Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil opens a separate C. T. Adams series from Hunter's Moon and is the better entry point for new readers. Kate Reilly runs a courier business in Denver in a world where vampires are real and known. She is also a one-time vampire thrall, partially turned by an attack she barely survived, and her contract with the vampire who almost killed her is the central premise of the book.

The thrall mechanic is what sets the series apart. Kate gets ten hours a week of vampire-grade strength and speed; the rest of the time she is a regular tough-as-nails woman dealing with the slow physical and social damage of what was done to her. The case in this book involves a missing-children cult and a vampire faction that does not want Kate digging.

Adams (writing solo here without Clamp) gives the book a slightly grimier register than the Sazi novels. The Denver setting is well-used. Four stars. A genuine urban fantasy series that has been undersold.