THE LAST VAMPIRE

Author: Patricia Rosemoor & Marc Paoletti ISBN: 9780345501042 6/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: BALLANTINE

Spawned of alchemy and blood, he was the last of a brutal, ancient line. Now he has just been reborn. Deep in a Texas cave, the military unearths a five-hundred year-old corpse, its desiccated flesh teeming with mysterious DNA that can transform mortals into beings of unimaginable power. Captain Scott Boulder, leader of a Black Ops unit that has been endowed with these superhuman abilities, is among the first to benefit from the find. But when, with the help of a voodoo priestess, the creature is conjured to life, unleashing an ancient evil bent on reinstating its poisonous kind on earth, Scott knows he must return the monster to the grave. But this is no ordinary vampire. Once a brutal torturer in the Spanish Inquisition, it can bend the laws of science and magic in horrifying new ways. Powerless to fight this evil alone, Scott grudgingly seeks the aid of reclusive anthropologist Leah Maguire, an expert in the mystical rituals of the past. To keep humanity from entering a new Dark Age, Scott and Leah will battle unspeakable horrors and will sacrifice everything they hold dear—perhaps even their own humanity—to destroy the last vampire.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I love a good vampire story. THE LAST VAMPIRE by Patricia Rosemoor and Marc Paoletti goes way beyond good—this one is fantastic!

With a five-hundred-year-old mummy whose DNA can impart extraordinary powers, a covert military organization who saves the world one risky venture at a time and a cast of characters so diverse they each command attention, this is one edge-of-your-seat adventure that definitely raises the bar for all novels in this genre. While some of the vampire's feeding is a bit graphic, there are no gratuitous moments. Every word in this story counts, moves the action forward and pulls the reader deeper into the layers of intrigue that surround the vampire.

I have to say Scott and Leah, the pair who come together to unravel the mystery of what's happened to their suddenly animated mummy, are each amazing characters. So different, yet with similarly fractured backgrounds, they have some desperately real issues to overcome if they're going to stop the madness. I loved them, and want to know what happens next with them.

That may be one of the best parts of THE LAST VAMPIRE—it is the first book in series called THE ANNALS OF ALCHEMY AND BLOOD. I cannot wait for the next book in this series to be released. If it's only half as good as THE LAST VAMPIRE, it's going to be a keeper.

THE LAST VAMPIRE is dark and dangerous, with more than a hint of romance—it's everything a great vampire book should be! Wonderful!

Kay James