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Dark Shadows #27
Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll's Son
Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll's Son (April 1971)
Before the blizzard cuts Collinwood off from the rest of the world, Barnabas Collins arrives there from England, bringing with him his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who hopes to find a new life where no one knows he is the son of London’s most savage murderer.
Another stranger also finds refuge from the storm at Collinwood. He calls himself Paul Faron, private detective—but to Barnabas, he is Quentin Collins, victim of the werewolf curse.
As the personal tensions and animosities at the strange old house increase, a senseless, brutal murder takes place—and terror reigns at Collinwood. Obviously, the killer is someone living at the estate. And most under suspicion are Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll’s son.
As suggested by its title, a homage to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a text also used in the television series for inspiration
Before the blizzard cuts Collinwood off from the rest of the world, Barnabas Collins arrives there from England, bringing with him his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who hopes to find a new life where no one knows he is the son of London’s most savage murderer.
Another stranger also finds refuge from the storm at Collinwood. He calls himself Paul Faron, private detective—but to Barnabas, he is Quentin Collins, victim of the werewolf curse.
As the personal tensions and animosities at the strange old house increase, a senseless, brutal murder takes place—and terror reigns at Collinwood. Obviously, the killer is someone living at the estate. And most under suspicion are Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll’s son.
As suggested by its title, a homage to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a text also used in the television series for inspiration
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
137 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Ross
126 books61 followersWilliam Edward Daniel Ross, W. E. Daniel "Dan" Ross (born 1912) is a bestselling Canadian novelist from Saint John, New Brunswick who wrote over 300 books in a variety of genres and under a variety of mostly female pseudonyms such as Laura Frances Brooks, Lydia Colby, Rose Dana, Jan Daniels, Olin Ross, Diane Randall, Clarissa Ross, Leslie Ames, Ruth Dorset, Ann Gilmer, Jane Rossiter, Dan Ross, Dana Ross, Marilyn Ross, Dan Roberts, and W.E.D. Ross. As Marilyn Ross he wrote popular Gothic fiction including a series of novels about the vampire Barnabas Collins based on the American TV series Dark Shadows (1966-71).
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 27, 2025
As the series gets into later volumes it seems to be getting a little weirder, but at the same time, maybe even a little better? The last volume had aliens, this one has Dr. Jekyll's son. Yes, THAT Dr. Jekyll. And it looks like Mr. Hyde is back as well...or is he?
In any case, I've really enjoyed this series so I'll be finishing it out. It's always entertaining.
In any case, I've really enjoyed this series so I'll be finishing it out. It's always entertaining.
January 16, 2012
I enjoyed this book very much. It's a homage to Robert Louis Stevenson, featuring Dr. Jekyll's son Henry who visits Collinwood in the year 1908. Henry stays at the Old House as Barnabas's guest and tries to cure his friend of the vampire curse. Before long, though, it becomes apparent that Dr. Henry Jekyll has serious problems of his own. Though a nice young man, he's terrified of turning into Mr. Hyde as his father did. That seems likely to happen---in his own mind, at least---since he has been having frightening blackouts. But even after locals are killed by a a Mr. Hyde lookalike, Barnabas still believes in Henry's sanity and innocence.
The heroine here is pretty Emily Collins. She lives at Collinwood with her large family: parents, uncle and siblings. She is also befriended by both Barnabas and Quentin, whose company she enjoys. Early on in the story she falls in love with Dr. Henry Jekyll, despite much family opposition. She sets out to clear his name and in so doing discovers that the REAL murderer at Collinwood may be someone a whole lot closer to home...
A good read. My only criticism is that author Dan ("Marilyn") Ross doesn't remain consistent to his own self-created timeline. In his earlier book BARNABAS COLLINS he establishes that in 1908, Collinwood is owned and inhabited by Jonas and Margaret Collins, along with their crippled daughter Greta and adopted daughter Judith. But in DR. JEKYLL'S SON a whole different Collins family is living at the mansion: Emily, her parents Charles and Rebecca, her brother Frank, her Uncle Stephen and adopted sister Ada. So what's the explanation? This may simply be a case of sloppy writing and forgetfulness on Ross's part. I, however, prefer to think of DR. JEKYLL'S SON as being set in an alternate reality. Concepts like that were explored on the TV show, so maybe Ross decided to create a 1908 Collinwood in Parallel Time.
The heroine here is pretty Emily Collins. She lives at Collinwood with her large family: parents, uncle and siblings. She is also befriended by both Barnabas and Quentin, whose company she enjoys. Early on in the story she falls in love with Dr. Henry Jekyll, despite much family opposition. She sets out to clear his name and in so doing discovers that the REAL murderer at Collinwood may be someone a whole lot closer to home...
A good read. My only criticism is that author Dan ("Marilyn") Ross doesn't remain consistent to his own self-created timeline. In his earlier book BARNABAS COLLINS he establishes that in 1908, Collinwood is owned and inhabited by Jonas and Margaret Collins, along with their crippled daughter Greta and adopted daughter Judith. But in DR. JEKYLL'S SON a whole different Collins family is living at the mansion: Emily, her parents Charles and Rebecca, her brother Frank, her Uncle Stephen and adopted sister Ada. So what's the explanation? This may simply be a case of sloppy writing and forgetfulness on Ross's part. I, however, prefer to think of DR. JEKYLL'S SON as being set in an alternate reality. Concepts like that were explored on the TV show, so maybe Ross decided to create a 1908 Collinwood in Parallel Time.
July 30, 2022
I’m up to number 27 of 32 in reading through this series. I started reading before I joined Goodreads, but who knows? Maybe some day I’ll go back to the beginning again. My sense, after finishing Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll’s Son is that W. E. D. Ross was getting better as the series went on. These tales will never be remembered as belles-lettres, but the plots are showing some variation although the usual Barnabas appears, Quentin appears, meet the girl, and both suddenly depart remains intact.
In this particular gothic adventure, Barnabas has connected with the son of the infamous Dr. Jekyll. This is after the original Dr. Jekyll has died and the son is now a doctor himself. Attempting to cure Barnabas, he moves to Collinwood with the vampire. (This is set in the nineteenth century.) Then the murders begin. Emily, the Collins daughter in the story, is smitten with Jekyll rather than Barnabas, while her adopted sister Ada has taken up with her uncle Stephen. Everyone thinks they know who the killer is.
The usual melodrama is there, but this particular account, as I mention elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), takes pains to mention that Quentin is a good man. He had a questionable past, but he’s not even a suspect this time. Reading this one as a child, I had the friendship of Barnabas and Quentin firmly implanted in my mind. And the ice-skating party. That has remained in my memory for some forty-plus years.
In this particular gothic adventure, Barnabas has connected with the son of the infamous Dr. Jekyll. This is after the original Dr. Jekyll has died and the son is now a doctor himself. Attempting to cure Barnabas, he moves to Collinwood with the vampire. (This is set in the nineteenth century.) Then the murders begin. Emily, the Collins daughter in the story, is smitten with Jekyll rather than Barnabas, while her adopted sister Ada has taken up with her uncle Stephen. Everyone thinks they know who the killer is.
The usual melodrama is there, but this particular account, as I mention elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), takes pains to mention that Quentin is a good man. He had a questionable past, but he’s not even a suspect this time. Reading this one as a child, I had the friendship of Barnabas and Quentin firmly implanted in my mind. And the ice-skating party. That has remained in my memory for some forty-plus years.
May 14, 2021
I'd like to begin by talking a bit about the cover of this book, the first DS novel released after the cancellation of the series in 1971. It's already well-established that "Marilyn" Ross never watched Dark Shadows, but here we have evidence that whoever "designed" the covers for these masterpieces (and designed is stretching the meaning of the word--a high school student with a Chromebook could make better covers) never read the books on which they were working. On the cover, Jonathan Frid (Barnabas and Bramwell Collins) is shown with actor David Henesy (David, Daniel, Tad, and Jamison Collins). Henesy was 16 when the show was cancelled, and looks younger in this photo. There isn't a teenage or pre-teen male anywhere to be found in this novel. Apparently whoever chose this photo saw "Dr. Jekyll's Son" and assumed he was a boy. In the novel, Dr. Jekyll's son is an adult, the love interest for our hapless heroine, Emily, who can't decide whether she loves Dr. Jekyll, Barnabas, or Quentin more. As usual in these novels, there is a series of murders, and everyone suspects Barnabas and Quentin--and this time Dr. Jekyll's son, who suffers from blackouts that make him unable to account for his whereabouts every time a murder occurs. Is he a killer like his father, or is he just another one of Collinwood's misunderstood, brooding matinee idols? Pick up a copy of Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll's Son to find out!
May 23, 2024
If I am being honest, this is a 2-star book. It is really not that good. The story starts off strong, introducing our characters and their circumstances and placing them in a closed circle setting-snowed in at Collinwood. A closed-circle setting can be an interesting pressure cooker situation for our characters, where tensions run high, and desperation makes people do crazy things. Or, in the case of this book, it can be a place of stasis, where not much happens until the very end.
There are several problems that made this short novel a slog to get through. One, not much happens, and if something does happen-a few murders, they happen off-page and are given very little gravity. Two, a good chunk of the novel is characters repeating what they heard in a previous chapter to another character. We already know the information. It does not have to be relayed verbatim over and over again, just to fill pages. Three, the big reveal is absurd. It takes a lot of strength or passion to kill someone with blunt force trauma. The villain would not have been capable of these murders.
Nevertheless, it is always fun to spend time in Collinwood Mansion, especially with Barnabas and Quentin. I am nostalgic for Dark Shadows, so I am willing to go a little easy on this novel. The audiobook is read by Kathryn Leigh Scott: Maggie Evans/ Josette du Pres, and she does a fantastic job of reading the original Dark Shadows novels and giving a real energy to the books, even when the source material itself is a bit dull at times.
There are several problems that made this short novel a slog to get through. One, not much happens, and if something does happen-a few murders, they happen off-page and are given very little gravity. Two, a good chunk of the novel is characters repeating what they heard in a previous chapter to another character. We already know the information. It does not have to be relayed verbatim over and over again, just to fill pages. Three, the big reveal is absurd. It takes a lot of strength or passion to kill someone with blunt force trauma. The villain would not have been capable of these murders.
Nevertheless, it is always fun to spend time in Collinwood Mansion, especially with Barnabas and Quentin. I am nostalgic for Dark Shadows, so I am willing to go a little easy on this novel. The audiobook is read by Kathryn Leigh Scott: Maggie Evans/ Josette du Pres, and she does a fantastic job of reading the original Dark Shadows novels and giving a real energy to the books, even when the source material itself is a bit dull at times.
March 9, 2023
Dan Ross continues his "roll" that he started with his previous book, "Barnabas, Quentin and the Body Snatchers". The writing is again tight and crisp here, with a wonderful homage to the Robert Louis Stevenson classic novella, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". This book is another great example of where the show could have taken the classic Stevenson story. "Dark Shadows" did indeed use a Jekyll and Hyde type story the previous year during the 1970 PT arc, renaming the characters Dr. Cyrus Longworth and John Yeager.
Ross smartly weaves the feel of a post-holiday, very cold winter into the story to set the mood. The turn of Quentin from evil to good also continues here. We meet another version of the Collins family, mostly likeable. Introducing the son of Dr. Jekyll, Henry, is a great move, along with mentioning characters from the original story who affected Henry's early life to the degree of creating Henry's current problems.
Ross seems to have found his stride again here, unfortunately at the same time the show was ending. This book was released the same month the show went off the air.
One more thing, Ross must have been a huge Stevenson fan as he dedicated this book to the iconic writer.
Ross smartly weaves the feel of a post-holiday, very cold winter into the story to set the mood. The turn of Quentin from evil to good also continues here. We meet another version of the Collins family, mostly likeable. Introducing the son of Dr. Jekyll, Henry, is a great move, along with mentioning characters from the original story who affected Henry's early life to the degree of creating Henry's current problems.
Ross seems to have found his stride again here, unfortunately at the same time the show was ending. This book was released the same month the show went off the air.
One more thing, Ross must have been a huge Stevenson fan as he dedicated this book to the iconic writer.
April 19, 2020
This story takes place in the past in the year 1908. Barnabas and the son of Dr. Jekyll have come to the Old House. Emily Collins, Charles Collins, Rebecca Collins and Ada Collins are living at the mansion. Frank and Stephen are also there.
The story revolves around a set of murders that take place on the estate. Suspicion falls on Dr. Jekyll's son due to the nature of the murders and also falls on Barnabas, simply because he is Barnabas. Even Emily's own life proves to be in danger.
Quentin, in disguise, shows up.
It's a complex story. The characters are well done and it's interesting that it is a story from the past. The person who proved to be the murderer was somewhat of a surprise to me. All in all it's a good addition to the original series of paperbacks.
The story revolves around a set of murders that take place on the estate. Suspicion falls on Dr. Jekyll's son due to the nature of the murders and also falls on Barnabas, simply because he is Barnabas. Even Emily's own life proves to be in danger.
Quentin, in disguise, shows up.
It's a complex story. The characters are well done and it's interesting that it is a story from the past. The person who proved to be the murderer was somewhat of a surprise to me. All in all it's a good addition to the original series of paperbacks.
March 21, 2026
A very good entry in the Dark Shadows book series.
Barnabas and Quentin are the only characters from the Soap Opera to appear in the story. And sadly they have very little interaction. Also, as is par for the course here, Quentin is in disguise here for part of the story.
It's January 1908 at Collinwood. A blizzard has brought cold temperatures.
Barnabas has returned to stay at the Old House with a friend, a doctor. Who happens to be the son of the infamous Dr. Jekyll.
Soon people are being killed......and Jekyll is being blamed.
This is a fun story. It moves fast and though you may guess what's going on,it won't distract from the enjoyment.
I loved the winter setting. One character even talks about trying to get Barnabas to ice skate! 😂
Barnabas and Quentin are the only characters from the Soap Opera to appear in the story. And sadly they have very little interaction. Also, as is par for the course here, Quentin is in disguise here for part of the story.
It's January 1908 at Collinwood. A blizzard has brought cold temperatures.
Barnabas has returned to stay at the Old House with a friend, a doctor. Who happens to be the son of the infamous Dr. Jekyll.
Soon people are being killed......and Jekyll is being blamed.
This is a fun story. It moves fast and though you may guess what's going on,it won't distract from the enjoyment.
I loved the winter setting. One character even talks about trying to get Barnabas to ice skate! 😂
January 20, 2024
In 1908 Collinsport, the son of London's infamous killer Dr. Jekyll hopes to establish a medical practice; then, a series of attacks & murders in his father's style begin to occur. Exciting mystery/thriller with good atmosphere and compelling family drama. The final chapter boasts a shocking scene on the grounds in front of Collinwood (!).
October 5, 2020
I do like how Quentin is starting to have a more empathetic worldview in these later books than he was portrayed as having in the first books he appeared in. I guess that is somewhat reminiscent of the TV series as he was pretty cold to start out there as well.
August 10, 2024
One of the better volumes of this series, even if it is a bit of a Scooby Doo adventure guest starring The Son Of Dr. Jekyll! Sound redic but they play him off well... Could have used more Quentin, but as always some trampy old money hoe falls for every character with a dick until the murderer is found... This time you'll figure it out early, but the end is worth the read ..
July 31, 2024
Note: I listened to this one on Audible.
So this is the first one of the series that I've read to feature Quentin. He seemed to take on more of Barnabas's role as the sympathetic friend to our heroine, in this case Emily Collins. And this is also the first one that I've read, since The Secret of Barnabas Collins, where Barnabas isn't the love interest, which is nice. Not bad, but not the best. I actually had a different idea about what was going on, but wasn't surprised by the outcome.
So this is the first one of the series that I've read to feature Quentin. He seemed to take on more of Barnabas's role as the sympathetic friend to our heroine, in this case Emily Collins. And this is also the first one that I've read, since The Secret of Barnabas Collins, where Barnabas isn't the love interest, which is nice. Not bad, but not the best. I actually had a different idea about what was going on, but wasn't surprised by the outcome.
November 6, 2013
Good story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews