When Will Henry's parents were killed in a fire, his father's employer took him in and made Will his new assistant. Will's assistance to Pellinore Warthrop exposes him to the strange science of monstrumology--the study of creatures we've only imagined. Will Henry is summoned from his bed late one night to assist on a new case: a grave-robber has found an Anthropophagus (dead, thankfully), and Dr. Warthrop, for one, would like to know how it got to New England in the first place. The answer may be closer than he dares consider. 
 Gore. Gore gore gore. Many, many cringe-inducing descriptions, including one that makes me shudder at the mere recall (trust me, you'll know it when you get there) that had me shouting at the audio "AAAAHHHH! GGUUUUUH AAAAAAAAAH" in revolted horror. Suspenseful, not exactly action-packed but the hunts will hold the interest of adventure-seekers. The aforementioned GORE GORE GORE pushes this to high school, I'd say, though I can think of a couple of younger readers who'd probably love it. 
 (Victorian flavor may limit some of the appeal, and my mental image of Will Henry is pretty much Luke from the Professor Layton games, though there's very little reason for it, except maybe that Will Henry wears a hat?)