The year was 1938 and nobody—not a single person!—wanted another world war. Well, that’s not exactly true. I can think of one particular nutjob who was angling for another war of nations. 

But otherwise, there wasn’t a single country that wanted to engage in one more international conflict. Not Russia, not America—even the people of Germany, the ones who still remembered the pain of 1918 and the punishment of Versailles, didn’t want to see WWII. 

Back in 1938, even the bad guys were trying to stop a forthcoming war. Take, for example, Dr. Vladislav Volkov. In his own way, as a mad scientist, he was doing his part for world peace. 

By creating a new species of human wolf hybrids, Dr. Volkov was hoping to nip the upcoming war in the bud. “I will create a new army of Werevolks to stop the world from destroying itself,” he explained. 

It was a perverse plan loaded with terrible consequences. Having to chose between a world ruled by Nazis and a world ruled by wolf men was unthinkable. That’s why secret agents from around the world were dispatched to Volkov’s spooky mansion near Boston. Their mission: to steal the infamous Wolfbane Formulae. 

Serendipity brings five agents from five different counties to Howling Manor on the very same night: a local FBI agent, a spy from the Soviet Union, Japan’s foremost private detective and a bounty hunter from Australia. Also in the mix was an ambitious German soldier acting on direct orders from Heinrich Himmler, the Reichsführer, himself. 

All the characters came with unique American, European, Asian and Oceania accents and author Richard D. Bailey unfailingly replicates these accents in his dialog. It’s fun at first, but becomes tiresome after awhile. Note to all authors: when using accents and slang, it’s best to tread lightly. You don’t want to overwhelm the reader. 

Volkov’s castle was filled with all sorts of abominable creatures and they all came together in a satisfying climax. There were snarling werevolks, of course, but there were two other monsters, as well—Zorig, a twisted amalgamation of wolf and Irish Wolfhound, and Count Catcula Luna, the purrfect predator.

The best moment in Trapped! comes before the finale, however. With monsters all around them, the Russian assassin and the German soldier resolve their nationalistic differences in a sexy dance battle. 

“Her agile form weaved and twirled with the grace of a ballet dancer,” wrote Bailey. “Her every step and lunge in perfect harmony with the tango rhythm filling the air. The German countered her every move with a dance warrior’s precision as the pair swirled in perfect synchrony.” I loved the werevolks and vampire cats, but this four-page dance tangle really stole my heart. 

[ Trapped! / By Richard D. Bailey / First Printing: July 2024 / ISBN: 979833343197 ]