Veronica Speedwell #10
Although she certainly owes a debt to Elizabeth Peters and her character Amelia Peabody, Deanna Raybourn has managed her own memorable creations in the amusing Veronica Speedwell and her intriguing partner, Stoker. Veronica is an intrepid explorer and sleuth in London in the late 1880s who specializes in the study of butterflies. Her unmarried partnership with taxidermist and fellow explorer Stoker is beyond unconventional, but their shared aristocratic lineage lets them get away with a lot. They live on the estate of Lord Rosmorran as they catalogue his extensive collection of objects, but this idyllic existence seems fated to be interrupted by the murders and mysteries that inevitably come their way.
In this outing a friend at Scotland Yard brings them a particularly mysterious case in which a man has been found exsanguinated with two very suggestive puncture marks on his neck. Soon after the discovery of the first man’s body, another man finishes his coffee and with no explanation leaps to his death off his balcony. There was a social connection between the two men, and Scotland Yard wants Veronica and Stoker to see what they can uncover.
Their investigation takes them to a certain Ruthven, who by Raybourn’s delicious description has the appearance of a vampire, while his handmaiden, Asphodel, more resembles a witch. Over tea with the spooky pair many questions arise, and while Veronica may entertain the possibility of an actual vampire, Stoker remains more practical and skeptical. He also becomes enraged at Ruthven’s manipulative machinations, including attempts at mesmerism and hallucinogens, and forges forward with the investigation.
The two uncover another mysterious death buried in Ruthven’s background and things get more dangerous and the stakes higher the deeper they dig. Raybourn uses every gothic trope possible in her storytelling, leaving it up to the reader to express skepticism or belief. You have to pay attention and use your head with her books, which is one of the reasons I enjoy them so much.
Another reason is that Raybourn is a flat out great storyteller, with unmatched skill in pacing, twists and setting the historical background. She’s also wonderful with character, keeping Veronica and Stoker interesting and fresh even ten books in. All her stories explore a different place in the Victorian world and imagination, with this book slyly referencing Bram Stoker and his Dracula, as well as the greater Gothic tradition.
None of the research in these books is hammered into the reader’s head, but simply becomes a delightful part of the storytelling, and both the reader blissfully unaware of vampires or the one obsessed with them will be informed by Raybourn’s context and research. Even the undead will find A Ghastly Catastrophe a wonderful read. — Robin Agnew