Following his blood-curdling adventures in A Living Nightmare and The Vampire's Assistant, half-vampire Darren Shan is settling into his day-to-day life at Cirque Du Freak, the traveling freak show he has joined. But before he can get too cozy, his vampire master, Mr. Crepsley, whisks him off to the big city for a mysterious mission. Soon, Crepsley, Darren, and Evra the snake-boy are embroiled in a bloody battle of wits between the vampire community and a mad, "vampaneze," a creature from a separate, more murderous race of vampires. Along the way, Darren meets his first girlfriend, and winds up putting her life, as well as everyone else's, in grave danger. The latest installment of Darren Shan's bestselling saga will surely satiate his legions of bloodthirsty fans. As fast-paced and thrilling as ever, his writing will encourage even reluctant readers to devour the series. Luckily for all, it looks as though we haven't seen the last of this appealing, well-meaning (if occasionally bumbling) half-vampire. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter