Chiaroscuro: The Mouse and the Candle
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3.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
God's will be done.
After eleven years as a priest living by these words, Father Antonio Molinari never imagined who would teach his strongest lesson of faith―a vampire.
As a member of a secret order within the Vatican, he investigates and debunks supernatural events. A case of possession brings him to the French countryside, where two local clergy offer him the chance of a lifetime. They claim to have captured a vampire, and beg his expertise in helping them study the fiend.
When their monster turns out to be a little girl, cursed to spend eternity hiding from the sun, he cannot bring himself to destroy her. The priests, mistaking his compassion for diabolism, panic, and his efforts to protect an innocent child prove fatal.
He awakes caught between light and darkness.
Hunted by the Church he once served as well as the fiends he once destroyed, Father Molinari clings to his faith there is still room for him in God's plan.
But God is quiet, and the darkness tempting.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A vampire laments and an innocent child inspires in Cox's centuries-spanning philosophical exploration of duty, guilt, and faith. In 1885 France, Father Antonio Molinari is fresh off an exorcism of a young woman. Two priests approach him, claiming to have a chained-up vampire that he can study. Horrified to learn the vampire is an eight-year-old girl, Sabine Caillouet, he becomes protective of her and even lets her feed off him. When a priest disapproves and stabs Antonio, Sabine saves him by turning him into a vampire. Thus begins the paternal love story of Antonio and his young ward, whose soul he vows to save and protect against dark temptations. As they dodge Vatican vampire-hunters and vengeful vampires, Antonio has faith that God has a plan for them, a faith he carries to America and Canada, and into the 21st century. Cox's world is elegant, the characters are sympathetic, the vampire lore is traditional, and the writing is engaging and descriptive. However, the second half lags, themes become repetitive, and plot threads unravel. Nevertheless, vampire enthusiasts will devour this solid and emotional story. (BookLife)
