By Paula Limbaugh
Laudanum Night is a horror story set in the Victorian era, and told quite brilliantly. Stephen Bacon had a way of bringing out the monsters that lurk in periods that are considered “high sensibilities”. Ah, but of course, emotions take a backseat to the events that unfold before you. Here we are taken to the darker side of the era.
Leonard Miller is a well-educated man who works as a lecturer at a university, but we find out that he lives in the lower class. Here, he can hide from prying eyes. Martha, a young girl that Leonard tutors, has just disappeared, and the police are suspicious of him because of his past. This is not the first time a child has gone missing.
Leonard finds himself drawn into the case and sets out to search for the girls on his own. Soon, he discovers that the missing children have one thing in common… a doll. This is no ordinary doll, but one that can only be purchased in a specialty store. As he begins to track down the doll’s origins, he discovers that something sinister is lurking in the darkness, and these shadows point to Mr. Salazar.
Rumor has it that Salazar deals in the dark arts, and hoping to find answers, Leonard decides to visit this mysterious figure in Fenhaus. In this secluded home filled with depravity and madness, Leonard not only finds answers, he finds himself fighting for his life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, it starts out with all the elements of a good murder mystery and slowly evolves into a horror story. Any fan of Stephen Bacon will definitely enjoy this book, and if you have never read any of his books then be sure to let this story introduce you to some of his fantastic stories. You can pick up a copy here!
5/5 
