Paranormal reunions are murder.As a vampire detective, my needs are simple. I like my human PA, our spoiled Shih Tzu and solving crimes. Sure I’m set in my ways but that’s not surprising after being undead for two centuries.A reunion at the Colorado mansion of my former employer isn’t my first choice for leaving LA but I promised my PA a white Christmas. Besides professional curiosity has me … curiosity has me wondering how my former colleagues are faring.
But when our host is murdered I discover no fae, nymph, shifter, witch or demon is above suspicion. And the murderer isn’t done yet.
Luckily I have a talent for solving crimes, a taste for blood and a knack at wanting the forbidden.
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The Undead Detective by Jennifer Hilt is a prequel to her Undead Detective series starring Hattie Silverthorne. Hattie received an invitation from an old vampire acquaintance by the name of Alan. She initially intends to refuse, but when her PA finds the invitation well…vacation anyone? Since she promised Ben a white Christmas, she’ll be killing two birds with one stone. But on the way it seems that trouble is out to get not just her, but Alan as well. Let the fun begin as Silverthorne scrambles to figure out who did the deed and why.
The Undead Detective by Jennifer Hilt is the first book that I have read by this author, and overall it was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed Silverthorne’s wry humor. The pace of the story is well done over all. Alan comes off as an interesting character, but you can tell that he’s definitely into showing off his wealth. Of course when he’s offed, I don’t feel too bad for him. The air of mystery that the author weaves is well done. It kept me intrigued as to who did it and why.
While the air of mystery is good, I found the characters a bit bland to me. I wanted a bit more depth into them. The story is straight forward, but I wanted more drama to really spice things up. The revelation of who the killer is and why is anti-climactic. There is some humor, but I wanted more.
I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I’m hopeful that I’ll learn more about the characters and that the story will have more depth.
For some reason, I read this prequel after I read the first book in the series, but no harm, no foul. To be completely honest, I think I liked this book better than I liked the other one. Not by a lot, but a little. Silverthorne takes her human on a reunion trip, and someone is murdered. As my problem with the full-length novel, she seems to only fall into the clues, not actually doing much detective work. However, this novella was fun and interesting even with this minor foible. The book was over quickly as these shorter-length stories tend to do, but it was a good ride getting there. Recommend this novella!
A fun bit of escapist reading.
This novella does not take long to read but it is a delightful little story that will keep you entertained for an evening. The main character is a vampire who also happens to be a medical examiner. She has a human personal assistant and a small dog which accompany her to a reunion where all manner of catastrophe ensues, including the murder of the reunion’s host. I enjoyed the variety of paranormal characters (as well as Ben, the only human in the story and Mr. Figgles, their delightfully spoiled Shih Tzu). I also liked the non-stop action and the pervasive snarky humor of the story which set the stage nicely for a new series. As far as the blush factor: there are no graphic sex scenes, but the lead character is uninhibited about expressing her lustful thoughts on occasion. There is some explicit language but not in excess. Overall, this is a truly enjoyable read for those of us who appreciate a fun frolic in the paranormal realm.