While taking an evening stroll through one of London's most impoverished districts, author Bram Stoker spies a maddeningly familiar figure hurrying through the shadows. Little does he know that, only a few steps away, a vicious killer has claimed his first victim, a local prostitute. The crime spree of the century has begun—and the hapless writer is the prime suspect. Now, to clear his name, Stoker must enlist the aid of illustrious friends—including Walt Whitman, the wildly popular novelist Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine, and Lady Jane Wilde, mother of the most notorious literary notable of the day—to hunt down the fiend who is taunting and terrorizing London and calling himself Jack the Ripper.
The Dracula Dossier
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In Reese's scrupulously imagined thriller, told largely through entries from a lost journal kept by the author of Dracula in 1888, Bram Stoker attends an indoctrination ceremony of the Order of the Golden Dawn, at the behest of Oscar Wilde's mum and a young William Butler Yeats. The ceremony goes horribly awry, resulting in one participant—Francis Tumblety, a patent medicine salesman newly arrived from America—becoming a vessel for the evil Egyptian god Set and applying his surgical skills to the slaughter of Whitechapel prostitutes in order to draw Stoker out for a supernatural showdown. Bestseller Reese (The Witchery) so perfectly pastiches the journal format that initially his story reads as dry and boringly as most private diaries. With Tumblety's malignant conversion, though, the novel turns into a rip-roaring penny dreadful that compels reading to the end. Dracula fans will appreciate the nods to well-known works that Stoker wrote supposedly following this confrontation. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
A package arrives at the desk of a young editor at a New York publishing house, purporting to be a collection of letters and journal entries belonging to Bram Stoker. The anonymous sender refers to it as the "Dracula Dossier." The papers disclose a series of events in Stoker's life that occurred when he worked for Irish theater-actor Henry Irving in 1888 and before he wrote his famous novel. The prolog promises a riveting tale of suspense, even horror, and there are moments of tension and fear, but for the most part the novel is dull and tedious. Readers familiar with the Dracula story will realize that Stoker is meeting people and having experiences that directly influenced his best-known work (Jack the Ripper plays a part). An interesting plot lurks somewhere within this story. Too bad Reese (The Witchery; The Book of Spirits; The Book of Shadows) could not bring it to fruition. Not recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/08.]—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com, Columbia, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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The Dracula Dossier is an interesting take on two of late-19th century England's most famous legends: the story of Jack the Ripper, and Bram Stoker's inspiration for Dracula (Enriched Classics Series). Set in 1888, Stoker works for his friend Henry Irving's theatre company, when he meets the eccentric American doctor Tumblety, who has an uncanny ability to walk through locked doors. One night, out for a walk, Stoker sees his new friend turn a corner. At the exact same moment, Jack the Ripper's crime spree begins, and Stoker becomes the primary suspect.
The story, like Dracula (which wouldn't be published until seven years after this book takes place and was "inspired" by the events that take place in The Dracula Dossier), is told through a series of letters, journal entries, and telegrams, from Stoker's point of view. Therefore, Reese's instant challenge is to authenticate Stoker's language patterns--which he manages to do quite well here. It really feels as though Stoker's the one doing the talking, which I thought was a particular strength of this novel. The book is also accompanied by a series of "editor's" footnotes, which at first I thought were going to be distracting. However, the further I got into the book, the less I was bothered by them.
The book is also highly bizarre, almost to the extreme. As in Dracula, there's no room for subtlety here. The Dracula Dossier is not for the faint of heart; there's quite a lot of blood (understatement, perhaps?). The novel opens with Bram walking through the streets of New York with a bloody knife in his pocket, for example. In another scene, Stoker visits the house of the Wildes (parents of Oscar, who makes an appearance here) in London, where Sir William has an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, complete with mummy, on display in his library.
The only criticism I have of it is that it seemed to take a little while to get going: the true story doesn't begin until about halfway through, though there's some great setup beforehand. I'm not sure how much of this novel is fact and how much of it is fiction, but the story is entertaining, certainly. This book is an interesting hybrid of stories: Jack the Ripper and Dracula, of course, and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. So as you can imagine, this is a deliciously creepy book.
The story, like Dracula (which wouldn't be published until seven years after this book takes place and was "inspired" by the events that take place in The Dracula Dossier), is told through a series of letters, journal entries, and telegrams, from Stoker's point of view. Therefore, Reese's instant challenge is to authenticate Stoker's language patterns--which he manages to do quite well here. It really feels as though Stoker's the one doing the talking, which I thought was a particular strength of this novel. The book is also accompanied by a series of "editor's" footnotes, which at first I thought were going to be distracting. However, the further I got into the book, the less I was bothered by them.
The book is also highly bizarre, almost to the extreme. As in Dracula, there's no room for subtlety here. The Dracula Dossier is not for the faint of heart; there's quite a lot of blood (understatement, perhaps?). The novel opens with Bram walking through the streets of New York with a bloody knife in his pocket, for example. In another scene, Stoker visits the house of the Wildes (parents of Oscar, who makes an appearance here) in London, where Sir William has an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, complete with mummy, on display in his library.
The only criticism I have of it is that it seemed to take a little while to get going: the true story doesn't begin until about halfway through, though there's some great setup beforehand. I'm not sure how much of this novel is fact and how much of it is fiction, but the story is entertaining, certainly. This book is an interesting hybrid of stories: Jack the Ripper and Dracula, of course, and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. So as you can imagine, this is a deliciously creepy book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'The Dracula Dossier' is a new twist on the identity of the serial killer Jack the Ripper. The book is primarily a collection of journal entries and newspaper clippings by Bram Stroker, the author of 'Dracula'. Stroker is known to have once crossed paths with Dr. Francis J. Tumblety, the main suspect in the Ripper murders. James Reese takes the idea to a whole new level and expands on the view of Jack the Ripper as inhuman. Tumblety's character is very dark and horrific, Stroker and his allies are engaging characters, as are their attempts to stop 'Jack the Ripper'. The book does include a large number of footnotes on most pages, but in my experience they never distracted from the story, in fact, they could be helpful in giving more detail about the events or culture of the time. Also, there were thankfully only a few detailed descriptions of the Ripper victims, and they just add to the dark nature of the book. 'The Dracula Dossier' is separated into three main parts, the Day, the Night, and the Night Within the Night. This is fitting because the book gives a feeling of never ending darkness at times.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I deliberated before giving this a five rather than four star rating, but I feel this is an absolute must read for certain readers, those who have read and enjoyed Mary Shelly's FRANKENSTEIN, Bram Stoker's DRACULA, novels by Wilkie Collins and Sheridan Le Fanu. This of course is also must reading for serious readers of any literature dealing with Jack The Ripper.I admit that I did find the first 63 pages very laborious reading, especially since I carefully read the "editor's" footnotes. However, I found the effort quite worthwhile as I became acquainted with principle characters, all of whom are authentic historical personages. Besides Stoker, there are Lady Jane Wilde (oscar Wilde's mother), Thomas Henry Hall Caine (a writer who was a far more successful and popular novelist than Stoker during the late 19th century but now totally and with good reason forgotten), Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, and Constance Wilde.In the second section, we also meet most notably Dr. Francis Tumblety who remains one of the primary persons suspected of the infamous and heinous slayings. The latter half of the book includes Inspector Frederick Abberline who, as Jack The Ripper devotees realize, has been portrayed on the screen by the likes of Michael Caine and Johnny Depp. Also prominent in the book is the secret society, The Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn, an authentic group which is still in existence.The story itself is quite engrossing as it progresses through three stages: the introductory background, the growing menace, and the very chilling and explicit supernatural horror of the latter half. The narrative develops from its very gentile yet colorful portrait of 19th century English society into graphic and gross descriptions of the crimes and isn't recommended for timid readers with sensitive digestion.Again, this is very rewarding reading for those who love 19th century gothic literature, but will likely bore those who haven't progressed beyond contemporary horror literature such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and recent graphic novels.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hard To Get Into
This book was extremely hard to get into. I tried about 4 times before I made it to the end. I really was looking forward to this book when I chose it. Read more
Published on November 28, 2009 by Samantha L. Sayre
Disappointing
This book is neither here nor there, and to be quite frank, it's rather unimaginative. We've seen these pastiches, a melding of Victorian fact and literary fiction before, and they... Read more
Published on October 23, 2009 by Cryptid
Wonderfully imaginative suspense story!
Ever wonder what the inspiration for "Dracula" was for Bram Stoker? Well, this period thriller tries to answer that question as he races through London's night life trying to stop... Read more
Published on October 5, 2009 by Brian Reaves
Was this book written just for me?
Dracula & Jack the Ripper in the same book? Ever since I was a young girl the case of Jack the Ripper has fascinated me, as well as Bram Stoker's story of Dracula. Read more
Published on July 15, 2009 by taleeya
Twice As Long and Half As Credible As It Needs to Be.
"The Dracula Dossier" is a fictionalized collection of diaries and letters written by a fictionalized Bram Stoker in 1888, with the idea that the events described herein could have... Read more
Published on March 22, 2009 by mirasreviews
...like taking laudanum...
Hells to the yes, now and then I fancy me some atmospheric period piece thriller. So, apropos to the mood, excuse me whilst I get my fancy scribbling on: Firstly, who knew Bram... Read more
Published on March 2, 2009 by H. Bala
Glad I stuck with it
Like a few other reviewers I was just about ready to give up on this book, something I rarely do, but decided to keep going and I'm glad I did. Read more
Published on February 20, 2009 by kitjank
A great idea
I am a fan of Bram Stoker's.
Anytime there is a new take on the man, the idea of Dracula, I'm there. Read more
Anytime there is a new take on the man, the idea of Dracula, I'm there. Read more
Published on December 18, 2008 by ellen
The year when a brutal killer terrorized the streets of London
A donor wishing to remain anonymous sends a letter to the William Morrow publishing house, enclosing the Dracula Dossier, a discovery he ran across defined as Item 128 at a... Read more
Published on December 16, 2008 by Bookreporter
A smashingly literate thrill-ride
Mr. Reese has done an exquisite job of meshing two fascinating stories (Bram Stoker's life before the infamous tome, and Jack the Ripper) into a beautifully written piece of... Read more
Published on December 6, 2008 by Sean Harpswell
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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false door, horrid incident Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lady Wilde, Henry Irving, Sir William, Hall Caine, Stepney Latch, Francis Tumblety, Batty Street, Inspector Abberline, Ellen Terry, Park Street, Greeba Castle, Scotland Yard, Nurse Nurske, Beefsteak Club, Miss Terry, Good God, Lyceum Theatre, Tudor House, Oscar Wilde, Children of Light, Albert Mansions, Mary Kelly, Golden Dawn, New York, Miller's Court Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
false door, horrid incident Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lady Wilde, Henry Irving, Sir William, Hall Caine, Stepney Latch, Francis Tumblety, Batty Street, Inspector Abberline, Ellen Terry, Park Street, Greeba Castle, Scotland Yard, Nurse Nurske, Beefsteak Club, Miss Terry, Good God, Lyceum Theatre, Tudor House, Oscar Wilde, Children of Light, Albert Mansions, Mary Kelly, Golden Dawn, New York, Miller's Court Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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