Her Book Self

As many have noticed, my reading tastes are pretty widespread.  Since I tend to enjoy a large variety of subjects, I'm always intrigued when I find books that combine multiple genres in a single novel.  One such chimeric story I read recently was Blood Oath.

I have to say that the premise of this book hooked me as soon as I read it. Combining politics and the supernatural, Christopher Farnsworth constructs his novel around the idea that the greatest threats to national security are straight from the realm of nightmares and horror novels and the greatest defense we have is top secret agent Nathaniel Cade, who happens to be a vampire. Cade was sworn in under the titular Blood Oath by President Andrew Johnson and has been serving the Oval Office ever since.

In present day, Cade is teamed up with a new partner, rookie White House aide Zach Barrows, and the two must stop an anti-government plot that combines Dr. Frankenstein, Nazi Germany, and a terrorist cell from the Middle East. The twists and turns of the story and the multi-layered subplots keep the action high and Farnsworth deftly juggles multiple points of view to maintain suspense throughout the novel. Cade was a great new character too. At first I was unsure if he would come across as a brooding, fang-laden stereotype, but Farnsworth managed to give Cade a unique personality and creative individual traits.

The premise first drew me to Blood Oath but it was the writing, plot and characters that really pulled me in. With a good mix of horror, supernatural, and political thriller, Farnsworth built great potential for both sequels and prequels with this novel and I look forward to where he will take the series in the future.

How about you?  Chick Lit Mysteries?  Historical Fantasy?  Any favorite novels that combine genres?