186,264 Words

London, May 1895. Two days after the conviction of Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker receives three anonymous letters threatening to destroy the reputation of the Lyceum Theatre and its director, Henry Irving — the first actor in history to be knighted. The letters link private secrets from Stoker’s circle to the unsolved Whitechapel murders of 1888 and to the figure history remembers as Jack the Ripper. Alarmed by the potential scandal, Stoker turns to Sherlock Holmes. What begins as a case of blackmail soon reaches into the world of Victorian theatre, forbidden loyalties, public disgrace, buried crimes, and Stoker’s own private fears. Holmes uncovers a truth so close and dangerous that Stoker cannot publish it as fact. Instead, two years later, he transforms the case into fiction — the novel the world will come to know as Dracula. The Bram Stoker Case is a literary Victorian mystery that brings together three of London’s most enduring legends: Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and Dracula. It is grounded in extensive historical research, including Stoker’s working notes, annotated editions of Dracula, Charlotte Stoker’s recollections of the cholera epidemic, and historical material surrounding Francis Tumblety, Hall Caine, Henry Irving, and the Lyceum Theatre. The fictional narrative grows from the gaps left by the historical record. Note: Novel about 120.000 words, optional Appendix: abot 70.000 words