I finally come to a gothic novel that deals more directly with the supernatural than any of the gothics I have read to date - in this case, vampires. While many gothic stories hint at supernatural elements, they are normally explained away by the end of the book as some villainous machinations of a devious man (or woman) out to destroy lives, gain a family fortune, or for some other nefarious reason. Not in this case. As the title clearly indicates, this story is about vampires - the blood-sucking, eternal creatures of the night that roam the countryside looking for victims. Or is it? Author Dorothea Nile (who, in actuality, is Michael Avallone, a rather prolific and talented writer who published books in a number of genres under quite a few pseudonyms - besides this one, he also wrote gothics using the names Edwina Noone and Priscilla Dalton) is quite cunning in the way she (he) tells this story, leaving the reader, and the story's protagonist, wondering right up to the very end!
The Vampire Cameo is set right at the turn of the 20th Century, in the year 1899. Young Rosalie Lindquist, an American schoolteacher vacationing in Europe, is on the last leg of her journey when fate intervenes. The coach in which she is riding overturns in the Transylvania countryside during a horrific storm, leaving her stranded without any luggage, money, or means to reach the Austrian border. A mysterious man happens to be there, offering her sanctuary within the darkened halls of his crumbling home - Darkus Castle! (That name alone is enough to conjure up demons and all sorts of other horrors!) Count Alexander Darkus and his wife, Lady Carmela Darkus, are gracious hosts - but from the very moment Rosalie sets foot in the decaying castle, she can feel something is off. As the storm strengthens and the darkness descends, Rosalie - and the reader! - must determine if someone in that castle is a vampire, and if so, who is it?
Rosalie cannot quite believe the handsome Count is a vampire. After all, vampires are simply creatures of myth. No God-fearing young woman would believe such fantastical things exist. Yet, she cannot deny the facts in front of her. She does not see Lady Darkus in the day - she's suffering from a headache, the Count informs her. The Lady also reacts in terror at the sight of Rosalie's crucifix pendant. Only a vampire would react in such a way, correct? Yet, Count Darkus explains that his wife lost her parents in a horrific accident, and the silver crucifix her mother was wearing at the time of her death has inspired fear of crosses ever since. A simple, logical explanation, no doubt. But Rosalie has her doubts. Although the next morning shines brights, and Rosalie is ready to put it all behind her and return home - until the carriage she is in meets up with an angry mob of townspeople who are out for blood. Three young girls have disappeared, and they believe Count Darkus stole them away. Unable to pass, Rosalie is forced back to the castle, back to the dark recesses of the morbid place, back to where all her fears are once again brought to the forefront.
The story takes place over the course of just three or four days, yet, Nile (Avallone) manages to build up considerable suspense and fear within 180-plus pages. Poor Rosalie fights to rely on her faith in God and her own common sense to tell her that there are no such things as vampires. But the things she sees and the people right in front of her are making her question everything she has ever believed. What if one of them were a vampire? What if one of them really did take those three village girls? And what if one of them intended to make her their next victim? Another horrific storm rocks the great castle, and the irate villagers show up at the castle's door, ready to take matters into their own hands, with wooden stakes and mallets, to find their missing daughters. Rosalie is forced to make a choice, knowing she could very well be killed right along with Count Darkus and his wife, and ultimately, a very dark secret is revealed about the inhabitants of Castle Darkus that opens everyone's eyes!
Oh, and yes, there is also the very large Mondro, the Count's right hand man (and the only staff in the entire castle). He is a unique individual, being described as both deaf and dumb, a turn of words that the Count describes as "a shameful expression" (p. 85). What is interesting is that Count Darkus apparently knows sign language, as he uses it ("a curious hand and finger sequence of motion") to communicate with Mondro (p. 85). This is now the second book in recent weeks that I have read where one of the main characters is familiar with sign language (the other being The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage, a Dana Girls mystery where one of the sisters uses sign language to try and communicate with their teacher who is being held captive). It is funny how I have gone years without reading any books that mention deafness or sign language, but now in the span of a couple of weeks, I have read two with it!
And speaking of Mondro being deaf and dumb, I have to wonder if Nile forgot that fact for a moment later in the story. Much later, when Mondro starts to attack Rosalie, a shout from Count Darkus stops Mondro in his tracks, causing him to release Rosalie and turn to fight his master.(pp. 129-30). Why would the Count's shout affect Mondro, if the man is deaf and cannot hear? Even though Mondro is said in the story to have lip-reading skill, being able to lip read would not help him hear the Count shouting. It might have been more realistic to have the Count come up behind Mondro, pull him off, and throw him to the other side of the hall - that would certainly have created a more dramatic entrance for the Count. In any event, such a snafu does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
I am not sure who provided the cover art for this book, but I will say that it comes across more like for for a comic book rather than art for the cover of a book. Rosalie holding the candle, Count Darkus seeming to appear within the swirling fog approaching the young woman, and the foreboding castle one can barely see against that black night sky. It certainly sets the creepy tone of the story inside, and definitely gives the reader a sense that the vampire is about ready to attack. Having been published in 1968, two years after the Dark Shadows television show first premiered and just one year after the vampire, Barnabas Collins, made his first appearance, the book and its cover art may well have been inspired by the popularity of the "sympathetic vampire" that was now so popular.
I did learn a new word while reading this book. A number of times, Nile (Avallone) refers to Count Darkus' carriage as a "phaeton." I have honestly never seen that word before in my life, so I looked it up. Apparently, a phaeton can refer to several things: in Green mythology, he is the mortal son of the sun god Helios; in more recent times, it is an open-top car (such as a Volkswagen luxury sedan); but a century or more ago, it referred to a four-wheeled carriage without doors, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. So, instead of simply calling it a carriage, Nile (Avallone) uses the term "phaeton" through the entire book. Just goes to show, you can learn something new every day!
Finally, for those wondering about the title - yes, there is a cameo pin that plays a very important part of the story and ultimately leads to the final revelation of what is really going on and who is the vampire of the story. And if you think you know, let me just say - think again!
RATING: 10 harpsichords softly playing out of 10 for a suspenseful, terror-filled story of vampires, hate-filled villagers, and a young heroine who stands firm in her faith and courage!
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