Hunting Memories

August 17, 2009
Vampires continue to feud in the flashback-laced sequel to 2008's Blood Memories
. Eleisha Clevon, one of the few survivors of Julian Ashton's serial destruction of his fellow vampires, seeks to gather others like her so she can spread the knowledge of feeding without killing through psychic memory manipulation. Joining her are Philip, a once-feral vampire reluctantly converted to her cause, and telepathic human Wade. When they meet up with reclusive vampire Rose de Spenser and her ghostly cousin Seamus, Eleisha urges a move to a safe haven in Portland, Ore., as the paranoid Julian wants them all dead. Hendee smartly handles unusual concepts like the vampires' unique supernatural powers and Julian's drive to destroy his own race, but stilted language, uneven characterization and a choppy narrative style prevent this tale from standing out in its overcrowded field.

October 15, 2009
Back in Seattle, 200-year-old vampire Eleisha Clevon receives a mysterious letter beginning, You are not alone. There are others like you, and feels she must locate the writer. Eleisha has learned how to take blood without killing and wants to teach other vampires. But she is threatened by Julian Ashton, who has been killing fellow vampires for half a century. How can she be sure that the writer isnt Julians agent? Eleisha, the vampire Philip, and telepathic, still human former cop Wade head for San Francisco, where they meet Rose, who wrote the letter and somehow knows a great deal of Eleishas history. How far can she be trusted? Furthermore, Julian is around and hunting. The second Vampire Memories yarn is one of the years better vampire novels, what with realistic characters, including ghosts and vampires, who have plausible problems; an intriguing, if standard, plot; historical literacy; and a style of writing that encourages turning pages. Both fantasy and romance fans should enjoy Hendees commendable effort.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)