BLOOD AND BULLETS by James R. Tuck

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights. . .

Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him--and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him. . .

OMG. This book was excellent. It hooked me in from the very beginning and I enjoyed the violent, intense roller-coaster ride it turned out to be. A lot.

Deacon Chalk lost his family five years ago, but he's still haunted by their deaths. After losing them he started hunting down monsters, and will do whatever it takes to save their victims. He's an occult bounty hunter, and a strip club owner. He's got some help though. There's the tough as nails Catholic priest, Father Mulcahy. And Kat, who happens to be a tech wiz with a deep hatred for vampires. Together, they keep the business going and gather all the info they need to hunt down these monsters.

However, the night a young vampire wants to hire him to keep her safe from some character called Nyteblade, everything goes to hell. All of a sudden, Deacon realises that someone's trying to hunt him down. On his pursuit to find out what the hell is really going on, he'll pick up a few new allies and find himself going up against one of the oldest and deadliest vampires around.

Yeah, this was a total kick-ass book. I loved Deacon's determination to get the job done, and how nothing deterred him from his goal. He's an honorable man willing to save innocents and do whatever it takes to keep the victims alive--even if it puts his life on the line. See, not only is he a little more than human, but he doesn't care if he dies.

Also, Father Mulcahy is one of the coolest priests I've ever read about. He was super cool. Oh, and this world features one of the best vampire origin stories yet! Seriously, it's awesome.

I can't wait to read more of this fantastic series. Actually, I've already pre-ordered the second book and the second novella. :)

BTW: If you want a sample of Deacon Chalk, check out James R. Tuck's website. He has links to a few free short stories. I've already read--and really enjoyed--them!