A review by theresa_glover
The Strain by Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

What would you get if you crossed a frog, a mosquito, a worm and Dracula? The vamps in The Strain. Don't take that as a slight against the story, because it's really not, it's just .... I found this one a little difficult to classify. It took the trope and twisted it some, but not as far as some have. These vampires have the decency to die in sunlight, and at least one of them sleeps in something like a coffin, but there are some unique features about them that has me on the fence about whether I'm going to listen to the second and third books in the series. The overarching story arc was interesting, and the concept was intriguing. What frustrated me throughout this book was the human characters seemed like cookie cutter story tropes. I've read these characters before. The brilliant, recovering alcoholic hero with government authority who would do ANYTHING for his son - except take a day off. The wizened old man from the old country who has to win the trust of said brilliant hero. The estranged wife caught between the almost-but-not-quite-smart-enough-to-be-snarky boyfriend and the ex-husband with issues. The female assistant to said brilliant hero who has something of a silent crush on him. Maybe they felt so flat because the story was chopped into three books and their development didn't really get a chance to get rolling? Yes, I said chopped. The ending pissed me off. It was a blatant "go buy the next one to find out what happens, tee hee..." I'll give this one time to marinate and we'll see if I go further in the series or just let it ride. All in all, it was a good story, if a little predictable and familiar.