A Matter of Taste

From the flaps of the Tor first edition: "In Chicago, in our day, he is known as Matthew Maule - but that is merely the latest in a long string of names he has carried. John Southerland, like the rest of the Southerland family, call him Uncle Matthew. After all, he's an Old Friend of the Family. Meeting "Uncle Matthew", Angelina Roban is a little overwhelmed. Her fiance's descriptions haven't prepared her for this handsome, vigorous, charming man who appears no older than forty. She's bemused when he eats nothing during their "get acquainted" dinner, though John has told her that Uncle Matthew often follows one fad diet or another, and further bemused by his flirtation with the redheaded waitress, who later joins the family, in Uncle Matthew's apartment. The next morning, the redhead has fled, a pair of bloody sores on her neck. John and Angie find Matthew lying in bed, apparently comatose, but John won't call a doctor. He summons, instead, his brother-in-law, Joe Keogh, an ex-cop. Angie begins to learn the truth about the Southerland family's Old Friend when Joe arrives, armed with lead-covered wooden bullets. He's dealt with Matthew - and Matthew's enemies - before. Matthew Maule is over five hundred years old... And once, he was known as Count Dracula."