Three Vampire Book Series with 40's Flair, Chick Lit and Southern Charm

Here are three book series featuring vampires in unexpected settings plus one outstanding book on it's own and a tip for future reading.

40's Flair--P.N. Elrod's Jack Fleming used to be a reporter, until the night he died. Killed by Chicago gangsters who didn't appreciate his writing style, he rose as a vampire courtesy of an ex-lover. The first 6 books were written as paperback originals but eventually made it to the ranks of hardcover by virtue of their popularity. Jack, a smart, tough, funny character, has surrounded himself with equally engaging friends, such as Escott, the PI friend he shares a house with, Shoe, a black gangster he's on the good side of and songbird lover, Bobbi. Throughout the books, Jack tests his new "powers" and usually gets his sustenance from the famed Chicago stockyards, which tells you quite a bit about his ethics. In the beginning, Jack, after solving the mystery of his own murder, assists Escott with his assignments but eventually, he's able to buy a nightclub of his own. But of course, that doesn't mean he's quits with the seedier side of Chicago life... In fact, as the books have gone on (I believe the 12th is being published spring '07), the storylines have gotten more serious, in the damage inflicted on Jack by warring mobsters and the damage Jack has inflicted in return with the conflicting emotions that engenders. I love these books for several reasons: The characters get under your skin, so humanly written are they. Jack's evolution as both a man and a vampire has been fascinating to read. And the 30's/40's era, one of my favorites, lends a particularly noir touch to these novels of the night.

Chick Lit--MaryJanice Davidson's Vampire Queen, Betsy, is a reluctant royal who talks like a valley girl and would rather go shoe shopping than carry out the duties of her station. Unless hunky Vampire King, Eric Sinclair (is that a romance name or what?!), is involved in the proceedings. Hit by a car while trying to save her cat on the day she got laid off, Betsy rose in the back room of a funeral home, thirsty and confused. And she's been bitching ever since! This is the series to pick up when you need a light read and a good laugh. I love great peripheral characters and Betsy has plenty--her best friend, Jessica, who's filthy rich but doesn't act it, Marc, a gay emergency room doctor she met while trying to kill herself and Laura, her angelic half-sister but not really, spawned by her step-mother and the devil, plus assorted fiends, a great mom and ghosts only she can see. Betsy exhibits some unusual powers as well, like she doesn't have to drink blood every day and she can be awake in the daylight. After all, she is the Queen. There's plenty of vampire politics, vampire hunters and vampire sex (YUM!). But even amid the frivolity of penning a vampire column in the local paper and planning a wedding, Betsy comes through in the clinch, always saving the day (or night). She may not have the Vampire Queen etiquette down yet but she protects her own. And wants instant appreciation! Betsy's a hoot!

Southern Charm--Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse isn't a vampire but she is surrounded by them in her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana. In the contemporary world, vampires have "come out" of their coffins and drink synthetic blood. When Bill, a handsome vampire, moves in next door to the home she shares with her grandmother, Sookie finds herself thrust into the world of the undead. Because she may not be a vamp but she does read human minds and that's a valuable skill in the eyes of Vampire Sheriff Eric, even though Sookie's tried to hide her weird talent all her life. In the reality of this series, the vampires have a complicated hierarchical system with a king or queen of each state and various officials in various areas. There are also shape shifters and weres--not just wolves but big cats and other animals as well--and Wicca is also well represented. Again, we've got an interesting cast of characters surrounding the down to earth Sookie, who would really rather just work her shifts at Merlotte's Bar, owned by Sam Merlotte, shape shifter, or hang with her chick magnet brother, Jason, who does quite a bit of growing up throughout the series. Recently she's been spending time with Quinn, a sexy were-tiger, who's an event planner for both humans and the more complicated rituals of the undead. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a rather simple-minded vampire named Bubba, who gets upset when people recognize him and request his old songs, like "Hound Dog" or "Blue Hawaii"... And did I mention the fairies? They're quite intoxicating to vampires. Sookie has an extraordinary talent that's lead to extraordinary adventures and some pretty cool vamp sex. But these aren't the vamp-lite books of Davidson; Harris's stories have a much more serious voice and general intent. Sookie's Southern sensibilities balanced against the world of the undead are a treat every time.

Bonus Book

Vamps As The Norm--David Sosnowski's Vamped takes place in a world where vampires have flourished and the humans not absorbed into the world of the night are kept on farms. Marty saves a little human girl
from the hunters who killed her mother and salivates at the thought of what a great treat she'll make. But Izuzu Trooper worms her way into his heart and his paternal instincts go into overdrive, proving that even a heart that doesn't beat can brim over with love and affection. Not that this is any sort of Pollyana story--Marty raises Izuzu through the teen years, which is never pretty in any reality, with the help of a stripper friend with an attitude who secretly yearns to be more than just a friend and a priest who questions his vampire nature. Marty is basically a hapless, apartment-dwelling bachelor doing his best to raise his adopted daughter in a world where she's the only one awake in the building during the day. To my chagrin, I caught myself laughing uproariously in public places reading this book. I can't think of a better recommendation than that for any book this side of Inside the Third Reich!

Special Mention

For those of you who read Christopher Moore's 1995 ode to vamps, Bloodsucking Fiends (and those of you who didn't, why not??), good news!! On January 16, 2007, the long-awaited sequel, You Suck, will finally hit the stands! But while you're impatiently waiting for Tommy and Jody's return, may I suggest picking up Chris's excellent A Dirty Job. There's not a vampire in site but there is Death (yes, with a capital D), harpies, hellhounds and one of Moore's most endearing characters, Minty Fresh.