The Vampyre Client by Jeri Westerson – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: The Vampyre Client by Jeri Westerson
Benjamin Watson and Timothy Badger are back to work when an oddly dressed man hires them to come to his country estate to talk to the villagers and dispel the notion that he is a vampire. Unfortunately, their client, Mr. Wicker, is murdered and left with a large poll driven through his heart, furthering the fears he was supernatural. Ben and Tim shift their investigation to solve his murder.
The Vampyre Client is another wonderfully entertaining tale in the Irregular Detective series. At first, Tim is convinced their client is a vampire, letting his imagination, spurred on my all of the penny dreadfuls he reads, get the best of him. I love how Ben and Tim balance one another. Instead of shaming Tim for his fears, Ben helps Tim use reason and science to realize the truth. The pair uses Sherlock’s method to analyze the clues and piece together the events leading up to the murder.
Along for the ride is Ms. Littleton, the reporter sweet on Tim, who is turning out to be a significant asset to the investigating partners. She is a valuable contributing member of the team who provides insight to the upper class and has knowledge of things the others do not. I love Elsie and Tim’s budding relationship and how Ben approves now that he sees her interest is genuine.
Another addition to the character roster is the solicitor Mr. Smith who appeared in the first book of the series. I liked his added involvement and help with the case. Smith is a good man who recognizes the quality of Ben and Tim’s work and values the pair as colleagues.
Narration: the story is shared via the alternating POV’s of Tim Badger and Ben Watson. The narrator uses a distinctive British accent for the narrator and changes dialogue for all characters. Butler does a fairly good job for raising the pitch for females, and has a solid grasp of accents based on socioeconomic class and place of origin. He also successfully alters based on age and makes each character unique. I have come to admire his performance of the two detectives.
The Vampyre Client is a solid mystery made even better by the friendship and personal aspects of its main characters. I highly recommend this series for fans of the original Sherlock and historical mysteries.
My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration: A-
Jen
About the Book:
London, October, 1895.
Former Baker Street Irregular Tim Badger and his colleague in crime-solving, Ben Watson, are hired by a man whose neighbours are convinced he is a vampyre and have threatened him and his home. The strange Mister Jonathan Wicker – pale, dark-haired, wearing a pair of dark glasses and claims that he is allergic to the sun, (and who spends his time in the study of bats!) – needs the detectives to prove to the villagers that he is just an ordinary scientist. He invites the duo to travel to the village of Ashwell in Herefordshire to stay at his grim manor house to assess the situation whilst he is engaged in business in London and vows to join them in a few days time. Meanwhile, Miss Ellsie Moira Littleton, reporter for the Daily Chronicle who writes Badger and Watson’s acclaimed adventures, gets wind of their mission and insinuates herself into their travel plans, where the duo becomes a trio in their investigations. But once in Ashwell, tragedy strikes, and Badger and Watson find they have a case they can truly sink their teeth into.
Author: Jeri Westerson
Narrator: Noah James Butler
Series: Irregular Detective series #4
Genre: Historical Mystery
Audiobook Release Date: May 12, 2026
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 7 hrs; 29 mins
Source: Publisher
Audio Speed: 1.25x
