Rating: 2 1/2 stars
The first book in a trilogy, Bloody Good tells a World War II story with a twist --the Third Reich has a secret weapon, Nazi spies who also happen to be vampires. The story opens up with these special German spies parachuting into a little town outside of London. Around the same time, a local doctor, Alice Doyle, was returning home from a long night of delivering twins. Having drunk too much tea, she pulled over to relieve herself in the woods.
A few moments later she noticed an injured, bloodied man crawling towards her. Alice assumed her new patient to be drunk; however, when he grabs her hand and sinks his teeth into her wrist she had to wonder if there is more to him than she is ready to believe.
Alice manages to get her strange new patient home to tend to his wounds before calling an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Upon arrival, the ambulance drivers find the patient has disappeared and Alice’s beloved dog, Susie, is found dead in the lounge. When Alice is called to look at the body of a farmer, who seems to be devoid of blood; it’s just the beginning of a rising, blood-drained body count. Alice now begins to wonder if all of her grandmother’s ramblings about pixies and other mythical creatures are actually true.
I truly wanted to love this book. I even begged, cajoled and guilted my editor into giving it up so I could review it. By the fourth chapter I felt like I was slogging through molasses. Not only wasn’t the story holding my interest, but I had to force myself to keep reading. I kept looking for something that would propel me forward, so that I could at least get to the part about the pixies and hopefully a more interesting story. Although this story just never caught on with me, I will say that the one bright spot was Alice; a very likeable, strong character with a good head on her shoulders. I doubt I will read the second book, but I do hope for those who will brave it, that Evans picks up the pace. Meanwhile, I will be careful what I ask for, as I just might get it.
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Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington; 1 edition (June 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0758234813
ISBN-13: 978-0758234810