THE SECRET MUMMY

The jauntily scarved Mortensen returns in his fourth time-bending adventure.

Mortensen, an agent dedicated to relentlessly fighting the ever-cresting wave of nefarious time-traveling criminals, now faces vampires in 19th-century Transylvania. Jumping uneasily through time from Prague to Transylvania to Bosnia and Paris, this wayward hero follows a creepy count thought to be a villainous vampire and the shadowy sarcophagus that seems tied to him. The threads in this offering—as in the previous volumes—are many, and readers familiar with them should be ready to apply the patience needed to slowly untangle the tenuous web. Jakobsen’s art, utilizing a dark, earthy palette of muted tones, does help create moody atmospherics, a pleasant complement to the foreboding European backdrop. Historical notes provide some interesting background on the subjects covered, from the function of human kidneys (which do indeed play a vital role) to the Bosnian War to the history of Vlad the Impaler. A premise with promise falls short again, for this slim volume feels too crowded, packing in seemingly arbitrary historical events like sardines; a fatal flaw for this series as a whole. 

A stronger story than its predecessor (The Red Ruby, 2013), but with so many other, excellent series to choose from, why bother starting with a fourth volume? (maps, historical notes) (Graphic science fiction/adventure. 13 & up)