Strange Beasts by Susan J Morris will be one of the first releases from the pioneering publishing group Bindery, a publisher powered directly by the bookish community. This is Inky Phoenix Press’s debut release under their Bindery imprint and Morris’s debut adult novel was an absolutely stellar choice.

We follow Sam Harker as she teams up with Helena Moriarty to solve a series of grisly murders in Paris, supposedly committed by a famed Beast. This is a gas lamp murder mystery that burrows into Paris’s cunning underbelly, unearthing cults, creatures, and a shedload of period-accurate misogyny towards our badass leading ladies. However, they soon prove that they are more than up to the task of tracking down the elusive killer. Sam has strange (but helpful) abilities that she desperately tries to keep to herself, while Helena has an extensive network of connections and the natural consequences of being raised by the infamous Professor Moriarty on her side.

This story was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s a slow-burn sapphic romance that dips into all of the most interesting elements of Paris in this era: private clubs, theatre performances, perfumeries, the catacombs, and so much more. It even has a healthy dose of fantastical creatures which I was pleasantly surprised by. 

The setting and the plot were the stars of this show for me. The mystery had some complex twists and plenty of red herrings that I thought I had gotten the better of, but I was the one left gasping in the end. Morris does a fantastic job of keeping the explanations organic and easy to understand, while still keeping the tension taut throughout the story. Paris is a looming beauty in the background of the story and the smattering of French dialogue felt like it had been written by a native speaker rather than put through Google translate, and avoided the easy clichés. Morris’s prose is deft and effective, and spirits you into the Paris nightlife in the space of a breath. 

I would highly recommend this story to anyone looking for sapphic or women-centred stories set in the Holmesian era that isn’t afraid to dabble in fantasy elements. Fans of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter will also adore this novel and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Strange Beasts comes out on 15th October 2024. You can pre-order your copy HERE