Lyovitalis

When Audrianna Foster, a doctor, travels to Europe to pursue her father’s research of a mysterious illness, Lyovitalis, she has very little to go on and doesn’t know what she will find. While on board a train, a mysterious man, Devon, abducts her, claiming he requires the care of a doctor to heal his injured friend, Niklas, who has been shot. After healing, Niklas, Audrianna falls asleep, and Devon visits her in her dreams. As they journey back to Germany, Devon and Audrianna carry on a love affair in the dream world. Once in Germany, Audrianna finds out the man she has been traveling with is not a man, but a woman, Lorna. Audrianna continues to pursue her father’s mystery illness while working in a hospital under the guidance of Dr. Dirk von Traugott. While she sleeps, Lorna continues to visit Audrianna in her dreams.

Author Julie Kirtón Chandler blends mystery, science fiction, horror, religion, and sex into an intriguing story. The book is set in the early 1900s, when forensic science and modern medicine couldn’t help to solve crimes or explain death. It was easy to overlook some of the anachronisms in the dialogue when the plot was unique and interesting.

Audrianna was a well-rounded, yet somewhat inconsistent, character. In some scenes, she was climbing trees and breaking into office windows, focused on her purpose. In other scenes, she’s confused, hazy and erratic, wanting to know about Lyovitalis’ origins, but not wanting to know for fear it will ruin her perception of those around her. The secondary characters are equally complex, flawed, and realistic. The realism of the characters’ personalities and interactions counteract the outlandishness of the plot itself.

Lyovitalis is book one of what will presumably be more in the series, though it’s a good standalone novel. However, its generous helping of science fiction might scare away the average mystery/thriller reader. Pick it up if you’re looking for something fresh and new. The mix of genres is bizarre, but ultimately it works.