The Key and the Countess

by Michael Neeb

“LOVE. LIFE. FAMILY. ALL YOU’VE EVER WANTED. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DRINK.”

When an ancient evil is unearthed from the bottom of Georgian Bay, everything in Key Harbour will change. Mutilated animal corpses. Mysterious disappearances. Strange dreams of a Woman in Black. Life in Key was quiet and peaceful. A small marina town. A close-knit community. But soon, Isaac Matthews and the townsfolk must each make an impossible decision, which won’t only determine the fate of everyone in Key Harbour, but perhaps, everyone with a pulse.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO PROTECT THE ONES YOU LOVE?

WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE FOR ETERNAL LIFE?

“I will protect you. I swear it,” Hutch pledges and smiles. This feeling of devotion, so utterly and completely, makes him feel more alive than he ever has before.  “Tell me what you need… my Countess.”

Just one word, when whispered, sends a cold chill down his spine, as if a thousand spiders with thousands of legs were dancing upon his back. Yet, he knows he will comply, for his life is hers, now and forever.  

Blood.

466 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2025

About the author

Michael Neeb lives in Brantford, Ontario. A husband and a father, voice-over actor and writer. In the winter he can be found strumming a guitar and playing hockey. In the summer you can find him fishing unsuccessfully or golfing terribly and enjoying the lakes of Northern Ontario. And always reading, watching, or listening to stories.
Website - www.michaelvo.ca
TikTok - @michaelreadsandwrites
Facebook - www.facebook.com/michael.neeb.372/

Reviews

[Crystal K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Michael Neeb for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars

Overprepared? Maybe. But, who’s laughing now, huh?

Spoiler-free summary
Set just after COVID, the story takes place in a small, isolated island town where strange dreams, disappearances, and a looming presence slowly disrupt the quiet life. As fear spreads and the town becomes cut off, the line between survival and sacrifice begins to blur.

My thoughts

1. My emotions & overall experience

Once I really started reading this book, my curiosity just kept building. The chapters are short, so it always feels like you’re making progress, which I loved, especially since I usually don’t enjoy long books. But damn, this one worked.

I finished it within 10 hours, and that says something. The major events were well spaced out, so you actually get time to digest the plot. And honestly… thank god for this book. After a long time, it made me want to read again and helped pull me out of a reading slump.

I love vampires, and yes, it reminded me of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, with strong Dracula vibes too. It was funny when it needed to be funny (which is harder than it looks), and I genuinely enjoyed myself.

The author did a fantastic job with this one. Definitely give it a try.

2. World-building & setting

I really liked the world-building. The storytelling is vivid, and you can easily picture the scenery the author describes. The isolated town setting worked really well, especially with the whole “no outside help” situation.

It strongly reminded me of the movie Tremors, with the town being stormed in, completely cut off, and forced to survive on its own. The post-COVID backdrop added to that eerie, end-of-the-world feeling, and winter only made everything more bleak and intense.

Some scenes were pretty gruesome—a full horror show, and I liked that.

3. Plot & pacing

The book was medium-paced but never boring. That said… there are plot holes (more on that later).

4. Main & side characters

Father Mackie: Lol, I really liked Father Mackie’s character the most. Even in the face of death, he stood his ground and fought valiantly. You know who Mackie reminded me of? The legendary Burt Gummer!

Isaac: The protagonist, Isaac… I also found myself rooting for him. After all that he had been through, he deserved better. A good family. Peace. And Kat never really got the chance to digest that he was her father, which hurt.

The Countess: Man… I was actually rooting for the Countess at first, but her recruitment decisions were awful. Tucker? Clark? Out of all the people, those two pieces of shit? Seriously? And here I thought she was really up to something when she rescued Bill and Hutch.

And I know for a fact that this lady and her minions single-handedly managed to wipe the entire animal kingdom from the island just because they all refused to join her. Talk about having a small ego. Ok, jokes aside... she didn't even spare the kids. But I truly think there had to be some reason behind how she turned out. Some people are just evil, but some are victims turned villains.

Hutch: I know that Hutch did a lot of bad things, but can you really blame the guy? He was an addict. The Countess actually helped him turn over a new leaf. And you know what? I ended up liking Hutch by the end. Like… throttle that bitch.

Jak: And damn that poor lad, Jak, and his family.

Beverly: I liked the teacher. She was so badass.

Kat & Ashley: Absolutely loved the mother-daughter duo roasting the Countess.
“Go fuck yourself, bitch.” Kat, you go, girl. The Countess had clearly never met a teenager before. It was giving small dick energy. Attacking a girl? This ancient woman can't even keep her composure with a teenage girl. Lol. How does she expect to rule the world? Yup—slap her some more, Ashley.

5. Plot logic, questions & negatives

One thing that confused me was why it took the Countess over a century to target someone in the first place. Was it because she needed that long to gather enough strength to appear in Hutch’s dreams? And why him specifically?

I can partly answer that myself—he had a weak mind, he wasn’t sober, he lived close to the water, and he was completely alone. That makes sense. But weren’t there others like him? Surely other people lived by the water too. Were there really no other viable targets during all that time?

Is it safe to assume Hutch was the only one who could’ve been influenced—or the only one who ever tried to free her? If not, it would’ve been interesting to see evidence of previous attempts. Maybe skulls and bones near the coffin, or more drownings around that specific area compared to the rest of the island.

Or was it because of Hutch’s obsession with lost treasure that kept drawing him back to that spot over and over again? That fixation could’ve made him the perfect target—but I wish the book had explored this a little more.

Another thing that really bothered me was why the Countess was so set on turning everyone undead. Wouldn’t her prey supply eventually dwindle? What was the long-term plan there?

And what was she even doing in Europe before being “forced to flee”? Was she avenging her children now? Was she going to take revenge on the families who attacked her? Did she just despise humanity? Because conquering the whole-ass world felt like a long stretch—even for her.

Heck, I would’ve believed it more if she were targeting Isaac specifically. Like, if he were a descendant of the families that destroyed her home. She could literally smell blood and do a paternal test, so why not? She could’ve identified him immediately, recruited him because of his heritage and not just his resolve, and then slowly built a focused army to invade Europe.

See? I just made a more realistic plan, and it didn’t even take me a hundred years.

Instead, we get this grand, vague “take over the world” goal. Girl, have some realistic ambitions. You said you were young back then and had a century to prepare, and you came up with this shit? No wonder you sank like the Titanic. Should’ve stayed down in the lake.

Why didn't the villain in this book have this blood moon thingy going on in her previous home turf? Why do it now? She literally had an entire continent she could’ve ensnared, so the timing felt a bit convenient.

Her backstory also wasn’t explored enough. I would’ve loved more insight into her past—honestly, a 0.5 book focused on her history would’ve been perfect. But that’s just me.

Since I’ve read both of the author’s books, I can’t help but compare the final villain transformation in this one to the one in The Coven of Tobin Island. They felt very similar, and that wasn’t something I personally preferred.

6. Final Thoughts

The ending was bittersweet. Some character deaths were pretty tragic, and I wish the author hadn’t killed certain characters—which just goes to show how much I came to care about them. Also, I don’t know if I missed it, but I would’ve liked to know what happened to Beverly.

This is a horror book, and I actually liked that about it. Some of the descriptions were genuinely unsettling, and the author did a good job creating atmosphere through the writing. Despite my complaints, I really enjoyed this book. It made me care, it made me laugh, and it got me back into reading.

So yes—I would continue reading this author’s work.

[Nicholas Farrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bloody romp with shades of Salem's Lot and The Village of the Damned. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers copy and it got me right in the mood for the spooky season. The characters were great, the plot was well executed, and the violence just to the right side of grotesque. To me the strongest element (besides a loyal dog who deserves a medal) was the town. It felt like a real place, a character in its own right, full of small town charm and dark secrets for the evil to exploit.

[libraryofkara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me frantically turning the page to find out what happened next! The town felt like a true Northern Ontario small town and I could really imagine the characters as people I knew in my real life. A classic vampire story but with unexpected twists that had me gasping and needing to put the book down to wrap my head around what happened.
Highlights: Cash the dog (the goodest boy who ever was) and Priest Mackie (stoner and Lord of the Rings fan)

[Jenny Farion · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many books where I turn the page frantically to see what happens next, but I sure did with The Key and the Countess. The story itself was phenomenal. The action was described in a way that made me feel like I could actually see the characters as their journeys unfolded. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Dom Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Key and the Countess was my first read for December, picked up under the suggestion of the author — and honestly, I’m glad I listened. This book blends small-town charm, atmospheric winter horror, and a surprising amount of gore into a fast, highly entertaining vampire story.

The novel follows Isaac, the fire chief of Key Harbour, and a memorable cast of townspeople. I genuinely grew attached to a few of them — especially Cash, Isaac’s dog, and Father Mackie, who delivers Lord of the Rings references and the occasional pot-laced wisdom. The town feels lived-in, warm, and believable… which makes the intrusion of horror hit even harder.

Everything shifts when Isaac helps a friend recover a shipwreck from the early 1900s. Something ancient awakens beneath the water, and from there the book escalates quickly. Without giving anything away, the threat that emerges is powerful, bloodthirsty, and absolutely relentless. The gore surprised me — in a good way — and added real stakes to the story as Key Harbour finds itself fighting for survival.

The vibe reminded me of a mash-up of classic horror influences: Nosferatu, Midnight Mass, Salem’s Lot, and From Dusk Till Dawn. All the best parts of the vampire genre rolled into one snowy, wintry setting. The December backdrop adds an extra layer of coldness and isolation that fits the story perfectly.

This book is fun, brutal, cinematic, and surprisingly emotional at times. If you love vampire stories that lean into atmosphere and gore, this is a fantastic winter read. Highly recommended.

[Danni Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Key and The Countess
The Key and The Countess & The Coven of Toben Island series
By Michael Neeb

🗝 Vampire thriller
⛴️ Small town thriller
🗝 Vampire Shifters
⛴️ Cinematic experience
🗝 Heroic MMC
⛴️ Countess Vampire Queen FMC

HOLY. Did this book have me hooked from the get go! I could NOT put it down!

The prologue itself had my interests piqued when man is protecting his Countess or well her coffin, aboard a cargo ship in the 1800's when a bad storm hits and the ship sinks but he is willing to give his life to ensure she is safe.
Fast forward to the present when the fire chief of Key Harbour's best mate is determined he has found the mother load and that they must go diving to uncover it asap, only what they find may not be the answer to his prayers, in fact it may unleash a darkness onto their little town that they just may not be able to stop.

Absolutely incredible heartstopping read that will have you losing sleep because you just need to know what happens!

The Key and The Countess is available now 😘🖤

#vampirethriller #smalltownthriller #vampires #bookishthoughts #bookreview

[Sammy Mangan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loveddd this! As someone who grew up in the Midwest and spent countless summers in a small lake community similar to Key Harbor, I really enjoyed how the community, scenery, and people were described. The author took time to develop each character and made you feel invested in each of their stories.

As someone who also grew up LOVING Twilight and all things vampirey, this scratched my itch for a true and bloody vampire tale. Great read that I couldn’t put down!!

[Hunter Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping vampire story. A large cast of characters that are fun to follow. This book is perfect for horror and Vampire fans, and reminded me of Stephen King’s Salems Lot in the best kind of way!! Also, the setting is phenomenal!!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The character development was both engaging and deliciously gory, and the detailed descriptions really brought each personality to life. Every chapter left me eager to see what would unfold next, and the slow build toward the finale was incredibly intense. Highly recommended!

[D.C. Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing new take on a familiar genre, The Key and the Countess is a terrific delve into darkness that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

[Regina Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, I haven’t read a vampire novel with this type of heart and soul poured into it in a long time. Bravo Michael Neeb! This is officially one of my top 5 for the year! Full review on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yVAoq8/

[Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg this book, guys!!

I can’t believe I finished it. It’s been a while since a horror book made me want more especially in the vampire genre. I devoured this book, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end. And after that ending? I want mooore. I need to know what happens next 😮😮
If you’re looking for a vampire horror novel, this one is perfect. It’s so well written, the plot and suspense are on point, and you connect with the characters so easily. I literally felt like I was in Key Harbour because it was so easy to get pulled into the story.
And the ending… omg. Shocking. I needed a couple minutes after finishing just to process that it was actually over.

[NA Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, a page-turner from the start to finish! I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good vampire tale that'll leave you begging for more.