Ravenous

Forrest's third Clare Point vampires novel (after Eternal and Undying) gets deeper into the world of vampires who are cursed by God to be reborn as teens until their souls are purged of evil. Religious soul-searching is central to the character of Liam, a vampire hit man who slays murderers, pedophiles, and serial killers. When he meets Mai Ricci (annoyingly referred to as an "HF" for "human female"), he becomes involved in protecting her from the men who killed her uncle. Solving the mystery behind Mai's uncle's involvement with the Mafia takes a backseat to the doomed attraction and affection that grow between Mai and Liam. While there are plenty of steamy sex scenes, it's Mai's elderly, pretending-to-be-crazy father who often steals the show, and the friendships and histories among characters in Clare Point make the setting worth returning to. (Apr.)