Take an inhuman creature whose raison d'être is patriotic loyalty to an oath given over the bullet that killed Lincoln. Add a former White House political tactician now working as a liaison-slash-handler for said inhuman creature. Place them adroitly amid a secret war run by the ultimate of shadow organizations and mix in some deadly reptilian anthromorphs who can spread their condition via saliva. It makes for a heady, fast-paced (albeit gory) read and a good second entry in Farnsworth's Nathaniel Cade series.

Zach Barrows knows what he does is at least as important as his former position but the constant life-threatening situations are beginning to wear on him. He refuses to end up like Cade's former handler, with no life of his own but amid mayhem and world-ending drama it's a bit hard to meet the kind of woman he's looking for.

Cade wants what he has always wanted; a clear path between him and any enemy threatening the office of the President and the United States at large.

Zach and Cade are teamed with a small group from Archer/Andrews (a military contractor willing to get its hands dirty for enough money) to seek out an infiltrator who may be the source of the reptilian incursions but the AA people seem fairly useless, and the incursions worsen. Somehow the reptiles get stronger, smarter and more resilient with each new outbreak. Just one of them slipping through could mean the end of secrecy, the end of the United States, and possibly the end of the human race.

Christopher Farnsworth's background in script writing is evident in the structure and pace of THE PRESIDENT'S VAMPIRE. Visually rich vignettes are packed with action and lead like a chain of violent beads along the threads of the storyline. Humor and humanity flash briefly against the grim backdrop providing breaks from the increasing tension and creating a thriller with dimension, texture and a sharp sense of reality. Farnsworth's first Nathanial Cade novel, Blood Oath has been optioned for film. If this second entry is any indication, we may have a new series of blockbusters coming up.