The Clockwork Scarab

A Stoker & Holmes Novel, Book 1

De: Colleen Gleason

Narrado por: Jayne Entwistle

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. And so, when two society girls go missing, there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now, the fierce Evaline and the logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, in order to navigate the advances of not just one, but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve a murder with only one clue: the strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don't unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they'll become the next victims…

©2013 Colleen Gleason (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Pleasant surprise

Came across this book as a way of testing the waters on audible. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book was exceptionally well done. Can’t wait to read the next one.

Not that good

I purchased this audiobook based on the reviews. Well the book isn't that good. The storyline is good and it sounds interesting. But...it is 100% predictable from the start. I wish there was a way to rate the characters. They are 125% predictable. The narrator Jayne Entwistle does a good job with Stoker, Adler and most of the supporting voices. Holmes is another matter. Jayne Entwistle's voice becomes bland to the point of making the story boring and forgettable. I found my attention wandering. The story is told from alternating viewpoints of Stoker and Holmes. I became confused due to my mind wandering during Holmes then Stoker would be talking. I had to listen again to keep track of what was going on. I finally gave up and turned the story off. I do not recommend this book.

clever and appealing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

i sometimes feel that a little steampunk goes a long way, but my first action when i finished this rollicking and suspenseful adventure was to log on to audible to purchase and listen to the sequel. (which isn't out until october 7th... guess what i'm doing that day?) i love that the characters seem true to their respective patrimonies as relations of sherlock holmes and bram stoker, while still being very much the original creations of connie gleason, AND seeming like authentic and realistic teenage girls. as for the vocal performance, i'm pretty sure jayne entwistle could read the london telephone directory and still be riveting; with this material she is clearly enjoying herself as much as we are.

Stoker and Holmes

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes investigate the disappearances of young society girls. The main clues, invitations and clockwork scarabs.
This entertaining and gripping novel, set in a very different England of the past, is a well written and intelligent book with wonderful character who hold you in their thrall until the end.
Great read/listen!

Book falls short of its full potential

I really wanted to like this book. It’s about the niece of Sherlock Holmes, daughter of Mycroft Holmes and the sister of Bram Stocker, of Dracula fame, set in a steampunk book. It should be awesome, right? Wrong. The characters are whiny and have almost the same voice, the unimportant to the plot items, like clothing, are over described, while the steam powered machines and gadgets are hardly described. Sometimes this book is painful to get through, and honestly I skipped a few chapters.

The characters themselves should have been interesting as they come from a famous background. However, both girls are one-dimensional only really caring about themselves with no regard to anyone else. Mina Holmes is supposed to be logical, analytical, and blunt, but her logic is the logic of a young child and the “leaps” she takes are clearly spelled out. Evaline Stoker is the brawn in this book, with super strength, speed, and abilities that are needed as she is the first female vampire hunter in awhile, hello Buffy. However her complete disregard for sense and her ability to completely jump headlong into things without stopping to think is off-putting. This would be enough to dislike the characters, but as soon as a boy looks at either of the girls they goes all swoony and the next few paragraphs are flowery, where the girl is breathless and completely forgets the point of the plot.

The plot is easy to guess, and if either of the girls stopped to consult the other one, the mystery would have been solved in the first couple of chapters. This is not the case. The book ends with the mystery of the identity of the Ankh unsolved and my brain in mush on the ground.