Bloodthirsty

Inside the Secret History of Vampires, Death, and Desire

De: Miles Donovan

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Bloodthirsty: Inside the Secret History of Vampires, Death, and Desire

They have walked beside us for centuries — in tombs, in myths, in laboratories, and now in the digital veins of our modern world. In this chilling, beautifully written work of investigative nonfiction, bestselling true-crime historian Miles Donovan uncovers the real story behind humanity’s most enduring predator: the vampire.

The Myth That Refused to Die

Long before Bram Stoker’s Dracula haunted Victorian London, tales of blood drinkers had already seeped through ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt, and the fog-drenched villages of Eastern Europe. Donovan digs into newly unearthed records, archaeological finds, and forgotten Church documents to reveal how superstition merged with medicine, how plague victims became “the undead,” and how empire and fear turned folklore into faith.

Where Science Meets Superstition

From the real-life vampire epidemics of the 1700s to the blood scandals of the modern age, Bloodthirsty explores how medicine, contagion, and immortality have always shared the same dark heartbeat. The book follows humanity’s obsession with conquering decay — from transfusions and rejuvenation experiments to Silicon Valley’s billion-dollar hunt for eternal youth — revealing that the vampire’s hunger has simply traded its fangs for syringes and stock options.

Desire, Death, and the Mirror of Humanity

Donovan’s trademark narrative style blends history and psychology, weaving vivid scenes of crusaders and coroners, poets and scientists, killers and dreamers. Each chapter examines a new incarnation of the vampire: as plague bearer, aristocrat, lover, celebrity, and finally algorithm — the digital immortal that feeds on time and attention. What emerges is both terrifying and strangely intimate: a portrait of civilization itself, forever drinking from its own reflection.

The Real Monsters Behind the Legend

Drawing on historical case files and modern neuroscience, Donovan investigates the killers who blurred the line between myth and madness — from the blood-obsessed murderers of Europe to America’s own “vampire crimes.” He exposes how every era, from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms, has built its power on the same unspoken exchange: life for longevity, morality for desire. The vampire, he argues, is not just a legend — it is a system.

A Book That Bleeds with Truth

Bloodthirsty is more than a history of monsters. It’s an autopsy of human ambition, a journey through centuries of fear and fascination, and a revelation that what we call “undead” might simply be the part of ourselves that refuses to rest. Combining cinematic storytelling with scholarly depth, Donovan transforms folklore into a mirror of our collective soul — seductive, dangerous, and unforgettable.

If You Think You Know the Vampire… Think Again.

With its fusion of true history, philosophy, and gothic atmosphere, Bloodthirsty will captivate readers of The Demon-Haunted World, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Stiff, as well as fans of Anne Rice and historical thrillers like The Devil in the White City. Every page pulses with the rhythm of forbidden knowledge — the heartbeat of a story that refuses to die.

Step inside the coffin of history. What you find there may not be a corpse… but a mirror.

By Miles Donovan

Author of The Psycho of Plainfield and Highway of Horrors

A Quantum Quill Media Publication