Unconnected to the Stephen King graphic novel of the same name, AMERICAN VAMPIRE still makes one recall King's work with the constant allusion to a dangerous creature known in the town of Penance, Ohio as "It."

Vampire Graf McDonald just wants to go to his sire's place, have a great party, and go on with his carefree unlife. Instead, he gets stuck in a town that hasn't allowed people to enter or exit for years. Of course, his unprecedented arrival creates a lot of suspicion within the isolated community.

The suspicion is magnified when his first contact is Jessa, an odd woman with an odder reputation: she lives in a house that doesn't seem to suit her personality, is on-again-off- again with a married bully, and is now unwillingly housing a vampire. In addition, some people think Jessa has lied about her interactions with "It."

Graf quickly becomes desperate for blood, but this freaky town isn't necessarily the easiest place for a vampire to survive. Even more unusual is the creature that seems to hold this town hostage: not only is it deadly and destructive, it seems to be searching for something, and Graf's blood may be exactly what "It" is searching for.

A fast-paced modern vampire novel, AMERICAN VAMPIRE successfully combines aspects of several genres: action, mystery and romance.