This is the first book in a series (of which two have already been published), of a mystery story with a twist, firmly based on the Maltese scene, only it is a scene that exists only in the author's mind.

The investigator, if we can call him that, is a vampire, Jack Sant, a Knight of Malta still haunting the island and the streets and alleys of Valletta.

The geography is jumbled up: suffice to say that in the first page, where the woman, Rita Caruana, is attacked when she is making her way home from Charlotte's Bar near the Nix Mangiari steps, (that is, the Grand Harbour side of Valletta) is then said to be on the Marsamxett side.

But otherwise, the slim book focuses unerringly on the real contemporary Maltese scene, the Mafia hoods counting their daily takings from extortion, the bright lights of Paceville, and the overworked and harassed police chief, Commissioner Vella.

And of course the old priest, Father Mizzi, with his complicated and oh so simple relationship with the knight-vampire.

Jack's relationship with the Police Commissioner goes back a long way, but he has a relationship with many of the Commissioner's wife's ancestors, who he knew in his hundreds of years he has lived, well sort of. The portraits on the wall of his colonial house in Lija are of generation after generation of the Manduca family, her family, his friends over the centuries. He has some sort of relationship with the De Fremaux family too.

He lives in Fort St Angelo and it is there that he carries out his terrible act of justice, avenging a terrible death carried out by the Mafia chief. The details, the rest of the story, you will have to get from reading the book.

Kelly Vero was born in Nottingham, and has worked in music, film, TV and video games. She has now made Malta her home where, as she herself says, she enjoys the sun, sea, cocktails and manicures.

Quaintly, she peppers her pages with explanations of common Maltese phrases which a foreigner would not understand at first.