Hunters of the Dusk is the seventh book in the long young teenager series, Cirque Du Freak. The series follows the adventures of Darren Shan, a human boy who becomes a half-blood Vampire and eventually a Prince of the Vampires.

In Hunters of the Dusk, Darren has been at the Vampire Mountain for approximately six years and is restless. Mr. Tiny, the being who is said to have created Vampires, comes to the mountain to let the Vampire Clan know that the Vampaneze's leader, who has instigated a war against the Vampires, can be killed. Mr. Tiny says that Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Darren's mentor, and Vancha, another Vampire Prince, will have four chances to kill the Vampaneze leader before he is too powerful to kill. Hunters of the Dusk share the adventures of Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Vancha, and Harkat up to their first encounter and failure, with the Vampaneze leader.

Along the road to their encounter with the Vampaneze Leader, the group visits Lady Evanna, a mysterious and old figure in the Vampire world who is a witch and also is the only person able to bear a Vampire baby. She joins the group as an observer in their travels to find the Vanpaneze leader. It is Lady Evanna who is responsible, inadvertently, for leading the group to the Vampaneze leader.

During their travels, Darren begins training with Vancha March in unarmed combat. The group also learns that Vancha had been a half-blooded Vampaneze before he was blooded as a Vampire by Paris Skyle.