Kiersten White
Del Rey
10 March 2026
368
eBook - PDF
Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley
Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to studying vampires—up until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that plague Anneke every night.
Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest in forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch her mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicably dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.
But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps some crucial evidence to infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to Anneke, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola. Devil. The obsession is mutual, and all the more dangerous for it.
The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman, after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Because as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.
A heart that beats for Anneke alone.
The Fox and the Devil was a fun tale putting a new spin on the character of Van Helsing. Such adaptations are nothing new, but this book had a fresh and interesting approach that blended folklore and Victorian, early-era forensic science, which made it more captivating than some of the other such fare. I enjoyed the narrative style and the back and forth between Anneke and Diavola. There was plenty of action and twists and turns along the way, and the world building (including historical detail) was nicely managed alongside the character development. The story moved along at a good pace throughout and I found the ending satisfying. Recommended for fans of retellings with a twist, historical fantasy and vampires. I am giving it 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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