“Manly, yes, but I like it too.”
– Irish Spring Soap commercial, circa 1980
“What is that you got? One of those vampire romance books?” [insert derisive chuckle]
I get it all the time from a bunch of guys I know – who have probably never read a paranormal fantasy novel (let alone any novel) in their adult lives. Religiously watching football, slamming back beers, and consuming dozens of red hot chicken wings just doesn’t mix with reading paranormal fantasy, right?
Wrong.
While I believe that the vast majority of paranormal fantasy appeals to both male and female readers, there are a few series that I think would particularly attract a more masculine audience.
Take Keith Melton’s Nightfall Syndicate (Blood Vice and the recently released Ghost Soldiers), for example. These novels are the ultimate in testosterone-based literary escapism. Nonstop action, relentless pacing, brutal organized crime warfare, nightmarish monsters, black ops missions, and, above all else, an utterly readable narrative that is addictively entertaining.
The storyline follows a vampire hit man named Karl Vance after he gets involved in a looming turf war between two rival Boston crime families and becomes emotionally attached to Maria Ricardi, the beautiful and ambitious daughter of one of the crimes bosses.
I described Blood Vice thusly: “Imagine Bram Stoker writing a crime fiction epic, or Mario Puzo penning a vampire-powered thriller. Blood Vice is a perfect graft of noir fiction and paranormal fantasy…”
But don’t get me wrong – male and female readers alike will love these novels. Melton can write a wildly entertaining story, yes, but it goes deeper than that. In these two novels, he has created a cast of characters that is fully developed, memorable, and endearing. Karl and Maria are the obvious focal point but other characters like Bailey Fletcher (his handler) and Xiesha (his kyveryn spirit guardian) are so insightfully portrayed that they become integral players as well. Like the cast of Kim Harrison’s Hollows and Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire saga, Melton has created a group of fully realized and undeniably fascinating characters that have the potential to become “family” to readers just like Rachel Morgan and company and Sookie and her gang.
Reading books is like breathing for me – I do it all the time – and, truth be told, I get bored easily. It takes a lot for me to really get into a read; and I REALLY got into both Blood Vice and Ghost Soldiers. They are novels that you just can’t put down. Melton’s narrative is unrelenting. Here’s an example:
“She rolled into a crouch, feeling only an intense predator focus. More gun barrels followed her movement, and one of the men on her flank opened fire. Two bullets missed, but the third hit her just above the hip, punching into her guts. She staggered to the side, but her body started to heal almost immediately, her scalp an abdomen knitting together as he seep of her black blood slowed.”
But intermeshed amongst the action and adventure are some really profound lines and memorable imagery. It’s apparent that Melton is improving his craft – I thought Ghost Soldiers was a “tighter” novel than Blood Vice – and I really enjoyed reading lines like this:
• “In the end, everything burns… even dreams.”
• “His eyes seemed so blue. The color of a sky at the very edge of a storm, the no man’s land between storm gods and sun demons.”
• “Add nitroglycerin and shake well.”
Ghost Soldiers is a darker, more desperate read than Blood Vice – with less humor – and the plot (which pits the duo against an insane sorcerer who plans to “shake the world to its core,” a vampire hunter, creatures from another dimension, and countless organized crime thugs) was impressively intricate. And let’s not forget the cliffhanger…
If my grandfather were still alive today, he would undoubtedly say something like this: “Reading a book like Ghost Soldiers will put hair on your chest, boy.”
And, this is for all of those “manly” guys out there who poke fun at my love of paranormal fantasy, the very foundation of this breakneck paced, action-packed, testosterone-fueled, gloriously gory, bloodbath of a series is a – you guessed it – a vampire romance!
Bottom line: Keith Melton (who has also written novels like The Zero Dog War; Run, Wolf; etc.) is a hugely underrated author and his Nightfall Syndicate saga is an addictive blend of noir fiction, dark fantasy, and mainstream thriller. I challenge anyone, regardless of sex, to read these novels and not be thoroughly entertained.
Mark my words when I say that Melton’s Nightfall Syndicate has the potential to be just as popular as Harrison and Harris’ aforementioned blockbuster series – all it needs is a little exposure.
Paul Goat Allen has been a full-time book reviewer specializing in genre fiction for the last two decades and has written thousands of reviews for companies like Publishers Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, Kirkus Reviews, and BarnesandNoble.com. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
Keep up with all of my blogs – as well as all of Barnes & Noble’s exclusive reviews, authors interviews, videos, promotions, and more – by following @BNBuzz on Twitter!
@BrandieC
Hi, Brandie. The third Nightfall Synidicate book is about 65% complete. It should release in 2013. It will be the final book of the series and will wrap up all the major storylines. Maria struggles to free Karl from the Thorn, and it's open war between Cojocaru, the Thorn, and the vamps.
Thanks for the interest! Sorry it took so long to answer. I just finished moving from Oregon to New England...and it has been chaotic. 
Keith Melton
