I ordered this book after very much enjoying the Brenda and Effie series, and I wasn’t disappointed.

We are, of course, a long way from Whitby – the action takes place in New York, where Bessie, the undead “Scottish Bride” has been sleeping in a Manhattan gallery for a long, long time. The arrival of an ancient and arcane book with a sinister bloodstain releases a demon which, by biting the young Englishman Daniel, breeds a new kind of vampire which plagues the streets of New York. Bessie rises up to help avid book collector Liza and her friends fight this evil and return the book to London where it belongs.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The plot flows along at Magrs normal breakneck speed – with a number of quirky asides. The characters are decidedly odd (some of them), but lovable all the same, and I definitely cared about what might happen next! Oh, and there’s plenty of humour – this is definitely a COMIC-gothic tale.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy and like to read things that are a little quirky. You definitely have to be able to suspend disbelief and go with the flow!

NB: I haven’t read 84 Charing Cross Road, but this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book. ( )

From the publisher

I've been reading Paul Magrs' novels for several years now, and his publisher kindly sent me an advance proof copy of his latest novel.

In a location departure for Paul Magrs, in his new novel we're off to New York for more supernatural goings-on, as a book from a mysterious shop in London travels over the ocean to bring mayhem and ... biters. With a deliciously nasty villain, an innocent heroine (or is the true heroine a rather more ... inanimate-seemng being?), and a lovely hero who really should be introduced to Robert from the Brenda & Effie series, so hopeless are they both at finding a really nice boyfriend who won't, erm, bite their heads off - plus some of those great feisty older ladies who Magrs writes so well, this book has adult themes and scenes and some parts that genuinely scare (OK, I'm easily scared). It's all full, of course, of Magrs' trademark witty writing and deadpan humour. There's a lovely homage to 84, Charing Cross Road, which is deftly and well done, and equally well-done, atmospheric locations. I had one slight issue with the way the speech of one of the characters was portrayed, and think the author should have trusted in his ability to relay different speech patterns effectively, but this is a very minor point and one that I'm sure won't get in the way of other readers' enjoyment.

This book will appeal to lovers of Brenda & Effie, and also to people who like reading trashy supernatural stories and are ready for something a lot better written but still addictive. ( )