Strange Practice.
Orbit. 2017
Dr Greta Helsing (the family dropped the “van” some years ago) is dedicated to her patients, like any good doctor. Unlike other doctors, however, her patients are vampires, demons, ghouls, mummies, and other undead of London. Her practice is ticking along, until the day several monks attack Sir Francis Varney with garlic and a strangely shaped, deliberately poisoned knife. As the attacks on her patients increase in ferocity, she teams up with some of her more powerful undead friends to stop the perpetrators before all London is engulfed.
This is an exciting page turner with an interesting heroine: competent, resourceful, but all too human in a world of supernatural creatures who rely on her skills. The underlying mythology has a little overlap with standard vampires, but also branches out into a range of other creatures, all interesting, individual, and sympathetic. The plot twists and turns, leading to a world-shattering climax in the London sewers. I particularly like the way the team behaves sensibly, works together, and doesn’t try to hide information from each other for implausibly slim reasons. This is an interesting cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to Dr Helsing’s next adventure.
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