The Clockwork Scarab protagonists Mina Holmes (niece of Sherlock) and Evaline Stoker (Bram's kid sister and novice vampire hunter) investigate whether Willa Ashton--who believes she can communicate with her dead mother--has gone mad, or if someone is trying to drive her there. There's lots of fun to be had from this odd-couple investigative team's snarky banter and the well-imagined setting's steampunk details.

Gr 8 Up-Little more than a month has passed since teens Evaline Stoker (sister of Bram) and Mina Holmes (niece of Sherlock) wound down their first collaborative effort at fighting crime and solving mysteries in The Clockwork Scarab (Chronicle, 2013). When the young women are summoned by Princess Alexandra, daughter of Queen Victoria, their skills are tested once again. The royal enlists the girls' help in a case involving her dear friend who has fallen prey to a manipulative spiritualist. Then there is the issue of vampiresthought to be long extinctskulking through the streets of London. Told in Evaline's and Mina's alternating first-person points of view, the story gives readers an illuminating and fascinating peek into late-Victorian London life. Evaline, a bold and vivacious aspiring vampire slayer, craves adventure and risk. Mina prefers work that requires the methodical application of her inestimable sleuthing skills. Problems are compounded when Dylan, the time-traveler from modern-day London, tries to help. His assistance—performing the Heimlich maneuver on an aged, grumpy Queen Victoria, for instance—might very well alter the course of history. Gleason's novel is a well-oiled machine. Every literary cog and wheel has its distinct function—the authentic historical framework, the adeptly integrated steampunk devices, the compelling personalities and backgrounds of the outwardly tough but inwardly vulnerable heroines—yet all work together in easy synchronization.— Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

Evaline Stoker, sister to Bram and a vampire hunter, and Mina Holmes, niece of Sherlock and an amateur detective, are back in a new adventure. At the urging of Ms. Irene Adler the pair accepts a case from Alexandra Princess of Wales to investigate the spiritualists that seem to be taking advantage of her dear friend, Willa Aston. Evaline and Mina soon discover that Willa's case is more than expected when they unearth some undead in London. Together, the pair faces down scheming relatives, reconcile unexpected kisses from men in their lives, and find a futuristic way to save those they care about.A mash-up of historical fiction, mystery, and science fiction with its time travel and steampunk elements, Gleason's latest Stoker & Holmes novel will certainly engage fans, but overall the story tries to do too much. The setting, while atmospheric, lacks the vivid sensory details that draw readers in to the story. The plot moves slowly, until the last fifty pages, with repetitive descriptions of fashion and feelings. The characters lack clarity, especially when dealing with the insecurities and internal struggles that Evaline developed on her first hunt and that Mina encounters while she reconciles her skepticism of the occult. The secondary characters are much more vivid but they play such ancillary and vague roles, it is difficult to enjoy them. Overall, the assortment of elements and genres is less than successful; however, teen girls will overlook the flaws as they engage with the spunky convolution of these two literarily inspired heroines.Rachel Wadham.