MIDNIGHT CALLER – Leslie Tentler
MIRA Books
ISBN:978-0-7783-2934-3
February 2011
Romantic Suspense

New Orleans, Present day

MIDNIGHT CALLER is set in the New Orleans French Quarter where it is steeped in mystical lore and fear. The lure of cults that embrace Voodoo, Goth, and Vampires, can be found in clubs and back alleys. Evil can hide anywhere. FBI Violent Crimes Unit Special Agent Trevor Rivette knows nobody is safe when a killer is on the hunt.

Dr. Rain Sommers hosts the talk radio show, Midnight Confessions . She is infamous and part of the lure of the French Quarter. Rain was just two years-old when her father, Gavin, a musician, murdered her mother, Goth singer Desiree Sommers. Rain still lives in the same house where the suicide and murder took place.  She can't understand why it happened and so she turned to psychology. Over years the murder/suicide has become a Goth legend.

One evening Rain gets a call that shakes her like never before. A caller who sounds much older than her usual array of young adults says his name is Dante and he is a vampire.  He tells Rain that he wants to drink her blood. This rattles, her and she hangs up. What a creep. Also listening to Rain's show is Trevor Rivette. Now he has a name to go with the killer he has been hunting.

Dante has been leaving Trevor small mementos from his victims. After slashing their throats, he leaves behind a rosary like the one worn by Desiree. Five women have lost their lives. In New Orleans , three more young Goth girls are slain. Trevor meets with Rain and learns about her past. After hearing how Dante keeps talking about Desiree, Trevor is convinced Rain will be the ultimate victim. The attraction between Rain and Trevor ignites; both have turned their hurt from dysfunctional families to help others and are leery of love.  But it's knocking at the door. If they want a future together, they need to stop a psychotic killer who believes he is a vampire. Can Dante be stopped?

What a thriller ! The tension and terror start off and don't stop until the explosive ending. Ms. Tentler has woven a tale with a hero and heroine who are likeable and whom readers will embrace. Dante is a demented killer who put chills down my back. There is a colorful, eccentric cast of secondary characters who round out the story.

Turn your lights on and lock your doors, this is must read.

Deborah C Jackson