The dead bodies are piling up. Vampires are crawling out of the woodwork. And there’s something named Pookie that’s lurking around the corner.

Breathtakingly paced, the jokes and wisecracks fly fast as Alex races against the clock to save the day.

This is Book 1 in the Alex Cheradon Series.

Overall, I found Alex to be a likeable and sympathetic character. I enjoyed his stream-of-consciousness narration, but, at times, it became overwhelming. Krumbine’s sarcastic tone throughout the novel carried into each character thus became difficult to “stay with” at times. I sometimes found it necessary to set the novel aside to get out of Alex’s head. As a testament to Krumbine’s story, though, I kept going back to find out how the plot would develop. And, as a testament to Krumbine’s ability to use dialogue and character interaction to update the storyline, I never had to re-read sections to remember what had happened. I think one reviewer erroneously referred to this as “non-linear”. For an example of an author using a non-linear writing device, pick up John Brunner’s “Stand on Zanzibar,” (which I also recommend, by the way). For an example of an author expertly using a recap, pick up Jason Krumbine’s “Fruitbasket From Hell.”

The author throws a lot of stuff at the reader, from crazy ex-partners to scottish convenience story clerks(Easily one of the funniest bits in the book). It’s got a bit Dean-Koontz-on-crack type feel to the story line. The author tried to tell his story in a very non-linear fashion, which would have worked better in a movie, but in the book caused some moments of confusion, but it didn’t detract from the story too much. The overall story line of the book was actually pretty good with some well developed twists in the plot(See, crazy ex-partner and scottish convenience store clerk.). The main character, Alex, is, I’ll admit, a little annoying, but shows potential to grow and the story leaves us open for a sequel, which I would definitely read.