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The year is 1993, three decades after the first vampire refugees found asylum in America after fleeing the Communist terror in their Transylvanian homeland. Now, firmly established and thriving in the booming heartland metropolis of River City, the vampires seem so close to what they've always wanted: a prosperous life out of the shadows, harmoniously integrated with the natives and rid of the lurid superstitions about their demonic bloodlust and shape-shifting. But when a mysterious serial killer, dubbing himself Van Helsing, embarks on a brutal killing spree of the city's highest profile vampires and inflames the dormant hatreds of the native population with incendiary allegations of secret vampire conspiracies, the city teeters on the brink of chaos.
Tasked with catching the killer before the body count rises and the powder keg of civic unrest explodes is a star-crossed couple drawn from opposite ends of the city's broad spectrum. Rookie detective Mandy Parker has cast off her rural upbringing in the hellfire-and-brimstone brand of religious fundamentalism that fuels the natives' anti-vampire sentimentsto seek a new beginning and identity in her police work. Her senior partner is Vlad Paler, River City's first vampire cop, a fearless investigator who will follow the case wherever it lead. Together, they track the tortuous trail of the cunning Van Helsing, following a trail of blood that takes them from the ghettos of River City's teeming criminal underworld to the pews of its snake-handling megachurches to the glittering towers of its spectacular skyline.
As they unravel the mystery, pressure builds from within and without. Mandy's father, the devout and tenacious Enoch, dogs his prodigal daughter's footsteps, prepared to do whatever it takes to return her to the fold. The powerful vampire community exerts its full weight on Vlad, forcing him to choose between the integrity of his investigation and his loyalty to his people... and the secrets they keep. Further complicating matters are the feelings that develop between Mandy and Vlad, pushing them to the edge of a dangerous and forbidden romance as they close in on Van Helsing. Meanwhile, with every step closer to the killer, the risks grow that one of them will become his next victim.
The first novel from author Samuel Lively, this exhilaratingly original psychological thriller delivers suspense and romance alongside richly conceived characters, powerful supernatural themes and an intoxicating story world that will have you trembling with anticipation until the last page.
