This tale introduces us to Jameson Arkeley, a U.S. Marshal and well-known vampire hunter, and Laura Caxton, a Pennsylvania state trooper and apparently a person of interest to vampires. The two meet when Caxton stops a car during a routine road check and find 3 corpses in the trunk. The driver escapes but Laura quickly realizes something is wrong. Arkeley is determined to wipe out any vampires still in existence. Caxton quickly becomes his protege, although their relationship is not very friendly. Their investigation soon leads to some revelations about Laura and why she drew the interest of the vampires.[return][return]The story is good. I didn't find Caxton and Arkeley to be very likable characters - he's too had and she's a bit too whiny. What I really enjoyed is that these vampires are not suave, sophisticated and sympathetic. Wellington does not try to make these vampires look like they're just leading an alternate lifestyle. They're vicious killers - unnatural and inhuman. They are a plague upon humanity. At several points through the story Wellington makes it a point to mention how mistaken most people's views of them really is. Several of the characters in the book mention that they see vampires as "cool" but this is not Wellington's take on them. I also like that in Wellington's universe vampires are accepted. No one reacts with disbelief or shock at the idea of a vampire on the loose. So at least we avoid the usual problems that occur when the hero(s) spend half the story trying to convince others that vampires actually exist.