Smiling Wolf

A friend of mine recommended this book, thinking that I would enjoy it as it was both a mystery and a vampire story. Although it was an odd melding of genres, I have enjoyed the Anita Blake, vampire hunter, series of books by Laurell Hamilton, so I thought I would give the book a try. As it was by an author with whom I was unfamiliar, I admit that I was prepared to be disappointed. Instead, this plot driven book, peppered with intriguing characters, moved along at a brisk pace, and I found myself reading a book that I simply could not put down! Frank De Nardo, a former NYPD homicide detective, is now a private investigator in New York City. When he is approached by the father of a well-known author to investigate his daughter's mysterious disappearance, De Nardo unknowingly takes on a missing person's case that could have life or death consequences for him. Drawn into the shadowy netherworld of a seemingly shady, yet powerful character named Dracol, De Nardo finds himself becoming embroiled in a bizarre world that he never knew existed. As the body count mounts, the only question is who will come out on top, Dracol or De Nardo? Those who enjoy mysteries, police procedurals, or simply vampire novels, should enjoy this fast-paced, plot driven book.

I feel compelled to address the posting here of TJ Epps. I found his critique so far off base, so mean-spirited and untrue, that I had to respond. On the cover of the edition of SMILING WOLF there was no mention of Gore Vidal or Robert Graves, however, I would readily liken Carlo's writing style to James Cain, Chandler, and Daschle Hammett . Carlo's writing is terse, with a sense of the street naturally woven into the narrative. TJ gleefully cites examples of improbabilities, each of the mare false and without merit. He talks about a photograph of a woman found in the river, wondering how a photograph could be given to the media,considering the girl's decomposition. What Carlo wrote was that a photo of the girl while she was still alive was given to the press. Personally, I love this book. It dragged me into a netherworld I knew nothing about. Personally, I found it so believable that it gave me nightmares. Like other readers here, I read the book in one sitting, it was so compelling-- interesting and original. Both my husband and I can highly recommend the book and wee are both hopeful it will be made into a film. We especially liked when the story moved to Rome, Italy. BRAVO, PHILIP CARLO.

This is a damn good author. Carlo writes with a flow that kept me hooked and I started and finished this book in the same day. All the characters in this vampire murder drama are well developed. The sexy woman is erotically described and the main character, De Nardo is perfectly set in this story. I can see DeNiro playing the movie version of this book. Good read!

Once I started, I literally could not put down Carlo's Smiling Wolf. In a popular genre, he portrays his own unique vision of the vampire subculture. I loved the characters. They are deep, human, and three dimensional. This is a GREAT read.

I CAME ACCROSS THIS AMAZING BOOK IN MY LOCALE BOOK STORE AND COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN ONCE I PICKED IT UP. IT DRAGGED ME INTO A DARK NETHER WORLD I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT. IT IS FILLED WITH SHOCKING TWISTS AND TURNS AND KINKY SEX.THE AUTHOR OBVIOUSLY DID A LOT OF RESEARCH INTO THE UNDERGROUND VAMP CULTURE...THOUGH IT IS A NOVEL CARLO MADE IT SO REAL. I HIGHLY/HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!