Finding the first body completely stripped of its skin was quite unsettling, but Rachel agreed to stay until her replacement could get to town. Unfortunately it wasn't soon enough because unsettling things began stirring up the residents and more ended up dead. Adding to that is the ever-increasing strange behavior of Evan Stroud – the man who bought Old Tuonela, home of the Pale Immortal. His constant digging of the old town's grounds added with his strange allergy to the sun has more rumors spreading about him to add to the mystique of the area.

With the announcement of the opening of the museum housing the body of the Pale Immortal – on display – draws many to the town's borders. A group of college students descend upon the town to film a documentary on the bizarre town and it's vampiric tendencies and they manage to draw in Graham Stroud, son of Evan. Strange happenings increase and more die – but is it the Pale Immortal? Or his many followers who later betrayed him, and buried him so he could never rise again?

I had a difficult time with this book. I had not read Pale Immortal, not realizing that this was part of a series when I chose it. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to read that first, because so much of this book made absolutely no sense that I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who hasn't read the first one. The atmosphere is almost there for horror, but the parts and characters are simply not cohesive enough to draw it all together. You get glimpses from Evan, action from Rachel, history from Alastair (Evan's father and sheriff), and current perspectives from Graham – but you also have multiple points of view from minor characters. All of this together, pieced with little information from the first story, is merely confusing and distracting. Questions to all of the mysteries are never answered, leaving the reader to question why s/he spent the time finishing it.

I still have not read the first novel, Pale Immortal, so I am only guessing that many of the answers to my questions from Garden of Darkness would be answered there, but I am going to stick with my suggestion of reading that one first if this book appeals to you. I love paranormal, but this one is beyond the pale for me.