Boy, was this ever a chore. It was a long way to go for not very much. The premise is mildly interesting, but the story is superficial and doesn't deliver the back-story or real character development that should have built on it.

It does deliver blood, though, lots and lots of blood. It also bombards the reader with "clever" references to other vampire literature and film, as well as real and fictional personages contemporary with Jack the Ripper. It's a neat idea, but the novelty wears off quickly and these cameo roles—obvious and pointless to the story—become distracting. (At times it seems like the story is simply a reference delivery mechanism.)

I also found annoying the wide line spacing, short chapters, alternative ending, screenplay excerpts, notes on references (just to ensure we don't miss any of the cleverness), and related articles, which make this book twice as thick as it needs to be. However, this book received many award nominations when it was first published, so perhaps my dissatisfaction stems, in part, from vampire fatigue induced during the ensuing 20 years.