A young Victorian is haunted and hunted by monsters from the era's darkest literature in Peacock's spine-tingling mystery. Edgar Brim has lived every story he has ever read. Sent to the College on the Moors (for Boys) after the mysterious death of his father, the white English lad spends his days dodging bullies and the rugby ball, while his nights are spent amid the mesmerizing and terrifying creations of such authors as Le Fanu, Stevenson, and Shelley, whose mad villains and vicious monsters invade Edgar's nightmares. In his last year of school, when a young boy he has befriended suddenly dies, teenage Edgar is approached by Professor Lear, who claims that the student and Edgar's father were both murdered for the same reason that Edgar's own life is in danger—they suspected the monsters from dark stories are real. Joined by the professor's attractive grandson and fearless granddaughter, as well as a talented and deceptive friend from school, Edgar and Lear set out to hunt down the bloodthirsty creature from the pages of the newest sensation novel before it kills them to protect its secret. With cameos from such artistic giants as Bram Stoker and the actor Henry Irving, Peacock weaves the frissons of classic Gothic horror into the reality of a culture entranced by its own dark creations. This thrilling historical mystery will have readers anxiously turning pages and checking under their beds. (Historical thriller. 12-16)

Gr 7 Up-Nightmares have plagued Edgar Brim from the time he was small. At nine, the Victorian lad is orphaned after his father is seemingly frightened to death after watching a dark play from one of his favorite horror writers. Edgar is sent to boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, where he endures unchecked bullying and continued dreams of being attacked by monsters. When his one true friend, Tiger Tilley, is expelled from the exclusive boys school for masquerading as a boy, Edgar goes to find her in London. Professor Lear follows him, thinking Edgar's night terrors hold the key to solving some vicious local murders, and orchestrates a meeting with the Crypto-Anthropology Society of the Queen's Empire. Convinced that shared nightmares portend more attacks, Lear convinces Edgar, Tiger, and his grandchildren, Lucy and Jonathan, to begin an earnest campaign to find and destroy the evil creature that is on the loose. After channeling monsters and demons from the literature of Edgar Allan Poe and others, the vigilantes are led to Dracula 's creator, Bram Stoker, whose London stage plays hold clues to the death of Edgar's father. A meandering plot and numerous red herrings are merely contrivances for introducing readers to elements of Victorian horror literature. The main characters aren't fully developed, and teens will struggle to finish. VERDICT Only avid fans of classic horror will enjoy. Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland

Edgar Brim was raised by a father who believed the monsters he read of in stories were real. When Edgar's father dies suddenly of a heart attack, Edgar is taken in by his mother's dearest friend, Annabel Thorne and her husband. The Thornes send Edgar to the College on the Moors in Scotland where Edgar spends years in school, being afraid. Edgar lives in fear of his nightmares coming true and waking up with the monsters of his dreams coming to life. He makes one true friend while in school, but in his last year, Tiger is expelled when it is revealed that Tiger is actually a girl. Desperate to find Tiger in London, Edgar accepts the help of one of his professors to get permission to leave school for the weekend, but in return, Edgar must do Professor Lear a favor. Edgar's "favor" lands him on a hunt to find a real monster who is killing at his school and has now followed him and his new band of misfit friends to London. In grave danger of being hunted and killed, Edgar must find a way to be strong and save himself as well as his friends before the monsters win.Readers will become invested in Edgar's journey as he learns to overcome his fears in the wake of extreme danger. The way Peacock weaves the monsters of legendary stories such as vampires and grendels into the life of European society is intriguing and spine-tingling. The storyline keeps momentum with every person around Edgar falling into suspicion as he tries to decipher the truth from his ability to fantasize monsters. As he learns to build friendships, Edgar also learns how to place trust in the people around him. Age-old murders are solved and new threats introduced as the ending leaves open the next monster to be hunted in this planned trilogy. This is a well-written, sinister tale for those readers who enjoy horror, mystery and suspense with a bit of action adventure.Laura Panter.