Seven years after the death of Jekyll & Hyde, Mr. Utterson is scheduled to receive the wealth of Dr. Jekylls estate. Then, the unthinkable happens, Jekyll returns. Has he really? Didn’t he die? Utterson believes so and sets out to prove it.
A great sequel to the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

7 years has passed since the death of Edward Hyde and the sudden disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll. Gabriel Utterson, Jekyll's confidante and lawyer is the sole beneficiary of his estate. Just days before the official handover, Dr. Jekyll reappears claiming to be the man himself and manages to convince the society that he is indeed the missing doctor. But Utterson is convinced that the man is an impostor as he is the only one who knows that Hyde and Dr. Jekyll are the same person. Utterson is determined to seek the truth and expose this fraud even to the point of changing himself.

An intriguing sequel to Stevenson's classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is a plot driven story where the plot is layered with mysteries and twists which had me guessing, doubting and questioning the true identity of the man - fraud or the genuine Dr. Jekyll - throughout the story. I think it is an intrepid and clever attempt to write a sequel to this classic and it did not fail to deliver that mysterious gothic vibe. I enjoyed the engaging storytelling and absolutely appreciate the language used. It is era-appropriate.

However, there are a couple of things that I find lacking in this book which unfortunately is pretty common in novellas. First, the characters are underdeveloped. Since the story is narrated from Utterson's POV, hence only his character really shines through. Nora Spratling is a widow whom Utterson cares deeply and who will also benefit from his inheritance. But I feel that her character is briefly delineated - she's there but then again she's not. This is the same issue with other characters - flat and brief. Secondly, the rushed and puzzling ending. After such an intense story build-up with all the twists, I was expecting a clever ending. Unfortunately that did not happen. It was rushed and left a lot of unanswered questions.

That being said, if you're looking for a quick read, fast-paced, plot driven gothic mystery, this may be the book you want to read. It is engaging enough to keep you turning the pages!



***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

Good pacing and nice build-up. This is a book that is certainly going to keep a reader's attention. Would specifically recommend to someone who has read the original book by Robert Louis Stevenson, but you could still understand and appreciate it without having read it.

I'll be completely honest, the title is a bit goofy (as opposed to sinister), and hearing it, you assume that this has the potential to be a comedy (which it's not). Still, it's a fast-paced, dramatic tale of suspense that I think readers of the Gothic and lovers of classics adaptations will appreciate.

A new take on the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr Jekyll disappeared almost seven years. In two weeks, his attorney Utterson will get his house and all of his estate. A few days before this happens, there seems to be a light in the window of Dr Jekyll 's house. Someone must have broken in. Mr Utterson goes to the house but his key doesn't work. Someone has changed the lock, so he rings the doorbell and a coarse looking man comes to the door and tells him that Dr Jekyll is out making calls. Utterson believes Dr Jekyll to be an imposter and plans to expose him. Dr Jekyll gives a dinner party for all his old friends and Utterson is there. Everyone believes that Dr Jekyll is who he says he is except for Utterson. He watches Dr Jekyll 's house trying to find evidence of something this impostor is doing. The police had seen him and they think him prowling close to the doctor's house is odd to say the least. Several of Dr Jekyll 's friends have been found read of either accidents or natural causes. Utterson doesn't believe it, but thinks it has to do with Dr Jekyll. Trying to prove something without evidence is not easy. Utterson has a plan, but will it work? You have to read this great book to find out. I received this book from Net Galley and Skyhorse Publishing for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

This picks up seven years after Robert Louis Stevenson's classic; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Following the disappearance of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Mr Utterson, Henry Jekyll's lawyer, is soon to take possession of the estate when Dr Jekyll appears to return.

Continuation wise, I think this fits the original well; the style of writing and speech done to tie in really nicely. Overall I thought the plot was imaginative, it definitely kept my interest and while it obviously reuses the setting and characters from the first I didn't feel like it leant on the first to justify it; my main issue was the pacing, personally, a hell of a lot happens in a very short amount of time, to the point that I started to re-read sections to check I hadn't missed something.

Sequels to classics will always gather mixed opinions depending on how individuals have interpreted the first and how set in their mind it is; I did re-read the original last month and I think I enjoyed it more having the characters fresh in my mind; however this was also what I had the most issue with. Particularly with regards to Utterson's character, his actions in this book didn't really match my previous interpretation; then again it has been seven years and people change!

A wonderful take on the Stevenson novella of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that may even be darker and psychologically deeper than the original. It puts the whole story into question, using modern thinking tools and concepts to see it from new perspectives. It is also beautifully written, with some truly brilliant sentences and impressive insights into the human soul. Will look for more from this author.

I really, really wanted to love this. I love Gothic literature, and The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was one of the first that I read. I loved how weird and dark they were, and how they spun the supernatural in it as if it were real life. The original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is all of that shoved into a novella, so it was just my thing. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek, the so-called sequel, took everything I loved about the original, and threw it out the window.

I’m not trying to say that the idea was bad or that the author did a horrible job doing it. I just think . . . O’Neill went about writing a sequel to the original in the wrong manner. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek attempts to follow the general outline of the first while giving it it’s own spin. It doesn’t do a good job of that. O’Neill warps Gabriel Utterson’s character to serve his idea of what the sequel should be, and it just didn’t mold with the old story. It felt artificial, like he was using the old story to benefit his.

What really frustrated me was the ending. Without spoiling it, I Just have to say that O’Neill tried shoving a very odd ending in a space it didn’t fit into. And yes, I’m aware that the old one did a similar thing, but the difference is this: While this sequel shoved all of the explanation into the last chapter, the original spread out a few hints here and there, pointing to the fact that Jekyll was doing something a little impossible. In this one? All there is an explanation that points to facts that were barely there, and that, when explained, didn’t make much sense.

Final Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Overall?
This book is the definition of trying to be something it’s not, and failing miserably. O’Neill’s writing wasn’t bad, and it echoed the classic Gothic writing pretty well. However, the story didn’t fit what it was trying to be, and nothing clicked with me. I hate what was done with the characters, and how Utterson was diminished to . . . well, his character was ruined.

Would I Recommend?
If you like Gothic literature, maybe. Like I said, it echoes the feeling of classic Gothic lit very well. It’s just, if you’re a fan of the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I would maybe skip this. So many things happened and weren’t explained, and it just wasn’t worth the time it took to read.

The mysterious reappearance of Dr. Jekyll back in London after seven years begins a chain of drastic events for his lawyer and colleague, Mr. Utterson as he sets out to discredit the man who claims to be Jekyll. Is this man an imposter or is Utterson losing his grip on reality? This book will have the reader tearing through the pages to determine the answer to those questions. Although, this is considered a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I feel you could read this as a standalone but I would be willing to bet that it may have you inspired to pick it back up again.

I feel like this would’ve made more sense if I had read Jekyll and Hide first.. but this happened and it wasn’t pretty decent!
Not too bad, though it would’ve been better if reading the original first.

This book picks up 7 years after the original story of Jekyll and Hyde left off, with a handydandy opening chapter which gives you all the highlights and details you need to know for the rest of the book to make sense, in the form of a dialogue between Utterson and his friend. 

The writing style fits perfectly to the historical fiction genre, while also being easy to read rather than dry and clunky. The suspense is wonderful, using an unreliable narrator who believes himself to be losing his mind - this whips you up into the same frenzy of paranoia he finds himself in and makes it a really engaging reading experience.

The characters are well written and perfectly fit what you'd expect (even if you haven't read the original), I really appreciate that this is a very respectful sequel of a classic.

I actually wish that there had been more to this book in terms of substance, it felt like it finished too soon and without fully satisfying my need for classic Victorian sci-fi melodrama - possibly the best criticism an author can get, I guess: 'I NEED MORE!'.

I'm glad I found this author, I'll now have to check out some more of his work to see if I can find my next fix.

Anthony O’Neill’s "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Seek" grabbed me from the first page with its lush prose that invites you to settle into it like a comfortably over-stuffed couch on a rainy afternoon. Populated with characters from the original Stevenson novella, we venture into a world seven years after the events of "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".
A man claiming to be Dr. Jekyll has reappeared at his London estate. But Jekyll’s former attorney, Gabriel Utterson, knows that that can’t be true since Hyde died seven years prior, and Jekyll WAS Hyde. Fighting against the police, friends and his legal colleagues to prove the falseness of this “Dr. Jekyll’s” claims, he leads us down a wormhole of deceit and psychosis. I enjoyed the twisty-turny ride this fog-shrouded mystery took me on, even if the storytelling seemed to run out of steam in the final pages. I’m intrigued to read more by this author, as I fell in love with his style.

Writing sequels to classic science fiction and horror titles is no longer in the domain of fan fiction only. Adam Roberts has done it recently with Swift and Wells, and Christopher Priest did it some time ago by writing a sequel that tied together both WAR OF THE WORLDS and THE TIME MACHINE. Newcomer O'Neill has done it here for the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and he's done a fine job of it. It's a short but compelling read, and I never knew where he was going with it. Even when the final chapter started, I thought I finally knew where he was headed (somewhere close to Machen) and I was wrong there, too. It ended well and I look forward to his next offering.

My review has been posted to Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

Really enjoyable gothic novella. It is seven years after the death of Hyde and the disappearance of Dr Jekyll. Utterson, Jekyll's lawyer and the person entrusted with Jekyll's confession, is about to inherit his estate when a stranger turns up claiming to be Dr Jekyll. Utterson is convinced that he is an imposter after the inheritance. If so, he is a very clever one who has managed to convince most of Jeykll's friends. Utterson becomes more and more obsessed with proving him a fake while everyone around him looks on in pity, thinking it's the inheritance he is reluctant to lose because he is unable to explain that he thiks he knows for a fact that Jekyll is dead.
This could easily be read without knowing 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde', though I think it will enhance the story. I am planning on re-reading it to see how it all fits together.

**Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review**

I love how the whole storyline has been portrayed. The story makes sure you stay on the edge of your seat. Such a gripping, nail-biting read that will leave you wanting to turn those pages till you have devoured the entire book. It will definitely leave you wanting to one click all of this authors books. I'm going to be keeping my eye on this one for sure.

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek" is an impressive continuation of the classic "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". I liked how the author continued the story by throwing doubt on the events of the original story and how he developed the original characters further without changing their previous characterization.

Personally, I prefer "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek" to "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Presenting Mr. Utterson as an increasingly unreliable narrator made the original story more interesting to me and I like how the resolution of this story is just as sudden and open as the original.

Overall, a worthy continuation to a well-known classic.

This was a fun and short read- about the length of a novella. I don't know if I ever actually read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I believe this is intended to be as a kind of sequel. Nowadays, I tend to think of identity theft as a modern crime, but of course this is a conceit. It is as old as time.

If you haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (or haven't read it in a long time), I suggest reading that short book first. Stevenson's book was published in 1886; therefore, the writing style is antiquated and can be somewhat slow going for some readers. I happen to love that classic style because it keeps you engaged and interested in the story.

On that note, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek: The Strange Case Continues follows that writing style, making the story feel like a natural continuation of Stevenson's literary classic. Anthony O'Neill definitely captures the atmosphere and the characterization, adding his own imaginative possibilities of "what if...?".

O'Neill takes Stevenson's theme of dual personalities (good and evil) to the next level in the form of identity theft (or perceived identity theft, depending on the reader's interpretation), which is still a form of good and evil, adding another interesting layer to the overall plot.

The story picks up seven years later, and Jekyll's lawyer, Utterson, finds himself in quite the quandary when Jekyll reappears. But is it really Jekyll, or is it an evil impostor trying to claim Jekyll's estate before Utterson can inherit? That's the big question throughout the book, especially for Utterson.

The most interesting aspect of this book is that it can be difficult to tell what is real and what is not. As readers, we are left wondering is Utterson being gaslighted? Is he being driven to the extreme to unmask an impostor (alienating friends, ditching his job, making greed look like his motivation)? Or is he indeed spiraling into madness?

The clues go in all directions, and trying to piece them together is almost impossible, for both Utterson and the reader.

When the dust settles (sort of) at the end, the reader is left pondering Utterson's fate. I personally think he is being gaslighted. What do you think?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek: The Strange Case Continues
by Anthony O'Neill

M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review
Jul 01, 2018 · edit

really liked it

A modern day "penny dreadful" dreadful .. harkening back to Victorian England. Gabriel Utterson reprises his role as Jekyll's lawyer and reported closest friend. It's been seven years since Jekyll's mysterious "disappearance" ... and Utterson is about to assume full control of Jekyll's estate. Suddenly a man "disguised" as Dr Jekyll and another as Mr Hyde appear and take up residence in Jekyll's home. Utterson knows this is utterly absurd ... he witnessed the death of Mr Hyde ... who he knew was actually Dr Jekyll transformed. In the original "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" written by Robert Lewis Stephenson and published in 1886 Utterson investigated the strange occurrences between his friend and the evil Mr. Edward Hyde and documented their singularity. This was so well received that it has entered the common vernacular of our language .... "like Jekyll and Hyde' refers to a person of dual nature... both good and extremely evil.
In the fashion of a penny dreadful of Victorian England Anthony O'Neill spins a marvelously cerebral tale which is well plotted and documents the maddening and frustrating investigative efforts that Utterson encounters while trying to prove that this preposterous claim is false ... while many close associates of Dr Jekyll start expiring with "unfortunate accidents"
Thanks to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.