Review by R.J. Carter
Published August 10, 2008

Kevin Emerson's teenaged vampire, Oliver Nocturne, is on the cusp of his maturity. He's at that stage where most vampires are bonded to their demons, allowing them to access the forces of the other worlds so that they can possess animals, fly, turn invisible, and all the other special effects that come with being one of the undead. But instead of the daily dreams that are the precursor of the event, Oliver finds himself plagued with insomnia -- which is how he discovers that a human girl has been skulking about in the family house, taking pictures while the Nocturnes sleep.

Oliver's curiosity about the equally curious humans leads him to an encounter with the girl, Emalie, who has captured Oliver on film but has had trouble getting his image to resolve to little better than a smudged blur. For Oliver's part, this is a mystery as well, as several other Seattle-based vampires hold night jobs as television reporters, and many other vampires have become famous film actors. Is this the reason why Oliver's parents have consistently warned him about staying away from cameras? And what does it have to do with the frequent doctor visits on his schedule, "routine visits" that he learns are not so routine after all... and how does it fit with the prophecy the older vampires keep mumbling on about?

While Oliver leads Emalie and her timid cousin Dean into the underground vampire cities beneath Seattle in search of assistance in getting the film developed, Oliver's forbidden association with humans is discovered, forcing Oliver's older brother, Bane, to step in and push Oliver to do the only thing he believes will get Oliver over his vampiric inadequacies:
 

"Bane!" Oliver snapped. "Come on, you found me. Just take me home, and you can be the big hero."
Bane looked at Oliver for a long moment. Oliver found, right then, that he just had no idea what was going through Bane's mind. Finally, Bane sighed. "Nah. You need help, bro. That's why I'm here. If I take you home, it's going to be all with the what's wrong with our baby?! And I am just -- sick -- of that." Bane threw an arm around Oliver's shoulder. "Nope, we're going to fix you, right here, right now."
Oliver shoved Bane away. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone!"
"Believe me, I'd love to! But you're my best excuse for a brother," Bane said, and threw his arm aroudn Oliver again, this time, with a grip that Oliver couldn't break. "That's why Bane's here to make it all better." As he said this, Bane pointed at the humans with the staff he was carrying. It was made of basic wood, except for the top, where a bony hand of metal held a crystal sphere. Turquoise light swirled inside the sphere. Oliver had never seen it before and didn't know what it might be, yet it looked like something enchanted.
Now Bane twisted Oliver toward the crowd of terrified human faces, then spoke softly by Oliver's ear, but still loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "Now, pick one."
"What?"
"You heard me. Pick the lucky human who's going to be your first victim."

The Vampire's Photograph is the first in a series of horror adventures for younger readers. There is blood and death -- as one would expect in a vampire story -- but it's not excessively gory or gross, although there are some characters who are decidedly creepy. And as Oliver discovers the secrets behind his origins as a vampire, the reader can't help but want to pick up the follow-up books to see just where Oliver's fate will take him.