In Allen’s novel, the second in a series, a werewolf reluctantly takes on a leadership role and faces resistance from an especially malicious rival.

Caleb Jacobsen loves teaching history at a community college in Washington state. He also just happens to be a 184-year-old werewolf who lives peacefully among the humans. In fact, the only reason he killed a fellow lycanthrope a few years ago was to help them, including his fiancée, Marla Moreno. But that was the Global Alpha, and now a small group of werewolves insist that Caleb claim the throne, as the Global Pack is in disarray. He does so, quickly implementing new rules and canceling his predecessor’s plans for world domination (“I will not tolerate the indiscriminate slaughtering of billions of humans who have caused us no harm”). An infuriated German werewolf named Logan Olivier believes he should be Global Alpha. Logan and his minion, Jacques LaFleur, consider tarnishing Caleb’s name among packs around the world—but simply killing Caleb, or possibly someone he loves, may be an even easier route to securing Logan that throne. Allen’s tautly written follow-up to Blood Red Moon (2021) satisfyingly continues the series while aptly catering to new readers as well. This book has a story all its own, even as it stems from Caleb’s (succinctly recapped) previous ordeals. The primary cast is refreshingly multilayered. Logan and Jacques are indisputably villains—they hunt humans for sport—but some readers may find it hard to outright denounce Jacques for his WWII-era Nazi-killing spree, which doesn’t differ much from recurring hero Caleb killing a human for being a bully and a thief. Despite the prominence of the vicious baddies, the book has relatively few werewolf clashes, and Caleb, as the Global Alpha, doesn’t encounter many challenges to overcome. Still, violence permeates this tale, with spurting blood and bodies left in pieces. This installment culminates in an ending that’s both a solid wrap-up and a subtle tease for a third series entry.

A brisk, enthralling story of power struggles, loyalty, and oodles of werewolves.

A virtuous werewolf faces off against a murderous pack of his own kind in Allen’s horror novel.

History professor Caleb Jacobsen becomes a consultant for the police, and his psychologist friend, Russell Slater, is helping authorities investigate a rash of brutal murders in Washington state. But Caleb can assist in a way he stays mum about: He’s a 180-year-old immortal werewolf. When the victims’ mutilated bodies look mauled by animals, he suspects homicidal lycanthropes aren’t abiding by the moral code Caleb follows. Sure enough, he runs across a young, hotheaded werewolf who’s killing humans as part of a pack. These serial murders share similarities to homicides throughout history, including the Civil War era, back when Caleb was still human. In the present day, the killer pack’s leader, “the Master,” has a nefarious plan underway that’s tantamount to genocide. Caleb’s lupine intuition may prove detrimental; though he’s a lone wolf who doesn’t respond to threats, the Master can just as easily set his sights on Russell as well as zoologist Marla Moreno, Russell’s cousin and Caleb’s new love interest. Allen offers a character-driven werewolf tale. He meticulously develops Russell and Caleb as besties as well as the werewolf’s budding romance with Marla. The tale introduces an assortment of villains, from the Master, who has history with Caleb, to Diane, a “werewolf groupie”—a well-drawn human woman who longs for the Master to turn her. Readers know so much, in fact, that it occasionally diminishes suspense. While there’s not much action in the novel’s first half, Allen delivers the goods later with copious wolf-on-wolf fights—exhilarating scenes bursting with teeth, claws, and violence.

An impressive cast leads this absorbing lycanthropic story.

A horror debut sees a vampire cross paths with an undercover cop in a drug cartel.

Ex-Marine Rudy Valdez works as hired muscle for drug smuggler Guillermo “El Gecko” Calderon. Rudy patrols a San Diego dock one night, AK-47 in hand, to ensure a smooth meeting between El Gecko and wannabe kingpin Juanito Lobo. As the meeting opens aboard the Sulu Sea freighter, someone begins efficiently and brutally killing other cartel members patrolling the dock. During the meeting, Lobo points an AA-12 automatic shotgun at Jorge, El Gecko’s bodyguard, and claims he’s a cop. After the ensuing melee, Jorge encounters a pale, well-dressed man who says: “There is no need to continue your charade, Reginald.” This man, responsible for the nighttime slaughter, is a vampire, one with a specific interest in DS Reginald Downing. Reggie soon finds himself struggling to explain events to his colleagues, but the possibility that another cop outed him to the rival cartel is quite real. The vampire, meanwhile, is Edwin Thaddeus Marx, a stockbroker for Asian markets who’s holed up in Kensington. He’ll stalk pimps, murderers, and anyone else with darkness in their hearts. By sparing both Rudy and Reggie during his spree, however, he’s climbed into a complex web that just may trap him until morning comes. In this sleek horror noir, Allen hits vampire fans with a gut-shot of fabulous action and character work. Gore arrives by the bucket, as when Edwin “twisted with a savage grunt...ripping the esophagus out completely, rupturing both carotid arteries, and pulling out supporting musculature.” The author also sketches people and places in brisk, unforgettable strokes, including the first victim, meth-head T-Ball, and the storied K Street building the detectives work from. References to Bram Stoker and Dracula are likewise entertaining; Edwin’s journal entry says, “Stoker paid real vampires a disservice, due to his ignorance and lack of belief,” portraying them as one-dimensional and sex-crazed. Readers who have sampled vampire myths far and wide may be surprised by the depth of soul in Allen’s story.

A savagely good vampire tale that’s unafraid of its subject’s potential.

In Allen’s debut mystery, the first of a planned series, a plucky young reporter takes matters into his own hands when his new crush goes missing.

Things look grim for Duncan Walsh, a young Northwestern University School of Journalism graduate. He was fired from his job at Chicago’s Channel 8 News for punching the lecherous (albeit Emmy-award winning) lead news anchor in the neck. As a result, Duncan struggles to get by on little money, living on “ramen noodles, five dollar foot longs, the occasional museum entrance fee, and admittedly, the occasional beer. One had to keep living.” Then he meets Agnes Nowakowski, a beguiling, sharp paleontology tour guide at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. Charmed by her brains and beauty, he takes her on a coffee date, undeterred by the fact that she’s seeing someone else. The unemployed Duncan fills his days with his pursuit of Agnes, hoping to win a second date. Eventually, the two connect by phone but don’t meet, as Agnes is slated to head off to a long archaeological dig in Montana. Duncan is shocked several days later when he sees Agnes’ face on the 10 o’clock news; apparently, she mysteriously disappeared before she even boarded her bus. Duncan is certain that he’ll be a suspect and decides to clear his own name by finding out what happened to Agnes himself. Allen’s page-turner chronicles Duncan’s investigation from start to finish, from his creation of his own online news outlet to get press passes to news conferences to his confrontation with Agnes’ boyfriend, James, about her disappearance. Ultimately, he follows a lead that ends up being far more dangerous than he ever imagined. Allen delivers a well-written mystery that’s equal parts funny and suspenseful. Although the book’s mystery is intriguing, what makes it truly successful is its lead character, Duncan, who’s a relatable, charmingly witty and admirably gutsy narrator. Readers will likely find him the perfect candidate to star in his own mystery series.

A good old-fashioned mystery novel with a lovable leading man at its heart.