Murder in Vein

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.