Strange Practice: A Dr Greta Helsing Novel

Got drawn in right away by the setting and magical mechanics of the world the author has created. Im a basic bitch; I like a good vampire story. Especially one without teenagers making questionable romance decisions. Could have done without the boiled eyeball descriptions tho.

Fun! New take on paranormal adventures -- this time a Doctor focused series rather than a police procedural or a mystery. I appreciate, too, that despite it turning into a mystery solving situation the focus is always on Greta's medical work. Also, great compassion and thoughtful examination of how to remove yourself mentally from conflict in order to do the greatest good. Excellent, and I can't wait for the next one.

The only part I was interested was Greta treating medical patients. From the 50% I read, this was regrettably little of the book.

Too much of it seemed to be learned helplessness on the part of the humans, especially Greta.

Its actually a great story - nothing spectacular, but full of interesting characters, a plot that makes sense, and a warmth that is not normally found in books where a single woman has to create a coalition of monster types to ward off a greater evil.

Strange Practice is the first in a urban fantasy series by Vivian Shaw starring Greta Helsing in modern London as a doctor to the undead (rather than a hunter of them as the name might imply). This was a little slow to get going and I never felt very invested in the central mystery at the heart of the book but I liked the friendships we saw between Greta and her companions (mostly male). Although Greta has female friends from work we don’t see those friendships often enough and these friends aren’t really involved in the story. There were enjoyable references to old vampire lore (Ruthven from Polidori’s Vampire and Varney from Varney the Vampire) and it was nice to see an urban fantasy novel about protecting the monsters rather than hunting them down. But why do so many urban fantasy novels have to be set in London? I'll be continuing with the series (and I think the next book is set in Paris).

Greta Helsing inherited the family's highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. She the undead and the supernatural for a host of various ills… until the murders start. Overall enjoyable, if a bit slight and nowhere near what I was expecting or hoping for. I was expecting to spend time with Greta in her doctors office dealing with the various medical needs of the supernatural community, with a bit of a mystery thrown in, instead there were a few scenes sent there and some talk about her medical practice…and then from then on it was dealing with the murder cult and her interpersonal relationships with the vampires in the group helping her fight off the bad guys. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. The mystery was good, the conclusion of it satisfying and I found the culture and community of the supernatural intriguing for what little bit we got to spend there and I overall liked the characters we were introduced to, though I am a little leery of the implied romance being hinted at…I am definitely willing to give the second book a chance and we’ll see where the series goes from there.

This is the first book in the Dr. Greta Helsing series. Right now there are two books in this series, with a third book scheduled to be published in Sept 2019. This was a very unique and well done urban fantasy set in London. The story had a historical feel to it while being set in modern times.Greta Helsing runs a medical practice for supernatural creatures. When a number of murders happen (and some attacks on supernaturals as well) Greta ends up drawn into the mystery and trying to solve it.I really loved the characters in this book, they were just so unique and pleasant. I loved how their helpful and kind personalities contrasted with their vampiric and/or demonic nature.While the main storyline follows a serial killer case, much of the story also involves Greta going about her day to day business helping the supernaturals. This was fascinating, Greta works to cure both unique and typical illnesses in a variety of supernatural entities. I also enjoyed the writing style which felt older to me, at times I felt like I was reading a historical novel even though the story is set in modern times.I did have a couple issues with the book. The first of these is how the story randomly bounces between different POVs, this was a bit disorienting. The second was just how the writing flowed; I really had to concentrate to read this one and pay attention...I never felt really sucked into the story. This resulted in it taking me quite a while to read this story, however I felt like it was worth it because I really enjoyed the characters and storyOverall this was a unique book with wonderfully kind and nice characters. I loved the London setting and the creative theme. While this took me quite a while to read, I do plan on continuing the series. I recommend to those who enjoy unique novels about supernatural creatures that have more of a deliberate pace to them and a historical feel to them (even though they are in a modern setting).

I will admit that I haven't read all the books referred to in this one. It managed to be complete without it and neither tried to be over-clever about how much the author had read or talk down to me. Dr Greta Helsing (they dropped the Von a few generations ago for political reasons) works as a medic for the supernatural creatures that occupy London beside the ordinary people. There are spells on her Harley Street rooms to keep prying eyes from seeing too much, but she's happy. Her work makes her happy, not so much cash but a lot of satisfaction. Then one day Ruthven (a vampire) calls her to tend to Varney the Vampire, who has been stabbed by a dagger and isn't healing properly. This leads her into a strange situation where a murderous bunch of monks are killing supernatural and ordinary mortal without any qualm. Messily. Mortal and immortal have to join forces to defeat an unusual enemy and they find that they work well together.It was a fun read. Greta is so matter-of-fact about it all, she grew up with these people around her and she knows that she has value to them. She is also clever and wants to solve what's going on for her patient's sake and to keep peace. I really had a blast reading it.

Dr. Helsing, whose family dropped the Van a few generations back, treats supernatural creatures as her father did before her. When murders begin to terrorize London’s human population, an ancient evil threatens all the creatures Dr. Helsing cares for, including the vampires Ruthven and Varney—the latter of whom may be developing a bit of a crush on her. Interesting variant on sympathetic vampires who (mostly, latterly) didn’t kill, along with wayward demons and ghouls.

Paranormal Romance (with the most inept romance yet)/Urban Fantasy. The usual determined, talented, and pretty (even though she doesn't pretty herself up) heroine hangs out with monsters in as their physician and friend. The attractiveness of one character for another are more yucky than sympathetic. Well told otherwise, it moves quickly and if it has a feather light a touch on certain figures, that's it's thing. In this volume we aren't treated to lusty were-whatevers, so that's a plus.

I'm looking forward to reading more Dr. Greta Helsing novels. There is a lot of potential for this character and Strange Practice introduces us to her world via an adventure that occurs over a week. Another reviewer ranted that Greta wasn't the center of the action which is true. I think this is a good thing. She's a team player and lifts up everyone around her even if they are monsters. The concept of Heaven and Hell not necessarily representing Good and Evil also came up as a brain teaser. It'll be interesting to see if that is explored in future novels or if it was just something to provoke the reader.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading urban fantasy novels, I've been really wanting to find more books in this genre. It's so different from high fantasy and stories set in alternate worlds ... and it's really addictive once you get into it! I was super excited to receive this ARC so here is my review:

I so so so badly wanted to like this book, you really have no idea! It seemed like the perfect book for me, with its cool protagonist and story setting. However, I just couldn't get into this story. No matter how hard I tried, it all was just too bizarre. The switching of voices between characters was very jarring and it was hard to keep it straight in my head. One minute, the story seemed like it was set in Victorian times and the next minute, it seemed way more modern. It all just threw me off and I couldn't enjoy myself. There are a lot of positive reviews on GoodReads so maybe this is just one of those times where I am in the minority. If this book's premise sounds like something you would like, give it a shot! 

This is exactly my kind of thing! I love when fantasy fiction thinks through what the day-to-day implications of magic and supernatural creatures would be in the modern world. And I think doctors are compelling heroes, but most stories relegate them to supporting characters and/or gloss over what they actually do all day. Dr. Greta Helsing is the protagonist I didn't know I've always wanted. And this book has a cheerfully twisty plot and a great bunch of characters. I can't wait til the sequel comes out in July!

I bought this one on a whim as my free book from my monthly Audible subscription and am so happy I was impulsive with my credit! This book was phenomenal. Greta Helsing is a doctor to the supernatural. If you are a vampire, werewolf, ghoul, demon, or the like in the London area, you go to Dr. Helsing for care. When a serial killer begins picking off humans and supernatural alike, Greta is sucked into the mystery, being the one who is called upon to patch up an attack on the friend of a friend, who is coincidentally a vampire. A secret sect of terrorizing London, and they don't appreciate Greta's meddling with their attempted slayings. Can Greta and her band of misfits get to the bottom of the murders before the killers silence them for good?Granted, I am a fan of all things supernatural but this was a fantastic read. Everything from the deary setting of London to the eccentric and likable characters ( I don't think I have ever wanted to hold and cuddle a ghoulette more in my life) was enough to draw me in and get me hooked. In addition to the action packed plot line, the authors writing style was captivating, almost lyrical. Although the story could be a stand alone novel, I was excited to learn that this is one in a projected series, following Greta and her unique medical practice across various other mysteries and unfortunate supernatural events within London. If you are a fan of the supernatural, and a good ol fashioned mystery, I cannot recommend this one enough!   

A solid first entry in a new urban fantasy series that's a little bit Nicole Peeler or Gail Carriger and a little bit What We Do in the Shadows (but more the former than the latter).

I cannot tell you how much this book delighted me - a massively enjoyable romp through undead London, featuring ghouls, vampires, vampyres (not the same thing), and a mysterious cult of evil monks living underneath the Underground. And best of all, made families: a strong group of friends, people who learn to trust and care for one another, a central female character who is strong and competent and still gets to freak out sometimes because, well, mysterious cult of evil monks trying to kill her friends. I could have wished for more of Greta's female friends - hopefully we'll see more of them in future installments.

A delightful take on some classic characters -- something of a lighter, modern-day version of the TV show Penny Dreadful. It seems this is the beginning of a series; I hope it is a long one, and that every installation is as engaging as this first volume. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the second one.

Pros: fun characters, interesting story, quick readCons: repetitionGreta Helsing is a modern day human doctor who treats the supernatural. When she’s called to a vampire’s house for an emergency, she discovers that a mysterious group is hunting ‘creatures of evil’, a group that might be connected to the ‘rosary ripper’ murders plaguing London.I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were quirky and entertaining. I liked that a few of them were familiar from older literary works. The mythologies for the different creatures were a mixture of common folklore with a few twists to make them different and fresh. I particularly liked the interpretation of angels and demons presented. The author did a fantastic job of making the ‘monsters’ feel very human and empathetic.There’s a particular scene with Greta that I absolutely loved. Most urban fantasy novels have literal kickass female characters, so it was nice reading a book with a female protagonist who doesn’t know any martial arts, who’s terrified by horrific situations, but who manages her fear and is able to act despite it. It was wonderful reading about a woman who didn’t beat anyone up and who relied on her friends to help her when things got tough.I was somewhat surprised that the core protagonists didn’t warn the supernatural community of their danger, specifically Greta’s patients and employees. I also found it strange that everyone in the group seemed to learn the same information separately - at different times - rather than pooling what they’d learned (or asking more questions of the group that had encountered the antagonists). There’s a fair amount of repetition. Several conversations simply repeated information learned earlier. On the whole, this was a fun, fast read. I’m very curious to see what adventure Greta has next.

Greta Helsing has an illustrious heritage. She's the granddaughter of Abraham van Helsing, arch nemesis of Count Dracula. But instead of hunting vampires, Greta heals them. The Strange Practice of the title refers to Greta's medical practice which caters to the undead, or as Shaw puts it in more politically correct terms, the "differently alive." Her patients include vampires, mummies, ghouls, demons, and more, and she runs her clinic on a shoestring, but she's loved in the community of the monstrous, and she does good work since most of them are simply trying to get by in a world where people, if they believe at all, believe her patients to be evil.

When one of her patients, and a dear friend, Lord Ruthven, calls Greta in to tend to Sir Francis Varney, who has been attacked by chanting monks who have wounded him, perhaps mortally, you know that this book is going to be a lot of fun. It's a just-one-more-chapter book that kept me reading well into the night.

Shaw knows her background material and respects it, even though she doesn't take it too seriously. If I have a quibble it's that sometimes the characterization is a little flat. I didn't get a lot of feeling for the emotional lives of the characters and how they related to each other. I got those things explained to me from time to time, but got no visceral sense of who they were.

Nevertheless, I got a real kick out of this book, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

In these days of EL James and Cassandra Clare, being a fan-fiction writer is no longer the shameful, deep-dark secret of an author who’s “gone legit.” Quite the opposite in fact. After reading Vivian Shaw’s Strange Practice, I wasn’t at all surprised to find out that she is also known as Coldhope, an out-and-proud fan fiction writer. The protagonist of this mystery/thriller is Dr. Greta Helsing, a descendant of Professor Abraham Van Helsing of Dracula fame, who runs a clinic in modern-day London for all manner of paranormal creature, including, but not limited to, vampires, were-wolves, demons, mummies and ghouls. This particular novel, the first in a proposed series, has Helsing on the hunt for a serial killer who leaves a string of rosary beads in the mouth of each victim. The murders are obviously motivated by some misguided religious fervor and when the killer(s) turn their attention to Helsing and her demonic patients, things get personal.This was a real page-turner. And while the plot is very engaging and it has some chilling, nail-biting moments, for me the most enjoyable aspect has to be the characters. This is where Shaw’s background as a fanfic writer is most gloriously in evidence. The team that assembles to assist the good doctor – two vampires (one fabulous of wealth and dry of wit, the other devastatingly handsome and frustratingly reserved), a tubercular demon, a nerdy [and very human] museum researcher and a tribe of ghouls – are all meticulously fleshed-out and believable. They’re funny, sexy, flawed and fascinating. And the interplay between them is very entertaining. I’ve read so many genre novels in recent years where the author labors to capture that Joss Whedon-style banter but Shaw does it with ease. I was surprised to find myself very invested in these folks by the climax. For the genre fan, this is the perfect beach read. I can’t wait for the sequel, Bad Company.

I couldn't listen to this because parts of the book are missing! Chapter one cuts off halfway through a sentence and quite a big chunk seems to be missing, but I soldiered on - and then the same thing happened at the end of chapter 3! Absolutely dreadful, does nobody quality check these things?

It really feels like the author enjoys the kind of story where the badass heroine has a whole bunch of supernatural men who are in love with her and want to do nice things for her (that she won't accept because she's too humble and self-sacrificing) and constantly talk about how great she is, but wanted to write something a bit more respectable and not go for full-on self-indulgent trash, so she made a bunch of the guys completely platonic friends or father figures or whatever, but their lives still revolve around their adoration of the heroine and how great she is. (I have nothing against self-indulgent trash, I just prefer when the writer owns it.)

The "medicine for supernatural beings" stuff was fun, though, and I wish it had been more of a focus.

Urban Fantasy is one of the hybrid genres I enjoy, although it’s difficult to find books or series offering a different take from the much-used theme of the private investigator (either with or without special powers) dealing with an underworld peopled by fae and/or supernatural creatures: Strange Practice, the first novel in the Dr. Greta Helsing series, offers such a breath of fresh air, depicting a very human main character working as a physician for these weird beings, who live in our world while managing to keep hidden in plain sight from the public.Latest in a line of healers descended from the famous Dr. Van Helsing out of the Dracula myth, Greta is very dedicated to her London clinic whose patients include banshees and ghouls, mummies and vampires, and any other kind of imaginable (or unimaginable) otherworldly creature. Greta’s busy but interesting routine is upset when she’s summoned by one of her closest friends, the vampire Ruthven, who is sheltering another vampire he literally found on his doorstep seeking help after a brutal assault. The attack on Varney, the victim, seems closely related to a series of murders that’s worrying the authorities and creating sensationalist ripples in the public for the bizarre ritual connected to them: each of the victims was found with a cheap plastic rosary in their mouths, and it took no time for the tabloids to dub the series of killings with the name of Rosary Murders. Varney’s assailants wore what looked like monk robes, muttered outlandish chants and hit him with a cross-shaped dagger covered with an unknown poison apparently able to hinder a vampire’s quick healing powers.The mystery deepens when Greta herself is attacked in her car by a scary individual, also dressed as a monk and uttering incoherent Bible quotes, with a face scarred by fire and strangely-glowing blue eyes. Moving to Ruthven’s house for safety, Dr. Helsing is soon joined by the other members of what will soon become a sort of investigative team set on finding the dangerous “monks” and removing the threat to the supernatural community: Fastitocalon is a mysterious being who was Greta’s father’s friend and acts a sort of uncle to the doctor, while she tries to make him take better care of himself – the true nature of Fastitocalon (Fass, for short, which is a blessing considering how stumble-worthy that name is….) will be revealed in the course of the story, and it’s a very, very intriguing one, indeed. And finally there’s the only other human of the group, young Cranswell from the British Museum: he’s aware of the existence of these extraordinary beings and delights in the possibility of delving into their lore – an enthusiastic, if at times naïve, person who offers a needed counterpoint to the weirdness of the… differently human characters.Where the overall story is interesting and at times gripping, as it develops across the city of London and through the mazes of its underground, it often takes second place to the characters and their interactions: the narrative style itself is a quaint one, relying very much on an old-fashioned expressive mode that at first seems to place the novel in the Victorian era, and only reveals its modern background at the mention of cars, wi-fi connections and so forth. After a while I became convinced that the unusual choices of phrase were due to the fact that most of the supernaturals are very ancient beings, and therefore still tied to an older way of expression: the clearest example of this dichotomy is Ruthven, a man – pardon, a vampire – who enjoys the comforts of modern living, including a state-of-the-art expresso machine, but still loves to surround himself with the vestiges of the past.Bizarrely enough, Greta does not feel like the strongest character in this novel: she is of course admirable in her dedication to her peculiar patients, and one of her best moments happens when she is asked why she cares so much about “monsters” and she replies that to her they are people – no more, no less. Yet to me she appears much less substantial than the strange and scary creatures surrounding her, who literally stole the scene, from the mummy whose bones are falling apart and needs a few replacement pieces fashioned from a 3D printer, to the ghouls who gather in close-knit family clans, including a baby ghoul who remains cute even as we learn that he’s being fed sewer rats.The best, however, remain Ruthven and Fastitocalon, and both of them quickly became my favorite characters and managed to overshadow Greta thanks to their peculiarities and the way they both related to the doctor, each in his own way: Fass is confidant and protector, the person who somehow filled the void left by Greta’s father’s death; Ruthven is the go-to-friend, unfailing in his support and generosity and a very suave gentleman to boot. That on the surface, of course, because they also enjoy very intriguing talents: Fass can all but disappear from notice, masking other people’s presence as well – as is the case when he helps Cranswell replace some important books from the Museum after he purloined them for research into the monkish sect; Ruthven, as a vampire, can thrall people to do his bidding, and he avoids looking menacing thanks to his laid-back attitude toward his nature, something I will leave to his own words:The easiest thing is to think of me as a large well-dressed mosquito, only with more developed social graces and without the disease-vector aspect.OrHe didn’t even own a coffin, let alone sleep in one; there simply wasn’t room to roll over, even in the newer, wider models, and anyway the mattresses were a complete joke and played merry hell with one’s back.This is indeed one of the peculiarities of Strange Practice: the distinctive sense of humor that might not be for everyone: in my case it worked very well, due to its light-handed nature, offering some needed respite in the most tense moments. Respite that also comes in those quiet passages where the group of characters takes a moment to discuss the situation over cups of tea or glasses of something stronger: these more intimate interludes help to better understand what makes these individual tick, and in the end they proved to be some of my favorite sequences.Strange Practice is a very promising first book in this new-to-me series, whose unusual take on the genre’s themes might turn it into one of my favorite reads. Hopefully I will not wait too long before getting to the other two volumes published so far…

I found this an entertaining read; a bit of fun, but with a few flaws that interrupted the enjoyment and leave me not convinced about buying the next Greta Helsing adventure.Without giving any key elements away, the story involves some rather elderly aristocratic characters who would be very serious about doing thins correctly. Shaw has them saying things that their characters would never say (e.g. “Shut up”) and making basic grammar mistakes that their characters would be totally ashamed of (e.g. “..there’s been eleven murders” and “there’s some other tunnels”).The book is an interesting diversion and an easy read but it is no more than that. If one wanted to give it a heavier meaning one could say it was an allegory for the periodic rise of evil regimes in the world, but this is only a superficial similarity, albeit intended. It can also be considered a commentary on the value of diversity in a population.The characters are all quite derivative and the story has the feel of fanfiction. I also found the actual story predictable, which took the edge off it.This book has a lot going for it, but with its derivative nature, out of character dialogue, and storyline predictability I can not give it a very high rating. A good book rates three stars with me. I would have given this book a three star rating had it not committed grammatical sins and been so predictable.