To say that there are a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories available on the mystery market would be a gross understatement. However, if you are looking for a series featuring an aged version of the world’s most famous sleuth, you could not do much better than Laurie R. King’s brilliant novels featuring Sherlock and his much younger bride, Mary Russell.

However, none of the previous entries in the series can prepare you for the plotline of CASTLE SHADE, which pits the duo of super sleuths against a foe directly out of the annals of the supernatural --- the creatures known as the strigoi or, more familiarly, vampires. Bram Stoker’s infamous DRACULA put vampires directly into the nightmares of readers worldwide. But was this really a work of fiction, or could there have been some truth behind these legendary creatures of the night?

"CASTLE SHADE is one creepy novel that will have readers looking over their shoulders instead of focusing on the mystery in which our protagonists are involved."

This is the mission that Mary and Sherlock are on when they head off to Roumania at the behest of protecting Queen Marie, the doubly royal monarch who is the granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria and is related to Alexander II, the Tsar of Russia. The time is just after World War I, and Europe is still in a great deal of turmoil. Queen Marie has used all her grace and political guile to make Roumania a prominent force in Eastern Europe and lives within the grand and mysterious castle known as Bran.

Mary and Sherlock are well aware of the proximity to the now-legendary Transylvania region, and Mary even dreams that she is in Jonathan Harker’s coach straight out of DRACULA as their train enters Roumania. More specifically, it is the small village of Brasov that is of interest to Sherlock as this may be the lair of the creature known as the strigoi. What threat, if any, does this alleged vampire have over Queen Marie and Castle Bran? That is what Mary and Sherlock must seek to uncover before something tragic occurs that could spin the area into another armed conflict.

Sherlock recognizes that Queen Marie is the kind of female royalty you would find in a fairy tale like “Sleeping Beauty.” Typically, happily-ever-after is where the story ends, but sometimes happiness is where the problems begin. Mary and Sherlock immerse themselves in their research of the area and find indications of many otherworldly threats, like the possible involvement of the Hungarian Countess Erzabet Bathory, also known as The Blood Countess. Once again, the implication of the supernatural surrounding Queen Marie is quite evident.

As often happens in a Sherlock Holmes tale, the master sleuth goes off on a secret mission, relying on his partner to hold down the fort. In this case, he leaves Mary behind at Castle Bran, and she is getting creeped out by the place. It calls to mind her reading of the classic horror story “The Monkey’s Paw” and causes her many sleepless nights. When a young girl named Gabriela, who is related to the court of Bran, goes missing, all those close to her are deeply concerned. She now must throw herself into this mystery, fearing that whatever force may be threatening the castle is somehow behind it.

CASTLE SHADE is one creepy novel that will have readers looking over their shoulders instead of focusing on the mystery in which our protagonists are involved. This is the beauty of mixing the supernatural with a Sherlock Holmes story --- you want to believe that everything must have a logical explanation, yet you cannot help but ponder the possibilities that some mysteries are so evil, they defy such elementary thinking.