Dr. Gertrude Bowers is a scientist – studying the quasi arcane art of resurrection. She’s definitely making progress and she is even facing a conflict not of whether she can raise the dead – or whether she should

And in the middle of all that she pulls a terrifying tentacled monstrosity out of one of the bodies she’s experimenting on. That rather interrupts her work

When she hears of a series of brutal murders, she realises the monster is killing and she feels responsible. Her only choice is to make a deal with Vi, mysterious, capable, dangerous – and a vampire. And she doesn’t want money to pay for her services.

I find myself slightly frustrated by this book

I’m frustrated because there’s a lot about this book that is utterly fascinating. Dr. Gert Bower is a fascinating character. She is the heiress of a dead, wealthy family trying to pursue her career as a doctor in a deeply sexist period. She’s also exploring a quasi-forbidden and certainly highly controversial scientific/occult field of study. She is discovering the occult, discovering far more is real than she had previously expected and having whole new vistas opening up to her. But she’s strong willed, indomitable and determined to face any challenge. In fact, she’s outright intrigued by any challenge – including a vampire who wants to share her bed and blood

This character is awesome. This character is amazing. This character could do so much. This character’s story will be fascinating. Her daily life, battling her peers, her powerful curiosity discovering more about the world, her passion for her work – all of this adds up to a character that is amazing and I want to read a whole series about her. Just what has been hinted here suggests so much more to her series. She also have some interesting complexities of ethics – figuring out not just what she can do – but what she should do.

All of this hints to a much deeper world – different kinds of vampires, Lovecraftian monsters, a Frankenstein’s monster plot developing…

But these hints are what we get and, as far as I can see, this isn’t the first book in an ongoing series – it’s a stand alone. Aaaaargh – so much potential, so much that could have been done! So much I wanted to see, so much that could have been developed – it’s like watching an awesome film through pin-hole lens! There is so much potential here, such excellent characters and such an excellent world…

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