Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neither Hyde Nor Hair | 2020 | H.P. Mallory | Buy |
| 2 | Gallant Ghosts and Ghastly Gentlemen | 2020 | H.P. Mallory | Buy |
| 3 | Beauty and the Barbarous Barber | 2022 | H.P. Mallory | Buy |
Lucy Westenra takes a minor but memorable character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and rebuilds her as the protagonist of her own paranormal mystery series. In H.P. Mallory’s version, Lucy is not simply a victim but an active figure operating in a world of ghosts, gothic villains, and Victorian supernatural intrigue. The three books – Neither Hyde Nor Hair, Gallant Ghosts and Ghastly Gentlemen, and Beauty and the Barbarous Barber – lean into literary references with punny titles that signal the series’ darkly comic approach.
The titles themselves hint at the flavor: Neither Hyde Nor Hair pulls in Jekyll and Hyde, while Gallant Ghosts and Ghastly Gentlemen captures the Victorian ghost story atmosphere. Beauty and the Barbarous Barber, published in 2022, brings in yet another cultural reference while continuing Lucy’s adventures. The series is relatively short at three books, which makes it a contained read for anyone who wants something different from Mallory’s usual contemporary paranormal settings.
For fans of gothic fiction, Victoriana, and paranormal mystery with a winking sense of humor, the Lucy Westenra series offers something a little outside the mainstream of the paranormal romance genre. It is an ideal pick for Dracula fans who want to spend more time with a character who deserved more page time in the original novel.