Rome 1959. Along the Via Veneto, the living and the dead enjoy la dolce vita, as the vampires, intellectuals, conspirators, jet-setters and swindlers of Europe gather in an endless round of indulgence and gaiety, dancing giddily to the music of the Dracula Cha Cha Cha. The Vampire King, in Italian exile, is to be married to a Moldavian princess, and rumours circulate that his wedding will be the first move in a campaign to return him to his position as Lord of the Undead and a power in the world. In the eternal city, three corpses in the Fontana di Trevi lead three vampire women towards the destinies of their hearts. A flamboyant murderer stalks the elder vampires of the city, perhaps intent on wrecking the Royal Marriage; an undead British secret agent with a license to kill is swept up in a titanic conflict with the supernatural agents of Smersh; a living American opportunist sees a way of surviving as a parasite upon the dead; and a creature older even than Count Dracula is awakened to decide the fates of lovers and monsters. From the author of Anno Dracula and The Bloody Red Baron comes this novel of horror and mystery, romance and intrigue.