Today I’m reviewing Tracey Bateman’s new book, Thirsty. An award-winning author with close to one million books in print, Bateman successfully crosses genres with her latest novel. A good portion of the book focuses on a strong female character—a trait that I think will garner readers who appreciate women’s fiction and suspense. Thirsty also breaks ground as a CBA novel, boasting a centuries-old vampire as one of the main characters, a fact that places it in the category of speculative fiction, as well.
The Story:
Nina Parker wanted it all: husband, kids, house on a quiet street. And she had it, once. But then one day, she gave in to the monster that had been hiding inside her for years—alcohol addiction. After humiliating herself on her ex-husband’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, she finds herself arrested and subsequently ordered to three months of rehab. After that, she’s a new woman. But it’s going to take a lot more than 90 days of sobriety before she can convince her ex, Hunt, or her children. She leaves Texas and moves home to Abbey Hills, Missouri, hoping to build a new life, one that might someday include the family she leaves behind in Dallas. But her hometown isn’t quite what she remembered. There’s something ominous here, stalking and killing animals, murdering people. The fact that Nina’s sister, Jill, is the sheriff should provide some comfort and protection. But it doesn’t. Before long Nina realizes that there are dark forces at work in Abbey Hills. And both she and her teenage daughter, Meg, find themselves tangled in a dangerous power struggle between two supernatural creatures who are addicted to something even more deadly than alcohol: blood.
Strengths:
While this is a supernatural tale that includes vampires in its landscape, the heart of the story revolves around addiction. The main characters, both human and vampire, struggle with forbidden desires and obsession. The characters are well drawn and believable—not an easy task, especially when one of them—Markus Chisom—is hundreds of years old and suffers from the inherited curse of vampirism. Metaphors abound, yet the story never falls prey to allegory or trite symbolism. Bateman tackles the delicate subject matter of alcoholism with an expert hand, showing the reader just enough back story to understand why each character makes the choices they do.
Recommendation:
I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to CBA readers who like general fiction, women’s fiction, thrillers, suspense, supernatural fiction, and—the new growing sub-genre of speculative fiction—vampire fiction. CBA is still in the midst of breaking ground in this genre and I hope that we see more soon. I’m looking forward to Bateman’s sequel to Thirsty and I hope that then we’ll get a chance to see more of the unique vampire world she has created.
You can check out the first chapter of the book here.
And in accordance to the new FTC regulations, I’m informing you that I received a copy of Thirsty directly from the publisher, WaterBrook Press, for review purposes. I review only books I have read, and only state my honest opinion of the book.