Blood Riders    by Michael P. Spradlin Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2012 (2012) Paperback, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch It wasn't enough that the corpses began rising up from the ground. Hollister was sure they were dead. But when they began attacking his men and snapping the soldiers' necks, he knew this was big trouble. The last straw, though, was when these supposedly dead things began taking the still warm troopers and ripping the flesh from their throats with their teeth! Four years later, Captain Jonas R. Hollister is still serving time in Ft. Leavenworth for the deaths of the eleven soldiers lost under his command during a patrol in the Wyoming Territory. No one believed for a second his outrageous story that a band of blood-sucking creatures was responsible for the mayhem. Hollister was charged with dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming an officer. When famous detective Allan Pinkerton arrives one day at the prison to visit Hollister, the captain's fate changes. A group of miners has died in a similar fashion as Hollister's men and the rumor of something unnatural happening on the frontier is gaining credence. Pinkerton offers Hollister his freedom if he'll agree to track down the 'blood drinkers' and make sure they are destroyed in whatever way possible. Putting together a Vampire Task Force that includes a fellow Leavenworth inmate, the man's pet dog, Pinkerton, and Samuel Colt, Hollister heads out to look for his deadly quarry. Along the way, Abraham Van Helsing and a mysterious woman named Shania will join the hunt. Both these individuals have expert knowledge of the adversary. Along with specially modified weapons needed to combat the vampires, they will play an instrumental role in ridding the West of this supernatural scourge. A series of preliminary skirmishes leads up to an epic showdown in an abandoned mining camp that rivals anything you have ever encounter in a more traditional western. And, after the smoke settles, it appears that Hollister has found a new job – Deputy Inspector, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Office of Paranormal Affairs. Oh yes, the closing page of this adventure suggests that a sequel is in the works! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews