Mâchoire

Mâchoire—also known as "The Smiling Shadow"—is a recurring character in The Book of Falling by Rob Pegler.

While the name "Mâchoire" is known to most vampires—and those who hunt them—it is seldom mentioned in vampire circles. Thought to be some sort of spirit, or even an über-vampire, he is generally considered a myth—a ghost story for the undead—and in some clans it's even considered bad luck to mention his name.

Most recently, the name of Mâchoire has been cropping up in connection with Johnny Fantôme, vampire kingpin of Roseburg. Johnny's meteoric rise to power in the mid-twentieth century has led to rumours that he had help from some shadowy puppeteer hiding in the wings, and that the same puppeteer is now controlling events in Roseburg for his own ends. While Fantôme has been seen conversing with a mysterious white-haired figure—also witnessed by Meliad and Will Grey at different times—the truth of Mâchoire's existence or his involvement with Fantôme is still unknown.

Unconfirmed sightings of Mâchoire have been reported in "Blood Will Out" and "Molech and the Filth".