Review of "Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula or The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count, by John H. Watson MD.," as edited by Loren D. Estleman

 Review of

Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula or The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count, by John H. Watson MD., as edited by Loren D. Estleman, ISBN 0385140517

Five out of five stars

Great detective meets great villain

 Of all the fictional villains that have been created, there is none more attractive than the vampire Count Dracula. Stories based on vampires have appeared countless times in print and video. In this case, the infamous count arrives in England on what appears to be a ghost ship where most of the crew has vanished with only the dead captain remaining. He is lashed to the wheel, having died at his post.

 The great Sherlock Holmes becomes involved, and this is a situation where his famous dictum, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Holmes quickly realizes that the events can only be explained by the presence of a vampire, in this case Count Dracula himself.

 The chase is a merry and deadly one, compounded by the presence of some learned men who also understand that a vampire is present. Even though he is discouraged from pursuing the case, Holmes is not deterred and with his companion Dr. Watson, they face the danger of pursuing what is clearly their most dangerous foe. One that can far surpass their physical strength and that turns out to be extremely intelligent as well.

 Using the pretext of a long lost manuscript of Dr. Watson, the story is told via the same mechanism of the original Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Narrated by Watson, this is a worthy addition to the adventures of the best detective in history.

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