Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: 10/6/2015; ISBN: 978-1452143170; PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books; PAGES: 360; UNABRIDGED (Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years; Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L; Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12)
Digital: Available

* (This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 1 September 2017; ISBN: ‎ 9781509453320; PUBLISHER: Avid Press; DURATION: 9:35:23; Unabridged; (Overdrive LAPL)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: Stoker & Homes, Book 3

MAIN CHARACTERS: (Not all inclusive and spelling could be wrong—I was listening, not reading)
Miss Alvemina (Mina) Holmes – Niece of Sherlock
Miss Evaline Stoker – Sister of Bram Stoker
Richard Dancy – a gentleman with romantic interest for Evaline
Ambrose Greyling – an Inspector
Angus – Greyling’s dog described as a Basset Hound but referred to as a Beagle
Irene Adler
Dylan Eckhert
Pix
Princess Lurelia of Betrovia
Princess of Wales (Alex / Alexandra)
Queen Victoria

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it. It was the next book in the series.
What it was about: Sherlock Holmes’ niece and Graham Stoker’s sister, both aged 17, team up to assist Irene Adler solve another mystery, this one involving a missing chess queen and a princess.
What I thought: As with the previous two books: Well done. I enjoy the steampunk genre, the characters, and the story held my interest. I also enjoy the humor and the author's vocabulary.

AUTHOR:
Colleen Gleason
From Wikipedia:
“Colleen Gleason lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] with her husband and children.[2][3] She has a degree in English and a MBA from the University of Michigan.[1] She started writing in primary school and wrote nine complete stories before selling the first book of her The Gardella Vampire Chronicles[3] series to a division of Penguin Books, which published it in January 2007:[3] the series arrives at a conclusion on March 2009. In 2008 she wrote a short story, a prequel to the series, titled In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead, published first in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, then as Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in sales and marketing and started her own business[3] in the insurance field.[4]

In 2010, she started the six-novel series The Envy Chronicles, written using the pen name Joss Ware. In 2011, she wrote The Regency Draculia trilogy.”

She has also written short stories. In 2010, she collaborated with Mary Balogh, Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany in a paranormal tribute to Jane Austen, writing "Northanger Castle" for the book Bespelling Jane Austen, published on October 1, 2010.[5]”

NARRATOR:
Jayne Entwistle
From “thejayneshow” .com:
“Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv.

She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!”
As always, I enjoyed Jaynes narration.

LOCATION(S)
London

TIME(S)
1889

SUBJECTS:
Time travel; vampires; vampire slayers; Sherlock Holmes characters; Chess game; Great Britain, Byzantine antiquities

DEDICATION:
“To
Darlene Domanik March
Talented artist,
Inspiring reacher,
Dear friend”

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1, Miss Stoker, An Astonishing Request
"In the distance, Big Ben's round face glowed dully behind strands of heavy night clouds. Pikes, pipes and the pitches of rooftops, along with the unmistakable spire of the Oligary Building, jutted upward in an infinite black jumble.
I'd done the right thing, staking that vampire.
I was a vampire hunter. That was my calling, my legacy. I couldn't second-guess my duty.
But Willa Ashton's accusations and her enraged expression still haunted me, both during the day and in my naightmares. 'You killed Robby! You murdered my brother!'
A shadow across the street, sleek and catlike, caught my attention. All thoughts of Miss Ashton and her brother fled, along with the last bit of sleepiness.
I recognized that shadow.
It took only a moment to whip off my nightdress and yank on a pair of boots, a chemise, and a short, simple gown (in that order). I was still buckling my new front-fastening over-corset when I climbed out the window."

RATING:.
4
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-23-2023 to 1-29-2023 ( )

Very good! I need the next book so i know what happens. Nice unexpected end to the mystery. MY BIG QUESTION: WILL WE SEE DLYAN AGAIN :) ( )

Very good! I need the next book so i know what happens. Nice unexpected end to the mystery. MY BIG QUESTION: WILL WE SEE DLYAN AGAIN :) ( )

I liked the story, but the book itself has so many spelling and formatting errors that I wish they had proof read it better. ( )

The mystery and the excitement was great and there was definitely a lot of twists and turns. What I didn't really appreciate was how our main heroines were distracted from the mysteries under their very noses. It seemed very out of character. ( )