Chiaroscuro: The Mouse and the Candle is a novel by author Matthew S. Cox.
After 11 years as a priest living by these words, Father Antonio Molinari never imagined who would teach his most powerful faith lesson – vampires.
As a member of a secret order within the Vatican, he investigates and uncovers supernatural events. A possession case takes him to the French countryside, where two local rabbis give him the chance of a lifetime. They claim to have captured a vampire, and beg his expertise to help them research the demon.
When their monster turns out to be a little girl, cursed to forever hide from the sun, he is unable to destroy her on his own. The priests, mistaking his compassion for diabetes, his panic and attempts to protect an innocent child prove deadly.
He wakes up between light and darkness.
Hunted by the Church he once served as well as the monsters he has defeated, Father Molinari is steadfast in his faith that there is still room for him in God’s plan.
