Dracula's Heir [With 8 Removable Clues]

By Sam Stall

In 1897, Archibald Constable & Company published Bram Stoker's Dracula, the most famous horror novel of all time. For reasons still debated by scholars, the first chapter of Dracula was cut from the book just weeks before publication. Here, it becomes the central clue in a spine-tingling original interactive mystery.

Dracula's Heir begins 10 years after the horrific events described in the original novel. Jonathan and Mina Harker are happily married and enjoying life in Bixby, England. Meanwhile, their friend Dr. John Seward is tracking a string of crimes that seems eerily familiar: A 14-year-old girl sleepwalks out of her parents' house and disappears into the night. Two "accident victims" are found drained of their blood, yet there is no crime scene evidence to explain its loss.

When Seward shares his discoveries with the famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, all the evidence points to Jonathan Harker. After all, Harker spent weeks imprisoned in Castle Dracula as a guest of the Count--was he infected without anyone realizing it? Has the mild-mannered English solicitor spent the last decade lurking in the shadows as a nosferatu? Or is someone (or something) else getting away with murder?

This chilling mystery novella features 8 removable clues, including a newspaper, a death certificate, Renfield's private journal, and the original first chapter of Bram Stoker's Dracula. When you think you've solved the crime, you can open the final signature (sealed at the printer) to test your powers of deduction.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594742855
• ISBN13: 9781594742859
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 1.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 10.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Loved Dracula's Heir!

A fun book and a great read! I loved working my way through the clues to solve the mystery. A beautiful book with great illustrations.

A MUST READ!

Anyone who has ever wanted to be at the center of a book will love Dracula's Heir! Being able to follow the clues to form your own answer was awesome. This book is a must read for all you die-hard sleuths out there :) You won't be disappointed.

Beautifully put together 'sequel' to Dracula!

"Dracula's Heir" is an unusual book in that it is an interactive thriller. Readers are treated to a set of clues in various forms [photo, documents, notes, passages from books, letters, etc] that enable us to solve the mystery in the book. The story begins with an American attorney named Jon Kelso who is asked to peruse some private papers belonging to the deceased Lady Chaise Godalming pending their donation to the British Library. He is later mystified to find some of those papers concern him though there is no previous association between him and Lady Godalming. To add to his confusion, Lucy Swantree, the heir to the Godalming estate insists that he take his job seriously as his life is in danger. And so begins a journey into the past that helps the reader unravel the mystery - this has to do with some mysterious and horrifying occurences taking place in London about 10 years after Dracula's rampage through parts of London and his eventual decimation by Van Helsing and company. Most of this story is narrated through the journal entries of Dr John Seward[who was part of the team headed by Van Helsing to destroy Dracula], director of the insane asylum that used to house the mad Renfield [from the original Dracula]. Together with Dr Dolores Morrigan, they try to unmask the 'demon' that is stalking London once again and preying upon innocents. And of course, the mystery of Jon Kelso and the Godalming papers are also revealed in a well-plotted story with many twists and truns. The book does not just consist of journal entries and letters - as the reader goes through the book, there are various clues put in, such as a letter from Lady Godalming to Jon Kelso, a photograph of one of Dracula's victims, gorgeous black and white illustrations that bring back the gothic feel of the original Dracula, a reproduction of an old newspaper with key clues, a 'missing' passage from the original Dracula, various notes, Renfield's rambling journal entries, his death certificate, and finally a long letter that is sealed at the end of the book [to be opened by the reader only after finishing the book] that finally unravels the mystery [if not already deduced by the reader earlier]. All in all, this was a thrilling read for me, and it is reminiscent of Gothic mysteries in the style and manner in which it is written and presented. There were certain parts that kept me on edge and gave me goosebumps, and though I was able to unmask the 'demon' halfway through, it still made for a wonderful read and the interactive experience certainly added to the fun. Final verdict: this is a worthy sequel to Dracula and a gorgeous addition to any bookshelf!