> I'm relatively new here -- how evil is Steve? Because the evillest and > most unlikely plot twist I can think of would be for that _not_ to be a > setup for a Dashiel Hammet-like opening to the next book. > > Louann, just saying. If Steve remains true to form then the next book will be "past-tense". It's very likely that we won't learn what's become of Vlad in the "present" until the book after Dzur.