The Third Section by Jasper Kent is the third title in the Danilov Quintet. What began with Alexi Danilov has now fallen to his children. Dmitri in Sevastopol fighting that British and French and Tamara in Moscow working for the government have no knowledge of each other, yet each carries on their father's struggle against the vroodalak (vampire) that is moving behind Russian politics.

Dmitri is a colonel in the army, fighting in the Crimean War when he comes up against the creatures he thought his father had destroyed thirty years ago. Meanwhile in Moscow, Tamara is a member of the government's Third Section who uncovers a brutal murder that has a striking resemblance to those committed decades earlier by an unearthly perpetrator.

The storyline in The Third Section is much more complex than the last two books with twists that question the nature of good and evil. Dmitri is almost frustratingly dense and seems to have inherited nothing from his father but knowledge of the vroodalak. Tamara is the opposite-- sharp minded but has no knowledge of the supernatural beings in Russia.

My Recommendation
The Third Section is my favorite of the Danilov books so far. The mix of history and fiction is wonderful, giving the story a sense of reality. Tamara really shines through as a continuation of Alexi's work against the vroodalak. While I wholeheartedly recommend the entire Danilov Quintet, The Third Section is the best so far.

The Third Section by Jasper Kent
Published by Pyr
480The Third Section by Jasper Kent is available at Amazon.com