Edgar Brim is a sensitive orphan who, exposed to horror stories from his father as a young child, is afraid of almost everything and suffers from nightly terrors. His stern new guardian, Mr. Thorne, sends the boy to a gloomy school in Scotland where his dark demons only seem to worsen and he is bullied and ridiculed for his fears. But years later, when sixteen-year-old Edgar finds a journal belonging to his novelist father, he becomes determined to confront his nightmares and the bullies who taunt him. After the horrific death of a schoolmate, Edgar becomes involved with an eccentric society at the urging of a mysterious professor who believes that monsters from famous works of literature are real and whose mandate is to find and destroy these creatures. With the aid of a rag-tag crew of friends, the fear-addled teen sets about on his dark mission, one that begins in the cemetery on the bleak Scottish moors and ends in a spine-chilling climax on the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London with Henry Irving, the infamous and magnetic actor, and his manager, Bram Stoker, the author of the most frightening and sensational novel of the day, Dracula. Can Edgar Brim truly face his terror and conquer his fears?
FINALIST
| 2017 John Spray Mystery Award
"With cameos from such artistic giants as Bram Stoker and the actor Henry Irving, Peacock weaves the frissons of classic Gothic horror into the reality of a culture entranced by its own dark creations. This thrilling historical mystery will have readers anxiously turning pages and checking under their beds." - Kirkus Reviews
"The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim is good fun, loaded with thrills and discoveries, old journals and secret connections, hidden rooms, and mysterious, cloaked figures. By including real-life personalities from the period, such as Bram Stoker and celebrated actor Henry Irving, Peacock captures the feel of the late 19th century, and doesn’t neglect the shadows and fog so essential for a book of this sort." - Quill and Quire
"The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim is a thrilling story that includes fantastic gruesome imagery, moments of unexpected humour, and plenty of surprises." - CM Magazine
"Peacock calls up the ghostly haunting atmosphere of the moors with graceful prose and quiet but vivid imagery … the portrayal of Edgar as a frightened, anxious boy and his growth into someone who acknowledges fear but doesn’t give in to it makes him an appealing hero, and his triumph over evil is sure to garner applause. The final chapter ensures there are more monsters to be caught and more books to come." - Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books
Shane Peacock was born in 1957 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, one of four brothers. He attended school in the northern town of Kapuskasing, before attending university, where he studied history and English literature. A biographer, journalist, and screenwriter, he is also the author of six novels and three plays, and has been nominated for numerous awards including several National Magazine Awards and the Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction. When not writing, Shane Peacock enjoys playing hockey with his three children, and watching sumo wrestling. He lives near Cobourg, Ontario.
View titles by Shane Peacock
Edgar Brim is a sensitive orphan who, exposed to horror stories from his father as a young child, is afraid of almost everything and suffers from nightly terrors. His stern new guardian, Mr. Thorne, sends the boy to a gloomy school in Scotland where his dark demons only seem to worsen and he is bullied and ridiculed for his fears. But years later, when sixteen-year-old Edgar finds a journal belonging to his novelist father, he becomes determined to confront his nightmares and the bullies who taunt him. After the horrific death of a schoolmate, Edgar becomes involved with an eccentric society at the urging of a mysterious professor who believes that monsters from famous works of literature are real and whose mandate is to find and destroy these creatures. With the aid of a rag-tag crew of friends, the fear-addled teen sets about on his dark mission, one that begins in the cemetery on the bleak Scottish moors and ends in a spine-chilling climax on the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London with Henry Irving, the infamous and magnetic actor, and his manager, Bram Stoker, the author of the most frightening and sensational novel of the day, Dracula. Can Edgar Brim truly face his terror and conquer his fears?
Awards
FINALIST
| 2017 John Spray Mystery Award
Reviews
"With cameos from such artistic giants as Bram Stoker and the actor Henry Irving, Peacock weaves the frissons of classic Gothic horror into the reality of a culture entranced by its own dark creations. This thrilling historical mystery will have readers anxiously turning pages and checking under their beds." - Kirkus Reviews
"The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim is good fun, loaded with thrills and discoveries, old journals and secret connections, hidden rooms, and mysterious, cloaked figures. By including real-life personalities from the period, such as Bram Stoker and celebrated actor Henry Irving, Peacock captures the feel of the late 19th century, and doesn’t neglect the shadows and fog so essential for a book of this sort." - Quill and Quire
"The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim is a thrilling story that includes fantastic gruesome imagery, moments of unexpected humour, and plenty of surprises." - CM Magazine
"Peacock calls up the ghostly haunting atmosphere of the moors with graceful prose and quiet but vivid imagery … the portrayal of Edgar as a frightened, anxious boy and his growth into someone who acknowledges fear but doesn’t give in to it makes him an appealing hero, and his triumph over evil is sure to garner applause. The final chapter ensures there are more monsters to be caught and more books to come." - Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books
Shane Peacock was born in 1957 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, one of four brothers. He attended school in the northern town of Kapuskasing, before attending university, where he studied history and English literature. A biographer, journalist, and screenwriter, he is also the author of six novels and three plays, and has been nominated for numerous awards including several National Magazine Awards and the Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction. When not writing, Shane Peacock enjoys playing hockey with his three children, and watching sumo wrestling. He lives near Cobourg, Ontario.
View titles by Shane Peacock
