BLOOD IN THE ANDES

In the seventh installment of Carpenter’s series, Samuel is sent to Peru to protect an Incan royal on his wedding day.

In a world where the Incan Empire is now a vampire dominion stretching from Colombia to Chile, Samuel finds himself on his “first international assignment in years.” As a seasoned bodyguard, he is tasked with protecting an envoy attending a royal wedding in Peru—an event meant to unite the Incan vampires with those of the Amazon region. Samuel arrives early to join forces with fellow bodyguards from Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, all working together to provide security for the grand event. (Samuel recognizes the Canadian bodyguard from a previous gig that went sideways.) Samuel learns of a scourge overtaking the vampires of Peru: mescaline addiction. The drug induces short-term memory loss, inciting unpredictable and dangerous behavior—vamping out. As the wedding day approaches, a ruthless drug lord and a manipulative priest vie for influence over the Incans. To make matters worse, the pishtacos, a terrifying race that survives by consuming human fat, lurk in the shadows, threatening to derail the wedding and plunge the empire into chaos. Once again, Samuel has his work cut out for him. Despite their cultural ubiquity, Carpenter spends a lot of time explaining how vampires function. Still, readers acquainted with Samuel will welcome back his cocky demeanor and often droll point-of-view. As always, Samuel never misses an opportunity to take shots at the “stupid humans” (or to malign werewolves as an untrustworthy race). The introduction of the villainous pishtacos takes things to a fairly silly level. The pace plods when extensive Incan and vampiric history is explicated, and too many scenes are characterized by constant references to feeding and blood supply: In one case, the food is named Christina—and spoons Samuel in bed—is good for a laugh.

A mostly engaging blend of alternate history and vampire lore, with compelling characters and kitschy villains.