Strange Beasts

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 240 ratings

Price: 29.66

Last update: 03-27-2025


About this item

In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.

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?


Top reviews from the United States

  • Donavant
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect spooky, gothic read.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024
    Strange Beasts fell like a giant, cozy, gothic hug for me. It's Penny Dreadful meets Emily Wilde with a sprinkling of the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.
    This book yall. It hit all the marks. Dark, delightful, clever, educational, romance, mystery, scandalous. I had so much fun reading this book, looking up all the places mentioned. By 60% it was unputdownable. The twist threw me, which was very enjoyable. I loved how multi-layered the characters were, how much empathy was clearly evident, as well as how human they were. I would have loved to have had more beasts make appearances! I am glad that I read this book on my kindle and could make use of the translation feature as I didn't feel like there were obvious hints in the text as to what some of the French phrases were.

    Being who you are and not what other people think of you was a huge theme throughout this book and I didn't know that I was missing in my reading journey. I fell in love with Sam and Hel, and wanted to string Van Helsing up by his boots.
    Please oh please let this continue as a series!! I will not be patiently waiting,.
  • Caroline
    4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Debut!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2024
    Solid Debut! This was a historical fantasy mystery very much reminiscent of The Tainted Cup and Sherlock. I really enjoyed the multidimensional characters, the intricate world building (the world is full of monsters and it’s no secret!), the pacing, and the mystery. There was some predictability and handholding the readers through details (which leaned a little YA), but I still enjoyed the unfolding of the details as the story was being told; there was also a bit of untranslated French (this was fine for me, but maybe not for someone else). One thing to point out so that this book finds its people; this is NOT a romance. The characters are queer, they have light moments, but the romance is barely tapped, which was actually refreshing (because not every book needs a romance wave). I’m thinking there’s going to be more books in this story with the way it wrapped up. Overall, I had so much fun reading this and will absolutely read more Susan Morris!
  • C. Simmons
    5.0 out of 5 stars good fun
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2024
    Great adventure. Pretty cozy. I liked the feminine take on Moriarty and the idiocy of Van Helsing. Nice tromp through Paris - even if I did figure out who the villain was long before it was revealed
  • _cherryblossom
    3.0 out of 5 stars Fun gothic mystery but zero romance
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
    Samantha Harker has always wanted something more than life as a researcher. It’s why she jumped at the chance to get some hands-on experience with her new partner, Dr. Helena Moriarty. Unfortunately, Hel doesn’t have a good track record with partners because they always die under strange circumstances. While their partnership is still fresh, they work against the clock to find the werewolf-like beast that’s been on a murder spree.

    I was excited to read this because it sounded like an interesting supernatural gothic story that combined the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Instead of following the usual suspects, we’re following the daughters of the characters we know very well. With a romance brewing between the characters, it was sure to be a hit!

    The main plot is pretty interesting. Sam and Hel travel to France to investigate the mysterious and seemingly random murders committed by a beast. However, this beast seems to be a werewolf when werewolves are long gone. Along the way, they struggle against society, each other, and Sam’s abilities as a channel. I found the mystery plot pretty interesting, but I do think it started to drag somewhere around the halfway point. It was different and had me excited about the world it takes place in even though I would never want to visit it.

    That said, I am extremely disappointed in the romance. Sam and Hel have absolutely no romantic chemistry, so I don’t know about the “unmistakable attraction” that was described when I requested the ARC. They don’t even have almost friend chemistry, which sold their rocky partnership, but not the romance that develops out of the blue at the end. If you manage to find the romance plot before it suddenly materializes with nothing to back it up, I will give you a gold star because I certainly didn’t find it before it suddenly smacked me in the face.

    All in all, I liked a good portion of the paranormal mystery and I think there is a ton of potential there. There’s a cast of interesting characters for us to love and hate, and if the friendship and romance between Sam and Hel actually worked, I think I would’ve loved to see this turn into a series.
  • M. Conroy
    5.0 out of 5 stars I NEED MORE!!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2024
    The writing, the story, the intricate details,
    More. I just want more from this author.
  • K. Bird Lincoln
    4.0 out of 5 stars Samantha Harkness and Helen Moriarty in gaslampy Paris hunting werewolves
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
    Well this was an unexpectedly engaging re-working of classic Dracula/Sherlock characters (Harkness, Van Helsing, Moriarty etc) without the vampires mostly.

    Jonathan and Mina Harkness have a daughter--Samantha, who after the Dracula events, goes to work as a researcher for the Society of Study of Abnormal Phenomena. Her childhood friend, Jacob Van Helsing is a field operative, actually handling basilisks and monsters.

    But a case of mysterious werewolf-like killings in Paris comes across Sam's desk and suddenly she is desperate to become a field agent partnering with the infamous Helen Moriarty (whose other partners often die).

    Gaslamp Paris is full of fear, sketchy police officers, possible alchemical poisonings, mistresses, rich men of power, and death.

    Sam and Helen will have to learn to trust each other and reveal their secrets to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Sam will uncover secrets from her own family, and battle her own inner demons.

    Gaslampy Paris was fun. Identifying the ways in which Morris changed the classic characters was great, as well as the mashup with Moriarty. Helen and Sam are great together, and the level of emotional development exactly what I look for in fantasy escapist books. Will go on to read further for sure.
  • Karen N.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Spooky Gothic Tale
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024
    Love, love, loved this gothic tale. I really enjoyed the twists and turns with characters adjacent to famous characters. I can't wait to read more in this world with these characters.

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