In Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch Barnabas Collins, the vampire hero of the series, has recently become a human again through the efforts of his devoted descendent Dr. Julia Hoffman and is living in current day Collinsport, Maine trying to adjust to normal life. Although engaged to marry Dr. Hoffman, he falls in love with a mysterious woman named Antoinette who has bought the ruins of "the old house" on the Collins estate and is restoring it while living with a band of hippies in the woods. Antoinette settled in the area because her daughter is being treated in a nearby mental hospital. Her daughter suffers from flashbacks to her previous incarnation as Miranda du Val who was burned as a witch in the Salem witch trials. One of the judges who condemned her to death was a Collins―Barnabas's ancestor. Barnabas is desperate to win Antoinette's love and to protect her and her daughter from the new vampire that he suspects is attacking the inhabitants of Collinsport. Parker continues a series based on the hit 1960s and 1970s supernatural soap opera, Dark Shadows , in which she costarred as the witch Angelique, heroine of the series opener, Angelique's Descent (1998), and erstwhile lover and foe of vampire Barnabas Collins. When this novel opens, Barnabas has been cured of his vampirism by his fiancee, Dr. Julia Hoffman, but feels like a shadow of his former self. His cousin Roger has sold the remains of the family estate, the Old House, to a woman named Antoinette, who so resembles Angelique that Barnabas is drawn to her. On a late night visit to the Old House, Barnabas discovers a fatally wounded workman, clearly the victim of a vampire attack. Barnabas insinuates himself into Antoinette's life to protect her and the hippies she allows to camp out on the property from the seeming threat. In the process, he discovers a shocking link between his family and Antoinette's. Fans of the show will find much to love in this yarn steeped in its mythology. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Inspired by the 1970s television show Dark Shadows , Parker writes a layered story that catalogues not only Collins' marital misgivings after falling for mysterious flower child Antoinette but also a large subplot dealing with one of Collins' ancestors during the infamous Salem witch trials.” ― Cinescape.com “Fans of Dark Shadows have long awaited this second book by Parker. Parker has done her research. She takes us effortlessly from Collinsport in 1971 to Salem Village in 1692 and does a wonderful job of capturing the history of both periods. Her spellbinding plot and descriptive prose will please those who love a supernatural romance. She has captured the characters, the dialogue and the spirit of the show perfectly.” ― RT Book Reviews LARA PARKER, whose real name is Lamar Rickey Hawkins, played the role of Angelique on Dark Shadows . She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, attended Vassar College, majored in Drama at the University of Iowa, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University at Los Angeles. Her books include the Dark Shadows Trilogy: Angelique's Descent, The Salem Branch, Wolf Moon Rising, and others. She lives in Topanga Canyon, California, with her husband and daughter. Dark Shadows The Salem Branch By Parker, Lara Tor Books Copyright © 2006 Parker, Lara All right reserved. ISBN: 0765304570 Chapter One   Collinsport—1971   The Bentley throbbed down the dark road through a long corridor of overhanging trees. Wet with a late evening rain, the pavement mirrored the headlights and sucked the speeding vehicle into a whirlwind of new-fallen leaves. Barnabas Collins loved the feel of this car, the muscle of it, the singing hum of the engine. It was one of the few things in his life that gave him pleasure. Since he had learned to drive, he had found solace in the hardened shine of black enamel folded like wings about him, enclosing him like a carapace—or a coffin.   “You ain’t gonna believe it, Barnabas. It don’t make sense. I mean when you think about it.” Willie sat in the passenger seat, leaning back against the leather, staring out the window. His hay fever had returned with the goldenrod, and his breathing was a shallow wheeze. Barnabas glanced over at Willie’s hands clutching the corners of his jacket, nails bitten to the quick.   “I can only assume she found an original set of plans.”   “No, that’s not it. It’s not just the same rooms and the same stairway. It’s really old; it’s hundreds of years old. Where are the plans for that?”   “That’s the purpose of a restoration, Willie. To produce as authentic a replica as possible.”   “Yeah, well, you ain’t seen it.” Willie extracted a filthy handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket and blew his nose.   “What were you doing wandering around the Old House anyway?”   “Roger sent me to check on them hippies living in the woods back behind the cemetery. He wants them out.”   “Hippie