In the Blood (Pinnacle horror) [Mass Market Paperback]

Much like his earlier works, "In the Blood" is a quick read and contains many elements to keep the reader enthralled. This vampire story has a distinctive Southern flavor to it, but this is due to it taking place in Alabama, where all of Gresham's novels occur.

The premise of the novel surrounds a family that is bound together "by blood" and their family is always their main priority. An evil is unleashed when an old plantation house is to be demolished. One member of the family becomes a member of the living dead and before long, several other family members become vampires as the family is again bound "by blood".

While the author tries to convey the way in which people in small Southern towns tend to speak, it's sometimes difficult to express this dialect in words. However, the effort does tend to give the reader an idea of what small town life in the South is like. For the most part, the characters are believable and the story, while it does have a few slow moments, is entertaining. The ending was a bit unexpected and unusual for a horror novel, but after reading most of Gresham's novels, you learn to expect the unexpected.

Whle not Gresham's best work, it is still a good read. If you can locate a copy, read some of his earlier novels including "Moon Lake" and "Abracadabra", both published under the Zebra horror line.

This was one of the first books I have read from Gresham. Based on this interesting tale, I will search out more, even after his Dark Magic, which was disappointing.

Mr Gresham, you have a gift as a storyteller and I am sorry to only give a 3 for this effort, but it just didn't strike me as deserving more. However, I will continue to read your work and hope to see future novels.

Unexpectedly Jacob Tracker witnesses his nephew Josh stick a gas pump nozzle in his mouth and burn himself to death. Jacob quickly realises that something is deeply wrong. "I'll save myself," Josh had said, "You save the others." Then he had breathed fire like a dragon in the sky.

Jacob, and his buddy Bo rush out to find out what had driven Josh to death and discover that every Tracker who was working at Sweet Gum has been infected with something that turns them into monsters, vampires who can only drink the blood of their kin. No matter how quickly Bo and Jacob work to end this horror the corruption spreads even faster, quickly turning Soldier's Crossing into a graveyard. It seems the Trackers are doomed, headed to inevitable tragedy.

Jacob cares deeply for his niece Brianna and her beautiful child Emily. He cares so much that he knows he really loves Brianna - a forbidden love that he dare not act upon. But the turning of the Trackers brings them closer together, as Josh struggles to keep Brianna and Emily safe from their own blood kin. But Emily is the missing piece that the vampires must have to come into their full powers. In Soldier's Crossing a great confrontation is building.

Gresham has written a classic, slick tale of Southern horror. One can almost smell the mildew and rot of the worn out, tired town, and its desperate residents. While the cast is large, Gresham provides sufficient detail to make each come alive and the main characters are well developed. The book is plagues by a bit of repetitiveness as Tracker after Tracker is vampirized, but Gresham manages to hold the reader's attention. "In The Blood" is not masterpiece, but a solid, journeyman-like effort that reads well and will provide hours of entertainment.