Dreadful Company

By: Vivian Shaw

Narrated by: Suzannah Hampton

A witty, charming fantasy adventure starring Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, whose family has been keeping the supernatural community not-alive and well for generations.

When Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead, is unexpectedly called to Paris to present at a medical conference, she expects nothing more exciting than professional discourse on zombie reconstructive surgery and skin disease in bogeymen―and hopefully at least one uneventful night at the Opera.

Unfortunately for Greta, Paris happens to be infested with a coven of vampires -- and not the civilized kind. If she hopes to survive, Greta must navigate the darkest corners of the City of Lights, the maze of ancient catacombs and mine-tunnels underneath the streets, where there is more to find than simply dead men's bones.

Praise for the Dr. Greta Helsing Novels:

"An exceptional and delightful debut, in the tradition of Good Omens and A Night in the Lonesome October."―Elizabeth Bear, Hugo-award winning author

"Shaw balances an agile mystery with a pitch-perfect, droll narrative and cast of lovable misfit characters. These are not your mother's Dracula or demons."―Shelf Awareness

Dr. Greta Helsing Novels
Strange Practice
Dreadful Company
Grave Importance

Critic reviews

"A playfully witty confection spun from the setting of The Phantom of the Opera, sardonic yet a touch sweet, in which the elegant vampires of Helsing's social set come up against an undisciplined coven of sparkly, eyeliner-loving youngsters.... Moves smoothly between the ongoing stories of her returning characters and the immediate plot, and between pop culture references and innovation, framing London's supernatural residents as delightfully normative while still capably evoking the frisson of the uncanny."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Dreadful Company

"Shaw's elegant writing make this series a standout in the genre."—Booklist on Dreadful Company

"I absolutely loved it.... Dreadful Company is a triumph."—SFFWorld

"There are as few heroines as well written and compelling as Greta Helsing."—BookPage on Dreadful Company

"Fast-moving, funny, and irresistibly fun."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on Dreadful Company

"A grand romp, mixing plenty of humor (even Oscar Wilde chimes in) and some heartwarming moments amid the chills."—Locus on Dreadful Company

"In Vivian Shaw's Strange Practice, a charmingly unusual doctor and her charges keep the city of London from grave danger. In the process, they peel back the covers of familiar (and according to them, somewhat "libelous") stories to find that reality - especially with the undead - is more poignant and complex than it seems at first glance. An excellent adventure."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Fran Wilde, award-winning author of Updraft, Cloudbound, and Horizon, on Strange Practice

"Strange Practice is written with elegance, wit, and compassion. The prose is gorgeous, the wit is mordant, and the ideas are provocative. Also, there are ghouls."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Laura Amy Schlitz, Newbery Medal winner, on Strange Practice

"A satisfying and surprising read, with rich imagery, nuance, and real compassion for its characters--give Strange Practice a shot!"—Elliott James, author of Charming, on Strange Practice

"A darkly delicious adventure featuring a quirky new heroine. Strange Practice breathes new life into the undead."—James Bennett, author of Chasing Embers, on Strange Practice

"An exceptional and delightful debut, in the tradition of Good Omens and A Night in the Lonesome October."—Elizabeth Bear, Hugo-award winning author, on Strange Practice

excited to read the second, & not disappointed!

I loved Strange Practice, and was so glad to feel the same way about this book. Shaw's writing is artful and almost poetic, while never becoming pretentious or lofty. I'm in love with the world she has created, and the characters I have come to know. this was a true pleasure to read (well, hear!). the narrator was just as fantastic as before, and her voice has a richness that adds so much. bravo, and can't wait for the next one!

Delightful story and enjoyable characters

I enjoyed the voice actor's interpretation of the characters. the storyline is fun and I was able to follow along easily. I read Vivian Shaw's first book. listened to this second book and will listen to her third book too.

Wonderfully enthralling

The narrator is one of the best I've ever heard. This is such a good, heartwarming piece with all the mystery and adventure you want to cuddle up with!

Lovely and delicious

I have fallen in love with Ms Shaw. She strikes such a balance with her words, story and characters. Tension, exaltation, desire - all are tempered but never diminished to carry you along the story that can perhaps better reveal the ugly and real because of the buffer of her language and the construction of her main character.

fun modern take on classic monsters

I really liked the story and the characters. But I sometimes had a problem differentiating the different characters based on the narrator's voice. Some characters she easily differentiated with accent or tone. Others she didn't.