The House of Caine

by Ken Eulo

When Rob Martin left Millhouse, he was barely out of his teens and Millhouse was his beloved hometown. Ten years later, Rob returns for a brief visit and finds that beneath the calm surface of small-town America, a terrible evil is brewing.

For decades, vampires have lived secretly in Millhouse, selecting victims who will not be missed. Now a great thirst is upon them, for blood and the pleasures of the flesh. Now they have grown more brazen, seducing not just vulnerable loners but some of Millhouse's leading citizens. Rob's old girlfriend, Elizabeth, is having amazing erotic dreams, dreams that leave her feeling drained and weak the next morning, afraid and yet eager to return to sleep

As mutilated bodies turn up, drained of blood, the sheriff and town council look for a normal explanation for the wave of violence that is engulfing their town—but there is nothing normal about a nest of vampires. Only Rob, his best friend Tony, and a few stalwarts are prepared to drive a stake through the heart of the vampire menace. But will they act fast enough to save Elizabeth's life . . . and soul?

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Pulp

501 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

Ken Eulo is a Eugene O'Neill Award-winning writer and bestselling author whose novels have collectively sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

Eulo's began his career in New York City, in the 1970s, as a playwright. In the 1980s, he received national recognition with his first horror book series The Brownstone Trilogy. Since its publication in October 1980, the series has developed a cult following. His success was followed by the novels Nocturnal, The Ghost of Veronica Gray, Manhattan Heat, Claw and The House of Caine. During the same decade Eulo moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a writer for television shows, including Small Wonder, Marblehead Manor, and Benson.

Eulo relocated to Orlando, Florida in the 1990s where he founded and currently serves as the artistic director for the New York Acting Ensemble. The repertory company consists of writers, directors, and actors. They regularly produce touring shows and host regular performances in the Orlando area. Several notable company members have included writer Daniel Corey and actor Creagen Dow.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features a nasty hive of bloodsuckers who wreak havoc on a town community. Spreading fear by stealth, these creatures of the night delicately pick and choose their prey, preferring to remain out of sight to keep the gravy (blood) train following year after year. Having these creatures on the peripheral allows the author to focus on story and character and while this won't suit everyone, it does add to the suspense and real-world feel of the book.

There are some nice scenes but this feels largely like a daytime movie. The threat of horror is omnipresent yet it doesn't really come to fruition to satisfy that scare craving you want from 80's mass market horror books. As for the vampires themselves, Ken Eulo prefers to leave his creatures of the night in the dark, shadows with a hint of realism to put just enough fear into his non-bloodsucking characters.

Overall, The House of Caine is enjoyable and easy to read. However, it just wasn't dark enough to quench my thirst for blood.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another 80s horror novel I have had kicking around for some time. 80s horror (to perhaps rudely borrow a metaphor) is like a box of chocolates-- you never know what you are going to get. The story concerns a small New England town that basically is in thrall to a vampire coven. Our main protagonist, a reporter in Miami, returns home after 10 years for an interview with Bobby Kennedy (the novel is set in 1966). He quickly finds out that something is seriously wrong with the town beyond his faulty memories of it.

The House of Caine has a somewhat frenetic pacing that I suppose was meant to be exciting, but I found it cumbersome at best. Lots of POVs, some lasting for only a paragraph, but eventually, you get a picture of what is going on. Not a bad read, but not really something I will read again. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute page turner! Every page is full of suspense and the whole story is building up to an extreme climax at the end. This book gives a new twist to vampire stories. I like how the Caine mansion is introduced, the small town setting and the relationsship between the different characters. Great 80s horror novel and a great recommendation to every horror fan! I sometimes had to think about Salem's Lot when reading this story!

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good vampire book if your not into books like twilight. Lots of gore and people eating each other. An awesome book for any vampire/horror fan.

[Jason A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Builds to an exciting climax. You are introduced to a character that you root for and then find out that person is the antagonist. Very chilling.

[Liam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like a slow burn mystery and when you throw in a small town setting, someone returning home after being away a while, then I’m there. But the characters need to be interesting to make up for the lack of plot movement. And when I’m finishing the book not knowing who half the characters even are, ya fucked it. Overall: boring, nothing characters, uninteresting.

2/10

[Melissa S · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a colossal pile of crap that was.

[Joanne Timm · Rating 4 out of 5]

not something I would normally read but it kept my interest.

[Trilby O'Farrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's kind of like Salem's Lot, only boring.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy read for a day off. Even though it is five hundred pages long, I was able to read it in about four hours. The vampires in the book act more like those in Bram Stoker's Dracula in a New England small town that reads like a modernized H.P. Lovecraft story.