Reason for purchasing: Guess what? This book was another Christmas present! After enjoying Dreamer's Cat by Stephen Leather and The Basement by Stephen Leather, I was not sure what to expect from the cover/title of this book but was more than willing to tuck in.
Setting: Los Angeles.
Storyline: I would not call this book horrific. Mr Leather uses the horror genre in the same way he uses the sci-fi genre in Dreamer's Cat: to give us a different perspective on something that has otherwise been done to death, hence creating an interesting and unusual story that has its roots firmly set in the thriller genre. This time, we become a middle-aged psychiatrist (who is depressed about growing old), working for the LA Police Department, who is nicknamed the Vampire Hunter and Batman, because of the bat mobile style car he drives. Jamie Beaverbrook uses a MacBookPro (more reasons for loving this story!) to run a profiling program he has researched and written and honed over ten years to pick out the crazies from the crimes of passion that occur with breathtaking and depressing rapidity in the city of Angels. He is doing just fine until he has to interview a twenty-five year old valley girl, Terry Ferriman, whom his program categorises as normal but whom his gut tells him there is something special about. He falls in love with her but then discovers all is not as it seems. Bit by bit, he ends up investigating Terry, and uncovers her frightening secrets, whereupon secret X file style government departments get involved and well, who could guess the ending. I certainly could not. Although once finished you will kick yourself.
Style: Not so short and sharp this time, definitely punchy, yet somewhat stodgy (which fits with the main character's traits); however the suspense is still excellently paced.
Prognosis: Definitely not the Stephanie Meyer type vampire stories that seem to be everywhere at the moment. If you want to read something different this Kindle book is exceedingly good value for money.
Footnote: There seem to be more missing/wrong words in this book than I have read in any of Mr Leather's Kindle books thus far. It is not that I am going out my way to spot them, they kind of announce themselves. Still, they are not major, only minor, and do not spoil the story, and can be easily removed in future releases. Ah, the wonders of the Kindle.
Kelvin M. Knight, 1st January 2011
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