It's 1997, and the gothic underground has overtaken the New Orleans club scene. On Friday and Saturday nights, dark rock and the children of the night pour from the bar at the corner of Decatur and Ursulines. Among them, is Jason Castaing--a middling journalist who scrapes by on jobs with free weeklies. But, Jason has a secret. John Devereux, his best friend, is the only real vampire in the world. After a chance meeting at a car accident, the two become best friends and start drinking a path through the French Quarter. It's all fun and games, until they help send a wannabe vampire to jail for a triple murder. Now, two years later, someone knows John's secret. Two women are dead, with their throats torn out. And, it's up to Jason to find out why, and clear his friend's name. He doesn't have much, but he's not alone. A tough-as-nails punk rock girl named Maureen and a washed-up cop are all the friends he has left--until he meets two men with deep connections to the vampire underworld. They show him a side of the city he never knew. But, that's not all Jason learns. John Devereux has a past. And, the more Jason learns, the less he trusts his new friend. But no matter what happens, there's always a bottle of bourbon and an open pack of smokes nearby. It's all booze, cigarettes, and vampires for one bloody October--and Jason Castaing isn't sure which one will kill him first....