Murder in Vein

August 1, 2010

Odelia Gray (Corpse on the Cob, 2010, etc.) and Granny Apples (Ghost à la Mode, 2009) have a new cousin: Madison Rose, a human living in Los Angeles's twilight world of vampires.

Waitress Madison Rose can hardly believe it. First she's snatched from outside Auntie Em's Diner by a thug named Bobby. Just as quickly, Bobby is dispatched by two senior citizens who gnaw him to death. That's because Doug and Dodie Deadham are vampires who've been living in quiet luxury in Topanga Canyon. The Deadhams are dead set on finding out who's been killing people whose palms are marked with faint red bloodlines (the only humans who can be turned into vampires), in part to protect their secret and in part to protect future vamps. For reasons not clear even to Madison, she agrees to help them. Under the direction of centuries-old Samuel La Croix, head of the California Vampire Council, she lets sexy Colin Reddy squire her to clubs where vamp wannabes test their dentist-implanted fangs on willing young flesh, blissfully unaware that the real item is under their stylish noses. Because when real vampires bite, they don't play, as posers like Lord Wilhelm and Lady Harriet of Dark Tidings soon find out.

Like Stuart Kaminsky, Jaffarian juggles her franchises deftly, giving each a unique voice and appeal. Her latest series kickoff may be her best yet, blending supernatural sexy with down-to-earth sassy.             

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

August 1, 2010

In this vampire series debut by the author of the popular "Odelia Grey Mysteries," L.A. waitress Madison Rose is abducted one night after work and trussed up like a turkey to be handed over to a mad serial killer who is draining the blood of young women. Rescued by a strange vampire couple who kill her captor, Madison helps the vampires search for the real killer. While Jaffarian introduces an interesting cast of characters and an appealing heroine, several unexpected flashback scenes somewhat jar the story line's otherwise smooth delivery. This reviewer also felt somewhat misled by the jokey subtitle--the book features neither a dry humorous slant akin to Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series nor the quirky humor of Kimberly Raye's "Dead End Dating" mysteries. As a straight vampire mystery, however, it will no doubt appeal to many paranormal mystery fans. VERDICT Despite its flaws, this is recommended for its likable characters and intriguing plot. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 4/1/10.]--Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 12, 2010
This promising first in a new vampire cozy series from Jaffarian (Ghost à la Mode) opens with a bang. One moonlit night, serial killer Bobby Piper has waitress Madison Rose at his mercy in an isolated wooded area of L.A. Then an older man suddenly appears and sinks his fangs into Bobby's neck. The next thing Madison knows, she's at the Topanga Canyon home of her silver-haired savior, Doug Dedham, and his wife, Dodie, a retired nurse who's also a vampire. At the request of LAPD Det. Michael Notchey, who's clued into the covert L.A. vampire scene, Madison agrees to help nail the force behind Bobby's string of blood-draining murders. Most of Bobby's victims bore "bloodlines" marking them as potential vampires. Madison, who doesn't bear the mark, may have been attacked because she was mistaken for someone else. Though Madison is no Sookie Stackhouse, she's a definite keeper.

August 1, 2010

Odelia Gray (Corpse on the Cob, 2010, etc.) and Granny Apples (Ghost � la Mode, 2009) have a new cousin: Madison Rose, a human living in Los Angeles's twilight world of vampires.

Waitress Madison Rose can hardly believe it. First she's snatched from outside Auntie Em's Diner by a thug named Bobby. Just as quickly, Bobby is dispatched by two senior citizens who gnaw him to death. That's because Doug and Dodie Deadham are vampires who've been living in quiet luxury in Topanga Canyon. The Deadhams are dead set on finding out who's been killing people whose palms are marked with faint red bloodlines (the only humans who can be turned into vampires), in part to protect their secret and in part to protect future vamps. For reasons not clear even to Madison, she agrees to help them. Under the direction of centuries-old Samuel La Croix, head of the California Vampire Council, she lets sexy Colin Reddy squire her to clubs where vamp wannabes test their dentist-implanted fangs on willing young flesh, blissfully unaware that the real item is under their stylish noses. Because when real vampires bite, they don't play, as posers like Lord Wilhelm and Lady Harriet of Dark Tidings soon find out.

Like Stuart Kaminsky, Jaffarian juggles her franchises deftly, giving each a unique voice and appeal. Her latest series kickoff may be her best yet, blending supernatural sexy with down-to-earth sassy. �� � � � � �

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)