The Spiritglass Charade

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak. After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa appear lunatic using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London. But are these events connected? As Uncle Sherlock would say, there are no coincidences. It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay... " This book has it all...the vivid setting and the finely drawn, compelling heroines make this a fine choice for readers who like their stories with steampunk spice and smart, strong women." -School Library Journal "The mishmash of popular tropes (steampunk! Vampires! Sherlock Holmes!) will bring readers in, but it's the friendship between the two girls that will keep them." -Kirkus Reviews "The author's writing exudes energy, romance, and humor, and she gives her heroines strong, vibrant personalities as they puzzle out the expansive mystery unfolding before them." -Publishers Weekly "If Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sherlock Holmes ever met, this book would be the result. If you loved 'Nancy Drew' or 'The Hardy Boys' as a kid, you're going to love this sci-fi/fantasy mystery series." -SLJ Teen