Jeanne C. Stein has done just that in her debut, The Becoming.

Anna Strong is a San Diego bounty hunter, a woman who doesn’t need to rely on men to feel confident in her abilities. But when she is attacked and left for dead, she becomes the antithesis of dead - she becomes a vampire. As she moves forward hesitantly into this new world, she must not only come to grips with how this change affects her, but also those closest to her. She soon learns that many of the most powerful people in her community have connections to the undead and she reluctantly takes on an assignment to assist them - finding the wayward vampire that attacked her and stopping him before he can do more damage.

The temptation would be to let the novel dissolve into a variety of vampire clichés, but Stein rises above it. The characters are fresh and original, the conflicts are genuine and the vampires feel all too real. All of these elements are put in play under the hazy sunshine of San Diego, an area the author knows well and puts to good use.

It is Anna, though, that drives this story. Her struggles with her newfound immortality are sincere and authentic. She may possess the soul of a vampire, but it is her battle to retain her humanity that makes her so appealing.

The early comparisons position this novel next to those of Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson and Charlaine Harris. While those are certainly worthy names for Stein to be mentioned with, this novel contains enough well-done mystery elements to satisfy Evanovich and Grafton fans as well.

There are no flaws here. This is a first-rate debut, and let’s hope both Stein and Strong are here to stay.