Department 19: The Rising - Will Hill

Department 19 was created to hunt down and kill vampires after Count Dracula was defeated in 1891.  Ever since the events at Lindisfarne three months ago the teams have been told not to kill vampires, but bring them in alive.  Each time the teams capture vampires the words "He Rises" keep appearing.  It is revealed by Admiral Steward to the operatives that Dracula's remains have been missing for the last three months.  It is assumed Valeri Rusmanov, one of Dracula's servants, is the one who is nursing Dracula back to full strength.  When a 999 call comes in about vampire activity at a nursing home Jamie, Larissa, and Kate are sent to investigate.  They capture a few vampires and see the familiar He Rises wording on the walls.  The one thing they don't expect was Valentin Rusmanov to freely give himself over to Department 19.  Valentin does not want Dracula to come to power again, and he claims he has information to help Department 19 defeat Dracula.  As preparations are made for Valentin's interrogation, Jamie is told about a top secret project called Lazarus.  Lazarus is the search for a cure for vampirism.  Jamie hopes that a cure can be found.  If there is one then his mom and Larissa can be changed back into humans.  In the midst of Valentin's interrogation and Project Lazarus word comes in that Frankenstein might still be alive in Paris.  Frankenstein was last seen three months ago at Lindisfarne fighting a werewolf and falling off a cliff. Jamie convinces Admiral Steward to let him take a team to Paris and bring Frankenstein back home if he's alive.

I enjoyed this book as much as Department 19, the first book in the series.  When they started explaining what Project Lazarus was about I had a feeling that it was about a cure for vampirism.  On The Vampire Diaries television show they are also looking for a cure for vampirism.  In their case they are using an ancient hunters mark as a map for finding the cure, not scientific research.  I can't wait for the third book to come out.  It is titled Department 19: Battle Lines.  It will be released in the United Kingdom in March of 2013 and in the United States in August of 2013.

T.B.
2/9/13