Curse of Kali (Jason Dark Volume X), by Guido Henkel

A man us dead, and the scene is set to make it look like a statue of an ancient Goddess has killed him.  With both Jason Dark and Sherlock Holmes on the scene, it is not long before the mystery appears to be solved.  Or is it?  Holmes concludes it is an open and shut case of murder, but as Jason Dark digs a little more, it is clear this crime has a supernatural element.  So, the question is, who is behind it, and why?

I was so excited to learn that Sherlock Holmes would be making an appearance in this Jason Dark book.  His arrival has long been hinted at, throughout the series, and I am happy to not only see it happen, but to see the interesting twist Henkel put on the interaction of the two investigators.  I personally liked seeing Holmes being trumped by Dark.

The story in this novella, like all of the Jason Dark novellas, is a fresh, unique look at what can be scary.  Henkel skillfully combines the Victorian gothic setting with universal horrors to make for stories that still are frightening to modern readers, but also appeal to those who like classic horror.  I personally found this to be one of the spookier stories, since the idea of a murderous statue would never have occurred to me, thereby making it a new terror.

Now that we are quite a few books into the series, Henkel is able to weave bits of the histories of past tales into the book, while also hinting at what may come in the future.  I find this to be incredibly engaging as a reader (and it makes me want to go re-read all the past novellas), yet it is done in a way that should someone choose this book as their first foray into Jason Dark, they would not be confused.  That is the sign of a skillful writer in my opinion.

So, my question for you is, why are you still reading my review, when you could be reading this fantastic book?



I received a review copy of the book courtesy of the author.