David Wellington, 23 Hours

Former cop turned vampire slayer and convict Laura Caxton are incarcerated at the Marcy State Correctional Institution in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The maximum security prison is double the intend population with over 1300 of the worst dregs of humanity residing there. Laura is unconcerned as she eats soup in the cafeteria because she expects attacks and deaths, but not hers.

However, when she anticipated corpses she thought she would be the cause. Instead the prison has a special guest, the oldest known vampire Justinia Malvern who dines on the local population with plans to have Laura as her just dessert within 23 hours of the hunter's arrival. Each human Justina drains she also converts.

This is a terrific violent Vengeful Vampire thriller (see Vampire Zero, 13 Bullets and 99 Coffins) with a fascinating final twist that will stun fans. The story line is fast-paced and filled with plenty of blood and gore as expected by those who read this series. They also expect a High Midnight showdown, which they get. Laura's killing sprees is a trademark of the saga but the tale avoids the overall feel of repetition due to her diabolically brilliant opponent.

Harriet Klausner