Vampire: The Masquerade is the modern night world of Vampires. They live among us, feed upon us, and engage in an endless Jyhad with each other, hidden from mortal eyes by an elaborate masquerade. One faction, known as the Camarilla, seeks to protect this masquerade at all costs.

To accomplish this, they have special enforcers known as Archons. The most notable—and feared—is Theo Bell, Archon and right hand man of the Brujah Justicar Paschek. When Theo is given the task of tracking down a renegade vampire in Minneapolis, he steps neck-deep into a new form of slave trade run by mortal and vampire leaders.

A former slave himself, Theo is emotionally drawn to destroying the slavers. In the process, he finds Delphine, a newly embraced teenager marked for elimination by both the Camarilla and her former masters.

This novel draws you deep into the world of Vampire: The Masquerade at a personal level. The details and explanations carefully woven into the story—a fledgling vampire's lust for blood, the burning rage of the blood during battle, the power to control mortals and Cainites—are exceptional, and the storyline is fast-paced and mysterious. It sucks you in; just as a killing stroke is begun, the storyline switches to a piece of Theo's past that molds seamlessly into the thoughts and desires of the current plotline. Then, when at last you're brought back to the present and the hammer falls, you're left craving the next battle.

I started reading this novel on a Sunday afternoon after I finished taking care of the yard work. I grabbed a beer, a pack of smokes, and my lawn chair, and settled in…

Well, a few beers and a pile of butts later, it was too dark to continue reading outside. So I grabbed a quick bite to eat and another beer, and headed into the garage to continue. Needless to say, I just couldn't put this book down—and finished it in one day. So, I'd have to say I would (and did!) pound down 4 out of 4 beers for this masterfully written novel. Of course, we use doors, and on a scale of five, but still…

Johann says he'd pound down  doors (or beers, or whatever) to read this book.