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The Grave Below
A 16th century puritan vampire meets a 21st century grave robber. The two become entangled in a mysterious witch hunt as the vampire's history unfolds, and a pair of detectives follow the murders. A traffic of dead bodies and a torrent of blood permeate this glimpse into the total depravity of man and the doctrines of election, viewed through the lens of habitual sin.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2020
12 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 31, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was in between 3 and 4 stars but I bumped it up since it was the author’s first book. The author is interesting: I follow libraries and bookstores on Instagram and his feed popped up as “suggested.” He’s a rare book dealer specializing in (expensive) antiquarian books (surgical and anatomical books and rare bibles). Then I come to find out that the rare books is a side interest (I don’t want to say “side hustle” because you have to invest a lot of education and learning into the type of rare books he deals with). His profession is as a forensic pathologist (medical examiner)! When I saw the book was about grave robbers (current times) and a vampire from the 1600’s it piqued my curiosity. Pros: well written, educational and detailed when it came to autopsies and death. It piqued my curiosity as to where this novel would go. Cons: I really couldn’t get a feel for where it was leading (or why). Other than our Puritanical vampire — whose history was explained in flashbacks — none of the characters had much of a history about them or led us to know what they were about. They just showed up. Also it was odd how so many deaths (murders) could occur and be told so dispassionately—no one seemed to have depth of feeling, even when friends were killed. Oddities (neither pro nor con): Is there really THAT much grave robbing going on in today’s time? The ending obviously set up a sequel (or series). Holy cow, how can so many people be killed (or gone missing) and just two detectives were looking for answers. At the conclusion of the book that town was going to have state police, FBI, and every criminal behavioral analyst descended upon them! Should a sequel come out, I will read it. Side note: I really liked that the author took the photos for the front and back covers and his wife did the typesetting (at least on my paperback version. I don’t know what the hardcover looks like).
November 22, 2023
This book had everything… John Wick style fight scenes, grave robbing information you never knew you wanted to know, the vampire’s history and her present day life…. And theology. All of it one book! It’s great for everyone who loves a good vampire story with a few other things going on in it too. I am looking forward to a sequel.
December 22, 2023
Grand Blanc, Michigan, is home to an alley of cemeteries, "a necropolis in it's own right". Though the the stars hold no authority, they align in more ways than just Virgo to see the Greenwood cemetery become the battleground of a ravenous Puritan vampire, a coven of mob-mentality witches, a moonlighting resurrectionist (in contrast to a grave robber), and a couple of detectives who would find good old-fashioned gang violence as a welcomed reprieve.
The prose is not flowery, or purple, nor is it necessarily poetic. It's simple but enthralling, and a page-turner. I find I'd like to read more stories like this, especially in regards to discussions of Faith, but with the macabre and supernatural afoot. Also, the morbid curiosity. It had the potential to be sanguinary and gory but didn't read that way, or at least it was more of a dark black comedy. I felt there is a relationship between science and witchcraft, in the sense that doctors were "resurrecting" corpses and performing rituals to get a reaction or to simply educate themselves on the make up human anatomy, which would have appalled the general public on one hand, fascinating it on the other.
Interestingly, Puritan
Character Reference:
Listed Literature Throughout:
Udi maledicte satana, adjuratus per nomen aeterni Dei, et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi Filii emus, cum tua victus ...
The prose is not flowery, or purple, nor is it necessarily poetic. It's simple but enthralling, and a page-turner. I find I'd like to read more stories like this, especially in regards to discussions of Faith, but with the macabre and supernatural afoot. Also, the morbid curiosity. It had the potential to be sanguinary and gory but didn't read that way, or at least it was more of a dark black comedy. I felt there is a relationship between science and witchcraft, in the sense that doctors were "resurrecting" corpses and performing rituals to get a reaction or to simply educate themselves on the make up human anatomy, which would have appalled the general public on one hand, fascinating it on the other.
Interestingly, Puritan
Character Reference:
Listed Literature Throughout:
Udi maledicte satana, adjuratus per nomen aeterni Dei, et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi Filii emus, cum tua victus ...
September 5, 2024
Solid 3-3.5 stars.
I follow the author on instagram. He’s a forensic pathologist and also deals with rare books (specializing in philosophy and medical history books). He’s an interesting guy and provides a lot of interesting information if you’re into that stuff. I heard he put out a vampire book and I was intrigued. Looked the book up on Amazon and it had good ratings and looked interesting so I said, I’ll give it a go.
Overall, this is a book full of underlying philosophical themes of religion and sin. It’s because of the subject matter and purposely written as a philosophy type narrative that pace is affected; however, I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading which is a sign of a good book for me -not getting bored and wanting to get it done ASAP to know how it ends. I certainly wanted to know where everything was going. Further, in philosophy you ask a lot of questions and there’s deliberate thinking on things…that’s how the book felt. It was interesting and fun for me, but it was also just slowly dragging you along at a fair pace without going anywhere. If this isn’t making sense, read some Plato’s Cave and then read this book. Same vibe concept. You will not get a final answer to most of your questions, but you’ll have fun thinking on the questions.
Where it was going was anticlimactic, but yet, made sense. Much like philosophy (see above). It ends continuing a cycle. No spoilers, but it’s not unpredictable. The thought crossed my mind a few times while reading and I wasn’t mad when I was proven correct.
My favorite part of the book was the atmosphere the author was able to create. The book is set in a small town and almost entirely in graveyards or the morgue, though there are mini visits to the mall, the movie theatre, a 1920’s era home neighborhood, and a couple bookstores. Every where the characters went, I had a perfect vision and a movie playing in my head. Very descriptive without ever being too much. I could see the different graveyards (the map at the beginning of the book helps) and everyone walking through them and all the different book scenes. Put me in a mood for Autumn cozy reads. This book has vampires, grave robbers, witches, detectives, and a few crooked employees at the cemetery and mortuaries. Definitely a great transition book from Summer to Autumn. Interesting, the book starts and ends in Autumn (Halloween and November 7th) -like I said, perfect transition book.
I liked the various characters. We never go too deep into any particular character -just enough that you know why they’re in the book and you know what? It works. Sometimes, simplicity is the key.
Bonus: some poems at the end, written by the author, which the book is apparently inspired by. Did I mention Autumn-inspiring?
I follow the author on instagram. He’s a forensic pathologist and also deals with rare books (specializing in philosophy and medical history books). He’s an interesting guy and provides a lot of interesting information if you’re into that stuff. I heard he put out a vampire book and I was intrigued. Looked the book up on Amazon and it had good ratings and looked interesting so I said, I’ll give it a go.
Overall, this is a book full of underlying philosophical themes of religion and sin. It’s because of the subject matter and purposely written as a philosophy type narrative that pace is affected; however, I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading which is a sign of a good book for me -not getting bored and wanting to get it done ASAP to know how it ends. I certainly wanted to know where everything was going. Further, in philosophy you ask a lot of questions and there’s deliberate thinking on things…that’s how the book felt. It was interesting and fun for me, but it was also just slowly dragging you along at a fair pace without going anywhere. If this isn’t making sense, read some Plato’s Cave and then read this book. Same vibe concept. You will not get a final answer to most of your questions, but you’ll have fun thinking on the questions.
Where it was going was anticlimactic, but yet, made sense. Much like philosophy (see above). It ends continuing a cycle. No spoilers, but it’s not unpredictable. The thought crossed my mind a few times while reading and I wasn’t mad when I was proven correct.
My favorite part of the book was the atmosphere the author was able to create. The book is set in a small town and almost entirely in graveyards or the morgue, though there are mini visits to the mall, the movie theatre, a 1920’s era home neighborhood, and a couple bookstores. Every where the characters went, I had a perfect vision and a movie playing in my head. Very descriptive without ever being too much. I could see the different graveyards (the map at the beginning of the book helps) and everyone walking through them and all the different book scenes. Put me in a mood for Autumn cozy reads. This book has vampires, grave robbers, witches, detectives, and a few crooked employees at the cemetery and mortuaries. Definitely a great transition book from Summer to Autumn. Interesting, the book starts and ends in Autumn (Halloween and November 7th) -like I said, perfect transition book.
I liked the various characters. We never go too deep into any particular character -just enough that you know why they’re in the book and you know what? It works. Sometimes, simplicity is the key.
Bonus: some poems at the end, written by the author, which the book is apparently inspired by. Did I mention Autumn-inspiring?
October 12, 2024
The third act really redeems it. To me, the first part feels like the author was ranting on teenagers, and modern consumerism, and it also feels like the author has a type, I get it though. Again the third act redeems it, but I kinda wish we had a little more background on Conrad and his father, it felt rushed. Also, i think the author cheated with giving the vampire Jedi mind tricks. The detectives had great chemistry but they felt a little incompetent, idk maybe it's the budget cuts. Before I forget, the religious themes are just, como se dice, chef's kiss 😗🤌🏽
November 13, 2023
A different take on a vampire story.
May 9, 2024
The idea was very original. The moral and religious aspects were interesting. I enjoyed the book, but the characters were very flat.
January 14, 2026
Couldn't put it down. Highly recommend. I received this book as a gift and I highly recommend gifting this book to others.
January 28, 2026
good vampire
i like how she was very guilt ridden. she reminds me of a vampire named Louis but it shows more superhuman strength.
i like how she was very guilt ridden. she reminds me of a vampire named Louis but it shows more superhuman strength.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews