Detective Andrew Fowler Singleton’s personal quest to determine whether the poet Gerard de Nerval really did hang himself 70 years before enables Superintendent Fourier, from the Surete Generale, to enlist his help in solving some mysterious deaths. Certain learned dream researchers are dying in their sleep, left with the rictus of terror upon their tortured faces. Dream Killer is a detective story with more than a touch of the supernatural. Although I found the plot intriguing, I never connected with this story, nor did it impact my slumber. Dream Killer is too tidy and the detectives take too many leaps of logic even within the realms of the fantastic. I felt as if Bourland did not put enough meat on these literary bones.

If you enjoy historical mysteries which incorporate the paranormal, you will like Bourland's Singleton and Trelawney series. Part of what I find appealing is the way the novel is framed. Bourland claims these manuscripts came from the long lost case files of the signature duo. Bourland implores the reader to suspend their disbelief and accept the possibility that the pair existed and encountered the supernatural. In the early 20th Century, spiritualism was greatly in vogue, with many prominent figures subscribing to its tenets. The Dream Killer of Paris is set within this time.

In The Dream Killer of Paris, Andrew Singleton travels to Paris to unravel the mysterious death of a poet who allegedly committed suicide 70 years before. On his journey, he encounters a mysterious woman and a mirage. Swiftly he finds himself drawn into investigating a series of murders that all look like natural deaths. Oddly, all victims appear to have died of fright. The investigation leads Singleton and Trelawney to discover the power of dreams and the unusual beings that inhabit that world. Their success is essential if a great wrong is to be stopped.

While I enjoyed The Dream Killer of Paris and found it highly imaginative, I didn't like it quite as much as The Baker Street Phantom. If you have not tried one of Bourland's novels, I suggest reading The Baker Street Phantom first. Regardless, The Dream Killer of Paris is a solid addition to this unusual mystery series.

4/5

I received a copy of The Dream Killer of Paris from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom
(7/1/16)