The Vampire and the Case of her Dastardly Death

The Portlock Paranormal Detective Series

Additional Authors

Jilleen Dolbeare

Book Synopsis

I awoke dead. It was a real bummer.

Being covered in blood and having fangs was the icing on an already terrible day. Things go from bad to worse when I get a summons to attend the vampire king’s court, where I get my marching orders. I’m given one lousy week to get my affairs in order and then I’m to present myself to the conclave to commence my hundred years of indentured servitude, where I get to learn Vampire 101.

The thing is, I have an eidetic memory and I’m a fast learner. It’s not going to take me a hundred years to grasp this stuff. And I have plans – mediocre ones, but they’re mine. One hundred years of servitude isn’t going to fit the bill.

I need to make my escape now, before they sink their teeth into me (again). The only problem is they’ve sent the vampire that turned me to keep a sharp eye on me, and he keeps looking at me like I’m a fine glass of merlot. Escape isn’t going to be easy.

My name may be Bunny, but they’re going to learn there’s nothing fluffy about me…

Dive into this fast-paced urban fantasy series if you love humor, heart, found family and slow-burn romance.

The Hook

A vampire detective, talk about a sucky job, pun intended. I want to believe this is going to be a good hidden gem type of a book, but I’m not sure if I like the vampire detective thing. First of all, she’s not going to be able to do anything during the day because she’s going to get burned by the sun. And most of the places she needs to investigate and talk to people are probably going to be during the day, unless she has like an underground tunnel thing then I guess that might work. This book was recommended to me by my husband, so, I'm hoping it’s going to be a good one because he seems to like it.

What I hope to see in this book:

From what I can infer from the synopsis; I’m hoping this book is going to be hilarious, because it’s saying in the description that it is funny and if there is romance even better. The cover of the book as a blonde female in the leather outfit, (which I’m assuming is the vampire detective), and behind her is a dog or at least what looks like a German Shepherd. So, I’m really hoping that the dog is going to be a key factor in this series with the vampire detective, that would make me super happy because I love puppies and dogs of all shapes and sizes.

I’m also expecting a lot of action in this book, because it’s a detective book so there has to be action. Now I am usually pretty good at figuring out the plot of the story, and sometimes even the killers in the book before their revealed, so I’m hoping this book is going to throw me for a good loop as well, come up with the unexpected and not have everything be too obvious in the beginning. To me that would be a good read and the perfect hidden gem.

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Book Review

By Blogger:

Dee Szuba

"Gods I just wanted to be free, I'd be the best gods damn assistant if I could just be free. 'Help me John'."

When I picked up "The Vampire and the Case of Her Dastardly Death" by Heather Harris, I was expecting a gripping detective story with a vampiric twist. Sadly, my hopes were dashed as I quickly realized the main character wasn't actually a detective, and there was no investigation into her death whatsoever. As someone who loves a good mystery, this was a major letdown.

However, the book did provide an intriguing glimpse into the beginnings of the protagonist's life as a vampire, which helped flesh out her character. Harris' writing is quite descriptive, painting vivid imagery that kept me engaged despite the lack of an actual case to solve. The villain, Franklin, is deliciously detestable, and I found myself eagerly hoping for his demise by the end of the book.

While the story itself is short, it does serve as a nice appetizer for what could be an interesting new vampire series. I particularly felt for the character John, ensnared in the clutches of the vampire cult, and I'm rooting for him to find a way to escape their grasp. If you're looking for a quick, atmospheric read to whet your appetite, this book may satisfy that craving, even if it leaves more to be desired in terms of a substantive detective narrative.

Book Spoilers

Disclaimer: This section might contain Spoilers about the book because, as we read the books we try to provide readers with information that might catch them off guard and/or trigger them to in one way or another. This is the main reason for this blog was created.

So, one of the positives about this book is there’s not a lot that’s concerning for readers. They do have inferences to physical harm to the protagonist of the story, but as I was reading the book nothing made me feel as if I was like “Wow that’s too much I can handle it,” type of situations. Most of the inferences make you hate the main villain more and build the detest for him.

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