Vein Pursuits
© 2023 Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle
322 pages | Audible version read by Roger Clark, 11 hours & change

Cold as Hell introduced readers to James Crowley, an undead gunman who was killed trying to protect an innocent woman and her daughter Rosa from his gang’s boss. The White Throne saw fit to spare Crowley from Hell and put his talents to use dispatching the creatures of hell who torment and prey on humanity. Authors Rhett Bruno & Jaime Castle created a unique dark fantasy / western mix, integrating southwestern mythology into a story of a bounty hunter who targeted supernatural creatures. Vein Pursuits continues the story of Crowley, who — in the events of Cold as Hell — was reunited with the rescued girl from long ago, now a mysterious and beautiful woman who attracts both mortal men and the spawn of Satan alike. Rosa saw things in Cold as Hell that she cannot explain, and she’s driven to Crescent City (a thinly veiled New Orleans) for answers. Crowley is also dispatched to the City by the White Throne, and as they travel in the company of Bram Stoker (yes, really), they quickly realize that something dark is waiting for them in the big easy. Vein Pursuits is far more fantasy-dominant than Cold as Hell, but introduces some elements that make the overall story increasingly interesting. Frankly, the coolest part of this book is one I can’t say thing about for spoilers.

First things first: if you are a fan of Roger Clark from Red Dead Redemption II, who narrates this book and who was the actor for its main character Arthur Morgan (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Crowley in terms of character & background), Vein Pursuits continues to deliver.. We open with Crowley/Arthur encountering reptilian beasts in the swamps outside of Crescent City, which can only be New Orleans given its size and the cryptids and personalities we meet there, including the Voodoo Queen, and Crowley’s contempt for the city mirror’s Arthur’s of “St. Denis”, Rockstar’s version of NOLA. At some point, I know, my brain is primed to see links where the authors did not intend them — but using the word “Chelonian” when a cult of that name has a presence in St. Denis? Crowley hunting vampires in New Orleans like Arthur can in one of the game’s many eerie secrets that players can stumble upon? The mention of Tesla, who has an obvious doppelganger in RDR2? Crowley urging someone to “Don’t look back”, just like Arthur does John? Okay, that may a bit of a reach. All the same, it’s extremely easy to see Arthur in this story, which gets extremely deep in fantasy-mythic lore. In Cold as Hell, the basic premise was that there was a gang of thieves hitting banks and using the powers of hell to aid them: here, Crowley is sent to Crescent City to hunt down The Betrayer, who we discover is the descendant of Cain and the father of all vampires — but things aren’t quite that simple. The enemies of the White Throne are not a uniform mass of coordinated villains: like mortal creatures, they fight in between themselves, and in the case of The Betrayer, have motives that go beyond merely resisting the Throne and being evil for the sake of evil. I’m really looking forward to what happens next in this series, because Crowley’s attachment for Rosa makes the Throne overtly hostile towards him, despite his being their servant, and by the end…..well, let’s just say things are never easy for a Black Badge. I’m definitely continuing in this series.

A light spoiler for those who want to know what the most interesting part of this is: