Bitternest: A Novel
Alan Draven
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
Under the surface, the town of Bitternest, Louisiana is a hotbed for
all things supernatural. Rumors of vampires quietly circulate among
citizens. The most famous crime boss in the area, Tezano Cortez, even
purchased a mansion owned by a known practitioner of the dark arts.
For officer Terry Graves and his partner, Miguel Vallejo, the
possibility of a sinister underground is about to manifest itself.
While investigating a murder, Graves finds himself being led to an
impromptu meeting with a vampire named Cyrus. Cyrus has a business
proposition for the officers.
The recent epidemic of avian influenza has taken its toll on the human
population of the city, as Graves already knows too well since he lost
his young wife to the virus recently. The vampires have found their own
threat in the pandemic. It seems a vampire bite makes one immune to the
effects of the virus, but in the process, transforms the human into a
zombie-like hybrid vampire. They're not as strong or stealthy as a full
vampire, but in large numbers, they pose a significant threat to the
dwindling vampire population of the city. Cyrus enlists the police
department's aid in defeating their mutual enemies, called
"bloodmongers."
The bloodmongers are one step ahead of them. They infiltrate the local
hospital, already filled to the brim with victims of avian influenza,
and transform the inhabitants into an army of bloodmongers. As they
emerge into the city, they leave behind a trail of carnage.
With an entire species of bloodmongers to defeat, Graves and Vallejo
already have their hands full. But another threat is looming among the
bloodmongers, and this one is a race of witch children who leave no
prisoners. While a cure is being developed for the bloodmongers, the
officers must discover the origins of these vicious carnivorous
children before they take over the city.
I'm a bit of a nitpicker when reading, and noticed a major
contradiction that I couldn't overlook. On the very first page of the
book, Draven states that Graves' wife, Tracie, was twenty-eight when
she died. Then on page 67, as Graves mourns at Tracie's gravesite, the
tombstone lists Tracie's lifespan from 1973-2006, which would make her
thirty-three at the time of her death.
Nits aside, Alan Draven certainly creates some original plot twists in
Bitternest. Combining both a supernatural horror novel and a medical
thriller solicits a much wider audience than Bitternest might normally
find. It is pretty gory at times, but the mystery aspect of the novel
keeps the reader intellectually stimulated. The characters include
vampires, bloodmongers, witch children, angels, demons, police
officers, crime lords, rebellious teens, conspiracy theorists...and the
list goes on. Though it can become a bit overwhelming, there's
something for every reader. It's definitely a great first novel, and
I'd love to see more from Draven in the future.