Dracula’s Ghost
Charles R. Rutledge
ebook $2.99

A while back, like just over a year ago, I reviewed Dracula’s Revenge by Charles R. Rutledge. It was a great novella with some nice surprises. Now he’s given us  a sequel, and it’s as good as the first, and it also has some nice surprises, although they are a little subtle, such as the name of at least one of the uniformed police officers who has brief appearance.

Jennifer Grail is still having nightmares from when she learned that Dracula was a real person, not a fictional character. That’s when more vampires show up. it turns out that Bram Stoker wasn’t the only one to fictionalize a real vampire.  And no, it’s not Varney. Although I won’t be surprised if he shows up in a later book. And if you think the female vampire on the cover is Elizabeth Bathory, think again. Although if she shows up in a forthcoming book, that would be cool. (I have no idea if Mr. Rutledge is going to write any more vampire tales, but I hope so.)

Jennifer turns to Carter de Camp for help. The new vampire in town is trying to resurrect Dracula.

This is a fast paced novella, and Rutledge puts as much action and character development in it as some writers would in a full length novel. There’s no padding or fluff. Just a rousing good tale, perfect for this time of year.

I had the pleasure of reading two other stories recently by Mr. Rutledge, both featuring Carter de Camp, one in the forthcoming Skelos #4 and one in Castle of Horror Anthology volume 4. Those stories didn’t involve vampires, but they were related in setting and what work of horror they related to. I’ve always enjoyed Charles’s work, but reading these three works, all of which I highly recommend, gave me a greater appreciation of just how good a writer he is. Check his stuff out. You’ll be glad you did.