The Book of Thoth — Paul Leone

Since the dawn of time, war has raged between man and the undead. From the valleys of the antediluvian world to the skyscrapers of the 21st century, the battlegrounds change but the crusade goes on. And Manhattan socialite Nicole Van Wyck has just joined the battle. Nicole's life of fancy parties, expensive restaurants and easy luxury is over. As an elder vampire's search for the most powerful grimoire in the world - the Book of Thoth - nears the end, only Nicole and her fellow vampire hunters stand between the undead and the ruin of the greatest city on Earth. Praise for Mysterious Albion (Vatican Vampire Hunters, volume 1): "Ancient undead, dark prophecies and the Catholic Church collide in Leone's taut thriller, the first in a planned series. ... A well-plotted vampire novel with an unusually self-aware protagonist." Kirkus Reviews "Mysterious Albion is an entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable read. I used to be a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and this story, though different in many aspects, has a similar tone that will be relished by fans of the genre. I also especially enjoyed the traditional vampire lore where vampires are depicted as evil monsters and not sexy creatures -- quite refreshing " Blogcritics "Catholic (and non-Catholic) fans of fantasy lore will be enthralled by Mr. Leone's contemporary contribution to the genre. It is first of all a well-told yarn, and as a refreshing bonus, it happens to be downright reverent towards Catholicism. The action scenes are intense and believable, and the characters really pull on your heart strings." CatholicFiction.net "While there are humorous aspects to this book, mostly the tone is serious thriller. Vampires are a serious evil and threat. The threat is growing and as this novel is the first in a series obviously the peril is just starting. So overall I enjoyed this book and thought that it mostly used this concept rather well. These are rather trad vampire hunters. I certainly look forward to more from this series." The Curt Jester (SplendorofTruth.com) "In Mysterious Albion, we're finally back to the vampires being evil bad guys instead of sex objects. ... I loved the multiple strong female role models that were more concerned with defeating evil than wanting to sleep with it." - 4 star reader review "For me, it was pleasantly old-fashioned in the vein (sorry ) of the classic Hammer Horrors with van Helsing going up against Dracula." - 4 star reader review "It is such a relief to read a book about vampires in which the vampires in question are actually evil and not brooding and pining for some teenage girl." - 5 star reader review