When rare-manuscript expert Joseph Barkeley is hired to authenticate and purchase the original draft and notes for Bram Stoker's Dracula, little does he know that the reclusive buyer is a member of the oldest family in Transylvania. After delivering the manuscript to the legendary Bran Castle in Romania, Barkeley—a Romanian orphan himself—realizes to his horror that he's become a prisoner to the son of Vlad Dracul. To earn his freedom, Barkeley must decipher cryptic messages hidden in the text of the original Dracula that reveal the burial sites of certain Dracul family members. Barkeley's only hope is to ensure that he does not exhaust his usefulness to his captor until he’s able to escape. Soon he discovers secrets about his own lineage that suggest his selection for the task was more than coincidence. In this knowledge may lie Barkeley's salvation—or his doom. For now he must choose between a coward's flight and a mortal conflict against an ancient foe. Building on actual international events surrounding the publication of Bram Stoker's original novel, Royce Prouty has written a spellbinding debut novel that ranges from 1890s Chicago, London, and Transylvania to the perilous present.

I have no interest in stories about vampires. I avoided the whole Twilight fad, and never watched Vampire Diaries or its spinoff, The Originals. I was therefore a bit disappointed when I found I'd been lured into one based upon my thematic interest in books about books, or in this case, manuscripts.

That said, this one-off by a CPA (who ironically pens the line "with material pursuit comes restless discontent") was quite solid and well-executed. Because I am not overly familiar with the Dracula myth, I cannot speak authoritatively about how much of this story elaborates existing threads and how much is original to the author. I daresay, however, that much of the details are to the author's credit, and they all fit together quite well. ( )

I have been on somewhat of a Dracula kick lately. I'm listening to Bram Stoker's classic novel on audio and I'm slowly working my way through a reread of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. So I was thrilled when Royce contacted me and offered me a copy of his book. My friend, J. Kaye, had raved about it and it turns out she was not wrong.

What I liked most about the book was the creepy elements that crept up on me throughout the book. I felt chilling fingers move up my spine more than once. This made for excellent reading for the Halloween season. Add to that, the writing of a story that kept me guessing and characters and settings that made me feel part of the story, and this is definitely a book worth reading.

Read the rest at my blog: http://castlemacabre.blogspot.com/2013/10/happy-halloween-royce-proutys-stokers.... ( )

Interesting take on Stoker, Dracula and Romanian superstitions, altough some parts could have done with some more editing. ( )

I read this one so quickly that I honestly can't remember all the fine details now (over a year later). I do remember that it was incredibly riveting but I also love anything that has to do with Dracula (and adding in the 'manuscript' aspect had me sold). It was a great read that I enjoyed fairly well! ( )