Sometimes it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad — especially when they have been lied to by the highest powers. The whole Lazarus story…. What can you do when you know what you really are? What if Hell is real? Peter Octavian has discovered that the rules regarding vampires may have been changed to favor the Church. ( )

Moving back in time to the 90's, I read this wonderful little book and a few of its sequels and did my squee because the story really broke the Anne Rice vampire mold. Not only that, but it went firmly into the baby UF territory long before the whole movement took off and had thousands of lookalike vampire/werewolf/witch/whatever private investigators dealing with all the things that go bump in the night.

This author blazed not only that trail, but boldly screwed with all our expectations about where a tale OUGHT to go.

So what IS this book?

A murder investigation that moonlights as a later Dan Brown book that combines sympathetic vampires, evil renegade Catholic sorcerers as the Enemy, and a humungous media blow-out that was made popular, to a lesser degree, by Anita Blake and later with Sookie Stackhouse.

What I really get is a rip-roaring fun vampire read that tackles not only self-perception in a really big way, but hoards of demons blowing up Venice.

DELICIOUS.

And I'll be honest, the first time I read this I kinda thought a particular discovery that later lends itself to a complete revolution of thought might have been a bit too... FAST... in this novel. But thinking about it much more has led me to think it is ABOUT TIME. These are long-lived vamps, after all. None of Peter's concerns and exhortations were new. Indeed, they had all been thinking about this very problem for a century. Just because no one but Peter, the black sheep, had a breakthrough, it doesn't mean that they couldn't learn super-fast when the TRUTH is right in front of them in all its glory. :)

So I've revised my original estimation UP. More than that, I wish this had it's own TV series. It could be BETTER than Discovery of Witches, on the same level or much, much bigger.

It certainly has tons more guns, more slathering monsters, and a much more delicious cast of baddies. Oh, you naughty Vatican, you. :) ( )

*Audiobook Review

Narrated by John Lee

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There's nothing better than liking a monster. Peter Octavian is a creature of the night, but he's one of the good guys. Peter is a "Defiant One", a vampire, but he’s so much more than that. He's an investigator, and he's on a case for a friend, to find a missing young lady. Of Saints and Shadows, by Christopher Golden, goes not only into a crime drama, but how vampires go against the church.

When a book is stolen from the Vatican, a mission is set into place. The mission places, through the church's clandestine army, a death sentence on all vampires. Unfortunately, with a particular killer, Liam Mulkerrin, on the job, there's more than just vampires at stake. Anyone who knows of Vampires or who’s had their lives touched by vamps are in danger. It's up to the kind and humanitarian side of Octavian to set things straight, and bring an end to the mystery.
Of Saints and Shadows is an amazing book, though its basic premise is the same as most vamp tales. What makes the novel original, is Peter Octavian. He seems to still hold to his humanity, though he's not been one for hundreds of years. He's a gentle man, looking only to punish those who deserve it- but not through his animal nature, but the law. Until a special legion of sorcerers step into the picture.

I’ve read nothing like it, so I was impressed. Golden found a way to keep the story in realms of both the real world and the paranormal. This book fits into the thriller genre, while bringing those things that go bump in the night to the surface. The narrator, John Lee, made this happen, just as much as the author who wrote it, with his cryptic reading style and perfect voice. The graphic imagery, the history, combined with the reality of the church and protection of the faith made Of Saints and Shadows an excellent vampire read. Check it out, while I move on to the next read!

*For full review: www.areneehunt.com/books-books-books
Of Saints and Shadows
Christopher Golden
JournalStone Publishing
September 23, 2016 ( )

Positively outstanding! A fresh vampire story, while paying homage to all the wonderful myths we love so well. Christopher Golden has flawlessly blended horror, dark fantasy, noir, romance, and adventure into a rollicking good yarn. Shame on me for taking so long to read this! ( )

This supernatural thriller pits vampires against the clergy. High gore factor. A strange book that tried too hard to be different. ( )