Vampires of Ottawa

Jerry McDonnell was a teacher and librarian the F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham, Ontario.

Vampires remain a topic of horrifying fascination, especially for juveniles, so this novel should be of great interest to this group of readers. The cover illustration is especially enticing.

Eric Wilson gives us his eighth mystery featuring either Liz or Tom Austen. Liz’s speech on vampires has won her a chance to visit Ottawa and to speak at Rideau Hall. Strange and sinister events begin during the first night of her stay at the youth hostel, which is housed in the old Nicholas Street jail. During the next day’s cruise on the Ottawa River, Liz helps to rescue a drowning woman who insists that she was escaping from a vampire.

As a reward, Liz is invited to visit the estate of the woman’s fiance, where she encounters vampines and much danger, but where she eventually unravels the vampire mystery.

The story is fast-paced and exciting and should appeal strongly to children in grades four to seven.