of vampires to London. But as Evaline and Mina follow the clues, they come to realize that these events could be connected and there is a much greater mystery waiting to be solved.

The Stoker and Holmes series by Colleen Gleason is absolutely one of my favorite new reading pleasures. The idea is so obviously brilliant that I can't believe it's taken so long for someone to combine the mythos of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker, steampunk, and vampires into an absolutely original series.

With any new series that draws from a wealth of pre-existing material, there is a risk the new material will fall flat. Colleen Gleason avoids this by limiting the role of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker into secondary characters who make quick cameo appearances. The focus is on Mina, Evaline, and a supporting cast (including Irene Adler!) whose focus lies outside of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker's focus. Mina and Evaline provide the perfect contrast to each other and their awkward alliance is turning into a friendship neither would have expected. Mina's intelligence and composure often mask how lonely she feels. Evaline's brash and act-first, think-later personality covers her fear of failure. They don't always work well together and they don't always know how to speak to each other, but they're always ready to take on the case and prove that they're more than people give them credit for.

THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE is fast-paced and filled with intriguing secondary characters from the first book. Mina and Evaline both have a romantic interest (or two) and their unconventional personalities and skills for this time period adds to the tension. Character growth for both Mina and Evaline is slow and isn't the main focus of this series. I appreciate this slow change and hope that I'll see how these two evolve over time (I really hope there is a lot more to come for Stoker and Holmes!).

THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE is fabulous fun. I can't recommend THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE enough. I love this series and can't wait to see what Mina and Evaline will get into next. If you haven't read the first in the Stoker and Holmes series, The Clockwork Scarab, I do suggest reading it first. The Clockwork Scarab sets up Mina's and Evaline's unusual alliance and it also sets up this amazingly complex world. There are events in The Clockwork Scarab that while not part of the main plot in THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE will probably play a big role in the story arc for the entire series.

Book Summary

After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave.

What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa "appear lunatic," using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London.

But are these events connected? As Uncle Sherlock would say, "there are no coincidences."

It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay.