Praise for Hunting Prince Dracula:
A New York Times bestseller!
"Combining historical fiction, romance, forensics, a feisty heroine, a swiftpaced plot, gobs of murders, and historical illustrations, Maniscalco pulls in the reader for a wonderfully bloody romantic romp."—Booklist
"Audrey Rose is a smart, fearless, and progressive heroine. Plenty of red herrings, a conspicuous absence of blood, and a developing romance make this a must-read."—School Library Journal
"There are plenty of suspects and red herrings as well as tense escalations....A scenic, twisty mystery."—Kirkus Reviews
"Readers of the previous mystery will be thrilled to have more of this likable duo. [A] delightful romp into an 1888 Gothic mystery with a hint of romance."—School Library Connection
Praise for Stalking Jack the Ripper:
A #1 New York Times Bestseller from its first week!
"An entertaining debut full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of historical fiction and mystery."
—School Library Journal
"Maniscalco has created a serious, sharp-minded, and forward-thinking protagonist in Audrey Rose, whose fearlessness will endear her to readers looking for an engaging historical thriller. Abundant red herrings and a dash of romance round out this gruesome but engrossing story."
—Publishers Weekly
*"This audiobook has everything: a true-life tale that has intrigued readers for 100-plus years, a young woman who balks at the constraints put upon women during the Victorian era, a marvelous yet somewhat gruesome mystery, and a narrator who brings you down into Spitalfields as Jack the Ripper earns his name. A must-have."—School Library Journal *starred review*
"Audrey is a young woman eager to use her brains and willing to flaunt society's rules....This mystery pays homage to classics like Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein [and] will satisfy those readers looking for historical mystery, a witty heroine, and a little romance."
—School Library Connection
"Maniscalco's portrayal of scientific invention in a newly industrial era will serve as a fine first foray into Victorian classics."
—Booklist
08/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Still struggling with the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper case but determined to continue her medical studies, Audrey Rose Wadsworth travels to Romania to attend Europe's most prominent forensics school, housed in the castle once home to Vlad the Impaler. With her is Thomas Cresswell, former apprentice to Audrey's uncle, who is more than just a colleague but not quite a suitor to Audrey. The duo are prepared for autopsies and examinations, but when a fellow traveler, a villager, and one of the academy's own students die in quick succession, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin a murder investigation. Each death resembles a vampire attack, and locals are certain that the Impaler has returned, but Audrey is determined to prove that the killer is no vampire. As in the previous work, Maniscalco builds a believable and intriguing setting, this time through a blend of history, Romanian folklore, and fiction. Audrey Rose is a smart, fearless, and progressive heroine willing to flout both the rules of the forensics academy and 19th-century societal expectations. As analytical and cheeky as ever, Thomas regards Audrey as his equal in ability as well as intellect, and together, the pair make an investigative team readers will delight in. VERDICT Plenty of red herrings, a conspicuous absence of blood, and a developing romance make this a must-read for fans of Audrey Rose.—Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University, SC
2017-07-02
Audrey Rose and Thomas return with Dracula-themed murders in the sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper (2016).Biracial Audrey Rose, her father a white British noble and her mother of Indian descent, is reeling with grief following the conclusion of the Jack the Ripper case when she and Thomas, who is white, head off to Romania to study at the Academy of Forensic Medicine and Science. While they are en route on the Orient Express, another passenger is found murdered, with a stake through the heart. At the academy—in what was once Dracula's castle—they learn that they haven't actually been accepted and are in a competition to determine which two of the nine students will be offered places. Rather than concentrating solely on their studies, the duo investigates the bodies piling up—some drained of blood like a vampire kill, others staked like a killed vampire. Throughout the mystery, narrated in Audrey Rose's appropriately gothic, overwrought voice, there are plenty of suspects and red herrings as well as tense escalations. In the less murderous subplots, Audrey Rose struggles to win her place in the school and holds back from chaste romance with Thomas because she doesn't want to have to ask any man, Thomas included, to allow her freedom. The supporting cast includes more women than the first, one a lesbian, and an African-American male supporting character. The ending promises a third book. A scenic, twisty mystery. (Historical thriller. 14-adult)
