Title: Vampires in the Temple
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Publisher: BCC Press
Publication Date: 2018
Genre: Fantasy novel
(Reviewed by Amanda Mae Monson)
My main problem with Mette Ivie Harrison books is once I start one I can’t put it down. LOL. This was totally the kind of weirdness I want in books, and don’t always find. I appreciated the few and sly references to Twilight, and that Mette’s version of vampire mythology is so different from that (she uses a more primitive idea of vampires that I found refreshing). Jack Hardy, her protagonist, is different enough from her Linda Wallheim character to be quite a change from her other Mormon crime novels. He is not LDS for starters, and I am fascinated in how his backstory was slowly revealed–I definitely can’t wait for the next installment to see where it takes us. She also throws in some Mormon history, which adds a little subversive color you don’t normally expect. Writers play around a lot with the weirdness of Catholic history, theology, and culture, and I enjoy Mette doing the same for Mormonism. This is an engaging, enjoyable read, and I think Mette does a good job of explaining Mormon references without losing her readers in the minutiae. It’s got a good mix of darkness and humor to keep you entertained, and if you’re not a total full-on paranormal/fantasy reader (like me) there’s plenty to grip you and keep you reading.
Amanda is a librarian and displaced Southerner living in Happy Valley who loves to talk about what she’s reading.