Thirst, No. 4: The Shadow of Death by Christopher Pike
I'm going to do a quick Google search to see if anything comes up, I'll be right back...
Based on my vague research, it seems that he is merely 51. He's still kicking. Which is nice, because I actually like his books. They're totally bizarre, they're not afraid to get spiritual on you and they're kind of weird.
One of my favorite series by Christopher Pike was called "The Last Vampire." It was a six-book series that lasted from 1994 and ended on 1996. With the excitement of vampires again in the late 2000's, they were re-released in "omnibus" editions. The first three books were called "Thirst, No. 1" and the last three books were in "Thirst, No. 2." To my surprise, I found out that they were going to release "Thirst, No. 3." To my knowledge, there never was a seventh novel. That's because "Thirst No. 3" is the seventh novel. I read that 500+ whopper in two days. It was a thrill and although it wasn't the best book in the series, I enjoyed every second of it.
The "Thirst No. 4: The Shadow of Death" just came out earlier in August, and it was the first book I bought for my Nook. I felt a little guilty buying it e-style, but now that I've finished it...I'm glad I did. I don't know if I would want this "final" edition to clutter my already-cramped book shelf. It took a far-reaching plot line even further. In "No. 3", we're introduced to a race of beings that have been living under our noses for forever. They are a danger to Earth and they need to be stopped. Enter Sita, the last vampire, who is going to stop them.
Except, at the end of "Thirst No. 3" we find our main character, Sita, dead. But not completely because she is somehow still clinging on to life through the body of her friend all Freaky Friday style. Except her friend is actually dead and Sita is just taking over her body...so never mind the Freaky Friday reference.
Since you've never read the series, I'm sure, I'll spare you the gory details. Pike creates his own take on psychics and makes psychic children evil, Sita gets her body back and she also saves the day. I can't forget that Pike uses a lot of Hindu inspirations in these novels, and while "No. 3" didn't have as much Hindu-spiration, Pike makes up for it with Sita and her love for Krishna in "No. 4." This part is interesting and enjoyable because Sita fights a battle with herself trying to figure out if she is good or if she is evil. The end of the world may be right around the corner, but darn it, Sita can't handle dying tagged as a "bad guy."
It's a fun series. I recommend it, but only if you realize you're not picking up Classic Literature. And if you like vampires of the non-sparkle variety that don't control their love interests.