Free (Kindle) Bloodthirst by Marc Alexander [WWII Hungarian Supernatural Horror]

[ATDrake]

Bloodthirst by New Zealand author Marc Alexander (ISFDB, SFE) is his vintage standalone supernatural historical horror thriller drawing upon an ancient (well, late medieval/Renaissance-ish) evil awakening during modern-ish times, this one involving a revival of the spirit of notorious “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Báthory (Wikipedia) at the tail-end of WWII when fleeing German soldiers unwisely take refuge in a crypt in Hungary when the tides of victory begin to turn against them and thereby unleash something terrible which does not distinguish between friend and foe, free courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press' Venture imprint, who are e-printing it from its 1979 edition originally out from Hamlyn using the pseudonym Mark Ronson.

This was later republished under the alternatively-compounded title Blood-Thirst when it was reprinted by Lorevan's Critic's Choice imprint in 1986. I must say I like this doubly-historical story premise, even if it's probably too gory for my tastes, and the drawing upon local personages turned into fearsome international legends.

Currently free @ Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much everywhere else that Amazon sells worldwide, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive-or-else program)

Description
Her spirit has awoken…

1610.

Countess Elizabeth Bathori has been walled up alive in her castle for murdering the murderess of 650 young girls.

Her reason: to bathe in their blood.

Her sinister life of drinking and bathing in her victims’ blood has become only a haunting legend…

But is her evil influence really dead?

Now, three centuries later during the Second World War, the German troops are retreating from Hungary. With the turning tides of war, a group of fleeing Germans take refuge in a ruined crypt.

They disappear.

And when they are found, it is in the worst possible circumstances.

They have been murdered, strangely and savagely.

Their death unleashes upon the world a horror that was once thought to have disappeared… but now, we shall see that it has been lying in wait ever since the Countess’ death…

Her bloodthirst still rages – and she will claim many more victims before it is quenched.

Bloodthirst is a gripping supernatural horror thriller with tones of the mystic and mysterious.

[curtw]

How would you compare it to F. Paul Wilson's The Keep?

[ZodWallop]

Thanks for that! It does sound very Keep-y. But in this case Bloodthirst is the older book.

[Dr. Drib]

Got it.

Thank you!

[ATDrake]

Now a repeat freebie if you happened to miss it previously.