Hunting Prince Dracula

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.