As former Boston cops, Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe thought they had experienced it all… until they found themselves tracking down a serial killer who turned out to be one of the undead. Stopping him cost them their careers and almost their lives. Thanks to an influential and anonymous benefactor, Drake and Alison find a new job ridding the streets of Washington D.C. of the vampiric threat terrorizing the nation’s capital.
Only this time, Drake and Alison are not facing a single vampire but an entire nest led by Ion Zielenska, one of history’s most evil and twisted masters. As the vampires indiscriminately prey on humans, seeing them as nothing more than food to satiate their hunger, they create a wave of violence that threatens to engulf the city. Orchestrating the carnage is Antoinette Varela, the mistress of the nest,who realizes that for the nest to survive the hunters must be eliminated. However, when her vendetta turns personal, the hunters find themselves in struggle they are not prepared for.
Excerpt:
As the adversaries faced off, the train pulled into Foggy Bottom Station. The passengers practically pulled the doors open to escape. When the doors finally did open, they ran out onto the platform and dashed to safety. Seconds later, the doors slid shut and the train began to pull out of the station.
“Well, bitch,” taunted Alison. “It’s just you and me.”
“That suits me fine.” Toni hissed and sprinted down the rail car.
Alison pushed off the deck with her left foot and spun her body around, slamming her right foot into Toni’s head in a tornado kick. The master careened to the side and stumbled between two rows of seats, smashing the window, momentarily stunned. Pulling a stake from her belt holster, Alison ran between the seats and raised the stake to inflict the fatal blow. Toni’s hand shot up and grabbed Alison by the wrist. With one thrust, Toni threw the hunter over three sets of seats. Alison landed on her right shoulder in the opening by the doors, sliding across the deck until her back slammed into the center pole.
Toni flew over the seats and landed on top of Alison’s chest, knocking the wind out of her. The master pushed herself down on Alison, pinning the hunter’s pelvis to the floor with her own, then ripped open Alison’s blouse to expose her neck. Bearing her fangs, Toni leaned over, pausing only inches from the Alison’s neck.
“Relax, hunter. In a few moments, you’ll be one of us.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” a voice shouted from behind Toni.
Toni looked up to see Drake standing at the opposite end of the car. She snarled. “You have nothing to say about it. She’s ours now.”
Before starting this book, I kept thinking Buffy and her little gang of vampire hunters. I know, I know and I loved Buffy (while she was in high school) What I got was a fast paced thriller that is not for the faint of heart. Its a ride that leaves you breathless and wanting more in the end.
Allison and Drake are former cops that are move to Washington DC to hunt and kill vampires. Through well developed backstory, you understand how they came to be vampire hunters. There is a small hint of Allison’s attraction to Drake that I hope is developed more in the later books. I’m a sucker for romance…even in a thriller. 🙂 Mr. Baker has created a world that is fascinating as its horrible. The vampires are truly evil and vile. There are no sparkly vammpires in Washington. Only the depraved vampires exist in this world. We are introduced to the two most evil vampires that I’ve ever seen. Former lovers/vampires, Ion and Toni are fighting for totaly rule in their nest. I almost felt something for them reading their backstory but reality pulled me back in and wouldn’t let me.
The plot and pacing are well developed and there is never a dull moment. The action scenes are brutal but necessary. Its a thriller dear readers, not a paranormal romantic suspense. Its good versus true evil and the battle that ensues. Graphic, with dead on dialogue, I finished this book in a day. I thought about it the next day and wrote the review. It left me thinking of what would happen if this world truly existed. I didn’t like what I thought but that was the point of reading. What if?
Watch out for a rabbit named Van Helsing. That’s all I’m going to say about that. I know, tease that I am. I can’t wait for the rest of this series. Thought provoking, horrible but truly fascinating in a twisted way.
BIO:
Born and raised in Everett, Massachusetts (just outside of Boston), Scott M. Baker has spent the last twenty-two years living in northern Virginia. He has authored several short stories, including “Dead Water”, “Rednecks Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”, “Cruise of the Living Dead”, “Deck the Malls with Bowels of Holly” (an alcoholic mall Santa battles zombie reindeer), and “Denizens.” His two latest short stories – “The Last Flight of The Bismarck,” about steampunk zombies, and “The Hunger,” a tale of cannibalism during a zombie outbreak – will both be released later this year in anthologies being published by Knighwatch Press.
Scott’s first zombie novel, Rotter World, which details the struggle between humans and vampires during a zombie apocalypse, was released by Permuted Press in April 2012. He has also authored The Vampire Hunters trilogy, which has been published by Pill Hill Press and received excellent reviews from Famous Monsters of Filmland and Fangoria, among others. Scott has finished his fifth novel, Yeitso, a homage to the monster movies of the 1950s set in northern New Mexico, which is currently with a publisher, and is wrapping up his sixth novel, Hell Gates, the first in a series of young adult novels set in a world in which the realms of Hell and earth have merged.
When he is not busy writing, Scott can either be found relaxing on his back deck with a cup of iced coffee, or doting on the four house rabbits that live with him.
Please visit the author’s website at http:\\scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com.
ONLINE LINKS:
• Blog http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com/
• Facebook Facebook Page
• Twitter Twitter Link
• Goodreads Goodreads Link
• Trailer for The Vampire Hunters: Trailer for The Vampier Hunters
• Book trailer for Vampyrnomicon: Trailer for Vampyrnomicon
• Trailer for The Vampire Hunters Trilogy: Trailer for The Vampire Hunters Trilogy
Links to purchase:
Amazon (trade paperback): Trade Paperback Amazon
Amazon (Kindle): Amazon Kindle Copy
Barnes and Noble (Nook): Nook Copy
Thank you for hosting me and for the awesome review.
Good review! I really liked this book and I’m getting ready to read the next one:)
What a great review!