Craven Street

Whitechapel Paranormal Society, Book 1

By: E.J. Stevens

Narrated by: Melanie A. Mason, Anthony Bowling

Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

In this spellbinding novella, E.J. Stevens weaves a tale of murder, necromancy, and demonic possession that brings together characters from her Whitechapel Paranormal Society Victorian horror series and award-winning Ivy Granger Psychic Detective urban fantasy series on the fog-shrouded cobblestones of Craven Street.

The discovery of bricked-up skeletal remains at 36, Craven Street point to something more diabolical than an illegal anatomy school. The tool marks on the bones - arcane sigils of great power - indicate more than mere butchery, more than enlightened experimentation. The signs, omens, and portents support the crown's greatest fears. A great evil is being unleashed upon the gaslit streets of London, a blood-drenched shadow reaching skeletal fingers beyond the slums of Whitechapel.

Collecting human souls is a thankless job, nearly as tedious as acting as solicitor to the fae. But when the demon Forneus enters an opium den searching for men eager to trade their souls for the ill-smelling weed, he stumbles on a plot so devious and so heinous, he's jealous that he hadn't thought of it himself.

"We must stamp out this demonic plague for the sake of our queen, our country, and our immortal souls." (Cora Drummond, Whitechapel Paranormal Society)

"There's nothing like a maniacal plot to unleash hell on earth to break the boredom of immortality." (Forneus, Grand Marquis of Hell)

From the Independent Audiobook Award-winning writer, narrator, directors, and producers of Frostbite.

©2019 E.J. Stevens (P)2019 E.J. Stevens

Craven for More.

I truly enjoyed this story. It peaked my interest immediately and pulled me in. Victorian London coupled with a female sect of the paranormal agency equals a riveting introductory story line for a promising series.

Amazing!

I received this book for free at my request but the opinion is of my own. This tale took hold of me from the beginning. Cora and her friends investigate cases that have more than what they seem and they are now on a whole new case where they will have to use everything in their power to solve some very gruesome murders. Including teaming up with very unlikely allies. I definitely would read more of this series!

Enticing introduction to an intriguing new series

This novella will capture your attention and tease your imagination from start to finish. The main protagonist, Cora Drummond, is a member of the S.P.R.B. (Special Paranormal Research Branch) in the Whitechapel area of Victorian London. She and a few other female members work together using their various psychic gifts to root out evil in the name of queen and country. There are male members of the S.P.R.B. but they do not feature prominently in this story except to show condescending contempt for these women who do not conform to the accepted standards for female comportment of their era. These wonderfully non-conformist ladies will lead the reader on a fast-paced adventure involving murder, mutilation, demonic possession, and sinister world-threatening machinations spawned by unknown forces of evil. No spoilers here – just prepare for a heck of a ride! Of note for those who are faint of heart – there are scenes featuring the discovery of mutilated bodies, but the descriptions are not gory or of nightmare-inducing detail. There is no foul language (unless “bugger” is offensive to you). There is a hint of lesbian potential in a couple of characters but nothing graphic is presented. Also of note is that the narrators, Melanie A. Mason and Anthony Bowling, did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life. Overall, this is a riveting first installment of what I hope to be a whole series of adventures with these awesome ladies.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author and the above is my voluntary and unbiased review.

Good Story, Would really enjoy More!

I liked the story line and the characters, The Narrator was very good and made listening very enjoyable. I would recommend this book to others for a quick listen.

Craven Street Whitechapel

This novella has it all, necromancy, possession and murder what else do you want. But as usual the cops don't have a clue so enter the Whitechapel Paranormal Society to take care of the problem or get killed trying. But with Cora at the helm what can go wrong, they are after all messing with human souls.

This was a really good novella with non stop action and suspense that will have you holding your breath. The characters are great will tons of personality, it will make you want to find other books with them in it. If you really want something special get the audio version narrated by Melanie Mason and Anthony Bowling as they took this novella a level or more higher. They made me feel as if I was part of the Whitechapel Paranormal Society helping them to solve these incidents.The both were so good they became the characters and I was lost in the book. Either form is OK but this is a book well worth it.

Interesting, but...

this is an LGBT based story. If women kissing women, and men dressing in gowns offends your sensibilities, be warned. Audible does not mention this category modifier anywhere. Otherwise it is a interesting spin on a paranormal investigation theme.

Murder most horribly

This was a good book. It wasn't a book I usually read but it kept me wants to listen to find out how it would end which was a surprise.
It was set in the Victorian era and Women Paranormal police officers.
It was interesting and a learning experience.
I do recommend this book.

A brilliant spinoff

This spinoff from the authors Ivy Grainger is truly brilliant. Here we have a female police Sargent are hunting a paranormal Jack the Ripper through white chapel. She isn’t only fighting monsters, but also against the norms of a male dominant society, even though England are ruled by a Queen. This is a historical novel with a paranormal twist, and even though historical novels usually isn’t my cup of tea, I really really loved this one. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
The narrators also did an amazing job bringing the characters awake. They are really good at bringing out the different personalities.

murders most foul

A bit of Whitechapel mixed with magic gives us the background of this book which seems to be the opening for a new series featuring women officers and a deamon of dubious intents trying to prevent the opening of a gateway to Hell. Great narration and story

Paranormal Detectives

This is an enjoyable short book involving a group of police women who have special gifts and makes them the ideal group to hunt down criminals from other than human realms. Someone (or something) is slaughtering and dismembering young women in the Whitechapel area of London. Whatever is committing these gruesome murders is also marking their bodies with sigils that indicate that something otherworldly is involved.

If you enjoy urban fantasy, Jack the Ripper type tales, gothic Victorian horror stories, or just a good read, this is a great way to spend a couple of hours. Since it is a short book, there isn't a lot of character development, but enough to make the reader want to know a lot more about these unique women.

The author is one of my favorites in the urban fantasy genre and she does not disappoint in this new series. Just enough snarky dialogue to keep the book from becoming too dark with the gruesomeness of the subject matter.

The use of both a male and female narrator added a lot to my listening enjoyment. The switch between the two was seamless and both of them did a great job with the various voices used for the different characters. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.