The Girls with Games of Blood

Listen to what I tell you, son, every word is trueThe sisters haunt the night, and might fight over youNothing can steal your soul and stamp it in the mudLike being the new play-pretty for the girls with the games of blood . . .The old song warns of the beautiful Bolade sisters, Patience and Prudence, whose undying rivalry was said to stretch even beyond the grave. But Count Rudolfo Vladimir Zginski has never heard the song. A suave Continental vampire, staked to death more than sixty years ago, he has risen to stalk the Southern nights of Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1975. Although new to the modern world, he has quickly developed a taste for its hot blood, willing women, and high-speed automobiles.Yet the seventies are not without their perils, even for so cunning and ruthless a predator. Zginski’s insistent pursuit of a cherry 1973 Mach 1 Ford Mustang soon brings him into conflict with a legendary redneck sheriff with a short temper and a big baseball bat. His dangerous fascination with an enticing undead chanteuse and her equally seductive sister, threatens not only his own ageless existence, but that of the small group of modern-day vampires he has grudgingly taken under his wing. Zginski has already escaped limbo once, but can he free himself from the tangled web of the girls who play games of blood?Alex Bledsoe, author of Blood Groove, returns to he world of the undead with a tale of fast cars and vengeance that never dies. . . .

From Publishers Weekly

Bledsoe captures Tennessee's seamy side in this sordid, oppressive sequel to 2009's Blood Groove. Baron Rudolfo Vladimir Zginski stalks 1970s Memphis after 60 years in limbo. The unrepentantly racist, misogynist vampire sinks his fangs into a new obsession: a 1973 Mach I Mustang he buys from Zeb Crabtree, whose nubile white daughter, Clora, catches the eye of black vampire Leonardo Jones, Zginski's sidekick. Waitress Fauvette (an anti–Sookie Stackhouse) meets undead singer Patience Bolade at Zginski's club, the Ringside (an anti-Merlotte's), and tries to learn Patience's secret to surviving without drinking blood, while Prudence, Patience's estranged vampire sibling, hopes for vengeance over a love triangle with a Civil War colonel. Zginski rates as one of the genre's most repulsive protagonists, and Bledsoe's polished prose can't make up for the shock tactics he uses to propel the plot. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The sequel to Blood Groove (2010) finds vampire count Rudolfo Zginski, staked in 1915 and resurrected in 1975, in Memphis, Tennesee, with two young vampires he befriended in the first book. There is an old song from that era warning against the Bolade sisters, whose rivalry in love lasted well beyond their deaths. Listen to what I tell you, son, and every word is true / The sisters haunt the night, and they might fight over you; so run the lyrics. The count knows nothing of the song. He’s fallen in love with fast cars, and is in the area to buy a 1973 cherry Mustang. The purchase brings him into conflict with a short-tempered former sheriff who also covets the vehicle. Then Rudolfo becomes fascinated with an undead chanteuse, who turns out to be one of the Bolade sisters. This brings him into their undying feud. Bledsoe has admirably resurrected the Memphis of 35 years ago for this story. The intricate plot is peopled with fully developed characters. Definitely one of the better vampire novels lately. --Frieda Murray

Library Journal on Blood Groove

“An intoxicating brew of mystery, humor, and horror. This edgy, enthralling, entertaining tale is recommended for all fantasy collections.”

Whitley Strieber

“I love vampire stories, and when one’s as new and fresh as Blood Groove, it’s just plain delicious. One very sweet read.”

Adrian Phoenix, author of Beneath the Skin

“Bledsoe weaves another dark, sexy, and breath-taking tale full of mesmerizing atmosphere and quiet escalating horror. You won't be able to put the book down until you've read to the end. Just because a monster's heart awakens, doesn't make it any less of a monster.”

About the Author

ALEX BLEDSOE grew up in West Tennessee an hour north of Graceland. He now lives in a Wisconsin town famous for mustard and trolls.

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