Blood for Blood

In his debut novel, Wolf boldly enters the realm of speculative Christian fiction, contending that even soulless vampires can be restored. Evangelist Luco Zambini leads tent revivals with his wife Maria, their five children, and Garrett, an impetuous young man who is courting their daughter, Calandra. When Raven Worth attends a revival in hunt of prey, the 103-year-old vampire finds himself squarely in Luco’s sights as his next convert. As Raven and Calandra develop feelings for each other, Garrett’s impulsive behavior becomes dangerous. Wolf reimagines some of the vampire mythos but stays basically true to the lore—including episodes of brutal violence. Vanessa, the vampire who turns Raven, is a well-crafted allegory for evil: tantalizing, tempting, and ultimately destructive. Yet the majority of characters are neither all good nor all bad. The Christians at times do more harm than good, and the vampires exhibit their own form of compassion and love. Understanding, acceptance, and even conversion are processes with their own pace. Wolf’s intriguing story of redemption deftly proposes that no one is without hope, even those regarded as unredeemable. [em]Agent: Julie Gwinn, the Seymour Agency. (BookLife) [/em]