Reader's Nook - Reclaiming the Dead

RECLAIMING THE DEAD

BY JAMES PATRICK BROTHERTON

In the small town in Iowa we find the main character Merton Daniels. He was recently dumped by his girlfriend and fired from his job. Merton's only way of getting money is by donating his plasma, which has left him weak. He is at an all time low and gets drunk and wakes up with a card under his arm. The card reads: "Codename: Ticks and Leeches. We will contact you." So what would you do if you had that happen to you? Well you'd meet up with the guy, but of course you wouldn't go alone. So Merton Daniels takes his best friend "Coaler" along for the ride. Merton is told he fits the profile to kill vampires and will be contacted whenever jobs come up. 

Thus begins the story of Merton, the vampire slayer, and Coaler, the pillager. I really wanted to love this book, but it lost me. It was good, it was great and then it veered off to the right and after that it never really straightened itself up. This is definitely not your regular vampire killing book, by no means. I really read into Merton's character, a lonely guy, who obviously has some mental problems. He was always on the verge of losing it completely, but never did. I like the friendship between Merton and Coaler, they played off each other well and were pretty believable. Then the book lost me, it started off with a coyote and a man. Wait, what? Yes, right in the middle of the book is where he turns right. It goes from Merton killing vampires, to telling how the vampires began. I think it would have been okay to add this part, but maybe at the end or even at the beginning. While it was a bit confusing the imagery that his words make, wow I could see everything in my minds eye. 

What do I love about this book? James P Brotherton writes so realistically good, from the characters to all the gory parts. Yup, this isn't your typical vampire book and while I got lost a bit, it didn't keep me from liking this book. It was a great read and I didn't put this book down for one second. Okay well maybe I did for bathroom breaks and such, but you get the picture.