The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula

In this stunning first novel, psychiatrist Anscombe breathes new life and fire into the timeworn legend of Dracula. Laszlo, the 19th-century Hungarian Count Dracula, is not a supernatural creature of the night but rather an entirely human, socially prominent gentleman who has studied in Paris. Unfortunately, this cultured fellow has a mad, dark side, and when he allows himself to explore his fascination with blood, sex, and death he turns into a demoniac murderer. Amazingly, as Laszlo recounts his violent story of lust and self-loathing, he emerges as a perverse but not entirely unsympathetic character. Anscombe has done a masterful job of fusing character development, historical detail, and action in this lush, erotic novel. Sure to be popular with Anne Rice's fans, this is appropriate for any fiction collection.