A Passing Curse

Reese Tarrant is an L.A. cop pursuing a serial killer. His chase ends with a dead murderer, his own retirement, and a bunch of loose ends pointing toward Cirrus Industries, the world’s largest supplier of medical blood products, owned by the mysterious Ajax Rasmussen. On the other side of the world, archaeologist Rusty Webber, hired by Ajax Rasmussen to look for the resting place of Vlad Tepes, descends into a tomb in Transylvania, unaware that her project is about to come under attack. In the wake of the chaos, both Reese and Rusty find themselves drawn back to Santa Marina, where the reclusive billionaire’s fortress home overlooks the seaside town, and where old corpses and new disappearances are piling up and beginning to draw attention. Their investigations focus on the original Spanish mission that the town grew around, which Rasmussen seems to have an old connection to. The ex-cop and the archaeologist are determined to uncover the truth… and the mounting evidence suggests that Rasmussen may be a vampire.

C.R. Trolson’s novel is an excellent mystery/thriller with vampires, refreshingly keeping itself anchored in the investigations of the protagonists, who, while the reader knows better, are not quite ready to believe that their foe is one of the undead, whose evil and insane plan goes far beyond mere murder, with dire consequences for the entire world. Overall, A Passing Curse is a good read, bridging the space between mystery and thriller with just a touch of the supernatural, incorporating police procedure, California history, and classically evil villainy. The story drives forward through strong main characters who are each allowed to shine in their respective specialties, some good dialogue, a complex plot, and excellent pacing. It is gritty, exciting, and suspenseful.