Said Abd El Gawad

The Frankenstein Murders is a fine first novel by Ottawa writer Kathlyn Bradshaw. For those who have read and loved Mary Shelley's Frankenstein it provides a fascinating look back at the events of that novel as well as an interesting continuation of the macabre tale of death and life that first electrified readers nearly two hundred years ago. The novel is framed as an investigation into the death of Henry Clerval. As described in Shelley's original, Henry was one of Victor Frankenstein's dearest friends. Shortly after the "birth" of the monster, Victor suffered a mental collapse and it was he, Henry, who nursed Victor back to health. Later Henry accompanied Victor on his journeys, only to be strangled on the shores of Ireland by the terrible creature. Now, several years after the murder, the journal of Captain Robert Walton finds itself in the hands of Henry's father, George Clerval. The senior Clerval does not fully believe the fantastic tale capture...