The Radleys

Starred review from October 4, 2010
This witty vampire novel from British author Haig (The Possession of Mr. Cave) provides what jaded fans of the Twilight series need, not True Blood exactly, but some fresh blood in the form of a true blue family. Dr. Peter Radley and his wife, Helen, have fled wild London for the village of Bishopthorpe, where they live an outwardly ordinary life. The Radleys, who follow the rules of The Abstainer's Handbook (e.g., "Be proud to act like a normal human being"), haven't told their 15-year-old vegan daughter, Clara, and 17-year-old son, Rowan, who's troubled by nightmares, that they're really vampires. A crisis occurs when a drunken classmate of Clara's, Stuart Harper, attacks her on her way home from a party and inadvertently awakens the girl's blood thirst. Peter's call for help to his brother, Will, a practicing vampire, leads to scary consequences. The likable Clara and Rowan will appeal to both adult and teen readers.

In a bravura performance Toby Moore portrays Haig's blackly comic dysfunctional family with sharp, incisive wit. Peter and Helen, a suburban couple, are recovering vampires who haven't told their children, Rowan and Clara, of their vampiric heritage. The parents rely on "The Abstainer's Handbook" to help them through moments of overwhelming blood lust. Moore fully develops each character--from the parents' midlife anxieties to the kids' teenaged angst and the evil smirk of Peter's brother, a non-recovering vampire. Moore is especially strong when Clara is attacked by a no-mind hulk, and, to her horror, her true nature reveals itself: The boy becomes dinner. THE RADLEYS is several cuts above the recent crop of vampire novels, and Moore's performance is delicious. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine