Descendant

Starred review from July 1, 2006
Horror veteran Masterton delivers one of his best efforts. During World War II, American James Falcon traveled across Europe, hunting vampires for the Allied forces. Now it's the late 1950s, and the cold war is hitting its stride. Falcon is called out of retirement and sent to London, where an old enemy has resurfaced. He quickly discovers that, to beat the bloodsucker, he must confront some frightening secrets from his own past. This is a hugely entertaining novel, at once completely loopy and entirely plausible (once you accept vampires, of course). Masterton's exploration of the nature of vampires (what makes them tick, so to speak) is engrossing and scary as hell, and his descriptions of the violent confrontations between good and evil are unsettlingly graphic. On the other hand, the love story, between Falcon and his partner (a beautiful dog handler), is touching and surprising. Putting down the book before you've finished is not an option.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)