Blood Harvest

Moore piles on the lukewarm writing, plotting, and characterization in this weak sequel to 2005’s Blood Red. Jason Soulis, an Undead who’s ”heartier than the average vampire” and can eat regular food and walk around in the sun, performed deadly experiments in the Rhode Island town of Black Stone Bay. In the five years since, the town has apparently recovered, but the facade of calm is easily broken by a resurgence of bloodsucking killings. Given that the local police have had plenty of encounters with vampires, their skepticism about a supernatural explanation for the violence rings false, and readers will likewise be bemused by the cops’ casual banter in the face of evidence that the beings that nearly destroyed their community have returned. This clunky story is unlikely to stand out in the glutted vampire mystery market. (Nov.)