Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, but in Charles Stross's Laundry Files series--about the British secret agency that deals with all the supernatural horrors that really exist--the theories are true.
Laundry agent Bob Howard is an apprentice necromancer who spends his time protecting the normals of the world from very real Lovecraftian horrors that lurk just beyond human perception. Demons exist, and the way to connect with them is to solve abstract mathematical formulas. A group of financial wizards have discovered a way to turn themselves into vampires via complex market-modeling algorithms. These humans now have a hankering for human blood and a sensitivity to sunlight. They don't seem to be deterred by wooden stakes or Christian imagery, though. In fact, the freshly created monsters use agile project management (a favorite among software coders) to test all permutations of the vampire myth and find out what they can and can't get away with.
Once Bob accidentally discovers the existence of these bloodsuckers while on a side project at work, he must find a way to save his marriage, his co-workers, the vampires themselves and (not incidentally) the entire world.
As the fifth full novel in the Laundry Files (which started with The Atrocity Archives), The Rhesus Chart maintains the same breezy humor and confident intelligence of the first four books while ratcheting up the stakes for the protagonist. Stross continues to show his mastery of the form, mixing solid character development and engaging action with smart social commentary and a compelling cliff-hanger ending that promises more to come. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor