Anne Rice's latest book attempts to merge the storylines of The Vampire Chronicles with that of The Mayfair Witches. Make no mistake, however, this is a Vampire book and the Mayfair part is little more than window dressing. Yes, witchcraft plays a very important role here, but the famous family and it's main integrants (Rowan, Michael, Mona, even Lasher) are quite absent here. Previously, both storylines were held together by the Talamasca, a group of scholars who investigate the supernatural, although never interfere.
Louis the vampire seeks the help of Lestat's fledgeling David Talbot (former Superior General of the Talamasca who became a vampire at the end of Tale of the Body Thief) to raise the spirit of Claudia, the doomed child vampire who was thrown in the sunlight in Interview with the Vampire. Louis is tormented, you see, because of reports that her spirit is still roaming the earth, suffering, instead of 'going into the light.' To acomplish this, David asks Merrick Mayfair, another member of the Talamasca who is also a voodoo priestess, for help. Along the way, we are told her story (the book revolves pretty much around her, as you can guess from the title), from her childhood to the present, including a trip to a Central American jungle to retrieve a magic artifact: a mask that allow its wearer to see spirits.
Book Info: Merrick by Anne Rice. Ballantine Books. ISBN: 0345422406
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