The Last Vampire: The Strange Legend of Mercy Brown

by T.A. Bound

St. Patrick's Day 1892, Exeter, Rhode Island. It wasn't over when she died. Prying her coffin open two months later transforms Mercy Brown into legend. The Last Vampire is based upon her incredible true story.
They don't kill 'em like they used to.
Mercy Lena Brown is 19 the first time she dies. The third in her family to mysteriously perish in rapid succession, after her mother and oldest sister. And when Mercy succumbs, her brother is also dying. To save the remaining family from their killer requires drastic and unspeakable action.
The New England vampire panic lasted from the late 1700s through the 19th Century. History has forgotten exactly when it started, but the precise moment the panic ends, however, is documented in history, and in the pages of this book. It spread across the region, terrifying New Englanders who exhumed graves seeking to purge the vampires lurking among them. Archeological discoveries in recent years have unearthed some of these desecrated graves, confirming persisting rumors and sketchy myths lasting a century since.

This is the terrifying true story of its final days. Only one can be the last. This is based on historical facts which may be disturbing to some, including cannibalism and scenes of a sexual nature which, although neither graphic nor explicit, may make some readers uncomfortable. Don't say I did not warn you!

285 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2021

About the author

Since my earliest memories, I enjoyed being scared. Staying up late watching scary B&W movies on late-night TV. Reading scary stories into the wee hours. The Earl King terrified me--and is one of the few childhood stories I remember to this day. Along the way, history fascinated me. Traditional history--kings and queens and wars and pirates--as well as spooky history. Roswell and ghosts, the princes in the Tower and other historical mysteries. I ate it all up.
These stories are why I write. Some are still untold, while others have yet to be formed.
I hope my stories frighten you, maybe enlighten you. Transport you. Make you stay up late, with a light on, reading...

Reviews

[T.R. Hamby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love creepy stories and this one didn’t disappoint. I liked the fact that this was based on true events, which made it creepier. Looking forward to reading the next book.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed and look forward to reading more from him in the future. This is a well written story that is a little dark in places and could cause some triggers for some. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the beginning. The author did a great job with details and making me feel as if I was part of the story. The characters are believeable and relateable. They made the story pop and had me wanting to know more. I really enjoyed this book and what the author's creative writing skills brought to the story. I highly recommend this book.

[Glenis Kellet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This horrifying true story gripped me from the start. A well-written novel set in Exeter, Rhode Island. The words are powerful leaving disturbing images never to be forgotten. This is the strongest story I've ever read, the characters were described so well, that I almost felt I knew them personally. I highly recommend this book.

[Lisa Marie Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Gothic tale

I found it a bit slow at the beginning, but when I got into the story it was a pretty compelling read. A couple of inconsistencies, possibly foreshadowing Mary and Eddie's end, worried me but by and large I enjoyed this novel. Now, the day after, I am still thinking it's a good job Lena died before achieving her ambition to be a teacher. Wow! Also it's disturbing that it is true - and what Hope's father made her and Eddie do after destroying the vampire? Yuck!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Historic Fiction books this is the book for you! Great plot and character building!

[Kerry Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the early 1890s in Exeter, Rhode Island, tragic illness and deaths affect the Brown family, but suspicions from a growing local belief in a probable devilish legend create a sense of fear that one member of the family has become an horrific monster responsible for the tragic deaths. The story is a fictional account told from the perspective of the youngest daughter in the family based upon the true historical details culled from written articles at the time. The main story is very engaging in its historical concept, but it requires reading patience in going through the expanded emotional fictional retelling of a tale promising a sense of horror.

[T.A. Bound · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically, I should not be rating my own book, but I wanted to tell a bit more about it.

The Last Vampire is a true story based on the life and death of Mercy Brown, the last person documented to have been suspected of being a vampire during the New England vampire panic of the late 18th and 19th centuries

This is an historical fiction with strong paranormal elements and some horror, but I tried not to deviate too far from the historical record.

There are few explanations for how an event like this could have taken place in the Gay Nineties, so deep into the modern world and the industrial age. A case of mass hysteria may have swept up the residents of a small, Rhode Island town who, acting upon fear, suspicion and superstition, believed a teenage girl from their community had returned as a vampire. The only plausible alternative explanation is that those who knew here, who were there when her body was exhumed and who examined her corpse, were correct.

There really is no third alternative.

I hope you will enjoy this real-life Gothic horror story which befell a New England family 130 years ago.