• Paperback: 298 pages
• List Price: $10.99
• Orren Merton’s Website
• Publisher:Darkling Books (December 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983023611
• ISBN-13: 978-0983023616

Buy The Deviant at:

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Heinrich Straus, an eight-hundred year old German vampire, is on the run-from his past, from his crimes…from himself. Looking for a place to settle, Santo Paulo, a quiet, central California college town, seems to offer everything he’s looking for: peace, quiet, and friendly people. It’s not long before he is noticed by one of the local college students, who endeavors to win his heart. Concurrently with his arrival, however, local detectives uncover the serial murders of young women, and fix their sights on Heinrich. Even with a daughter of Santo Paulo as his champion, Heinrich finds that being a vampire makes proving his innocence complicated…

The Deviant follows Heinrich, a German born vampire who is on the run from his past & himself. He ends up in a small college town, Santo Paulo. On his first night there he meets Hope, the daughter of very religious parents. Not long after his arrival, women start dying & the police notice Heinrich near almost every crime scene & start to suspect him. He must prove his innocence, or lose hope forever.

I was pretty surprised at how much I enjoyed The Deviant. Orren Merton knows how to write an old skool vampire story, none of this sparkle crap from Heinrich! I adored Heinrich & the way the story ended was nothing short of draw dropping. I was extremely stunned at the ending, I love when something comes out of left field & shocks the hell out of me. And make no doubt about it, the ending will have your jaw dropping too.

My only issue with the story was Hope, I didn’t like her very much. She was too innocent for me, I know that’s not surprising. But the way she spoke, the way she immediately went from perfect religious girl to understanding vampires exist much to fast for me. Maybe that was the point, but it feel a bit flat for me. But Heinrich was awesome, I loved the way he thought & the way he spoke, the background was truly original.

Orren Merton has a way with words & he drew me in right from the start. The world building was fantastic, I loved that he set a centuries old vampire on a small college town as opposed to the big city vampire we have become used to.

If you want an old skool look at vampires, pick up The Deviant, you won’t be disappointed.