Mary Ann Mitchell follows up her terrific Drawn to the Grave with this shockingly brutal take on the vampire-living-today story.
But, as with Mitchell's other works, there are twists and turns right from the start.
And the major twist is the main character: The Marquis de Sade.
Yes, he's still alive and walking the earth as one of the "undead". Don't believe the history books, the Marquis is still with us - and he's brought some of his family with him.
This character-driven tale of love, addiction, vampirism and Sado-Masochism may shock some readers, but it's sure to keep both horror and vampire lovers screaming for more.
Sharper and more brutal than Drawn to the Grave, Mitchell invites us to join the Marquis, his neice and grandmother-in-law (both are also vampires) as they deal with living in the modern world while trying to feed of those they meet.
The Marquis, currently living in the US as Louis Sade, lives with his charmingly beautiful niece, Liliana. Since an affair-gone-wrong at the turn of the century, Liliana has sworn herself off human blood, and instead exists on rodents and stray animals - much to her Uncle's disgust.
A chance meeting with David Petry (who happens to look exactly like Stuart, the one who broke Liliana's heart) has the Marquis trying to play match-maker to bring Liliana out of her self-imposed "starvation". He wants nothing more than for her to feast on David - and he'll go to extraordinary lengths to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, the Marquis is trying to find a way to bed his housekeeper's daughter, Cecilia. Cecilia is a beautiful seventeen year old who's willing to do almost anything for the Marquis - even risk her life for him. But they must hide their affair from others, including Cecilia's mother.
Just outside of town lives Maria Madeleine Masson de Plissay, Sade's grandmother-in-law, and local Maitresse la Presidente and unopposed local S&M queen. She hates Sade (he made her into a vampire after the French Revolution) but can do nothing about it as Sade protects her grand-daughter, Liliana. But she is sworn to one day destroy the Marquis, any way she can.
After dinner with her rude and obnoxious neighbor, Keith, Marie happens to meet his son, Wil. One look is enough to make Marie want Wil for more than just S&M. She tries to seduce Wil, who is into S&M himself, but does not realise just how much control Wil may have over her. Wil happily plays along, unaware of how far Maria will go to make him hers.
Yes, you get the picture. This is a brooding family saga of love, lust, hate and depravity with liberal lashes of S&M, feral graveyard vampires and S&M victims to keep any reader turning the pages.
Vampire fans may be shocked by some of the more intense bondage and torture scenes, but horror fans will drink it up!
Not quite as spooky as DRAWN, but a very original take on the Marquis de Sade.
And is there room for a sequel? You can bet on it! We hope to see him again soon!
