A prequel of sorts to Sands's paranormal comedy, Single White Vampire, this lightweight romantic romp shoots for the easy laugh and often misses. The allure of vampires lies in their strength and seeming invulnerability, but Etienne Argeneau, this book's bloodsucking hero, is curiously incompetent when it comes to dispatching a crazed mortal named Pudge who's intent on lopping his head off. Twice, Pudge manages to injure Etienne to the point where he ends up in the morgue under coroner Rachel Garrett's care.
Added by: Kahena | Karma: 11524.33 | Fiction literature | 14 February 2011
4
Sugarplum Dead
The catalytic agent in Hart's latest series addition (White Elephant Dead) is "Pudge" Laurence, the long-lost father of bookstore-owner and village sleuth Annie Laurence Darling. At the behest of a famous actress, Pudge is visiting Broward's Island, SC, where a financially slippery purveyor of crystals and otherworldly contacts creates problems for both families; the actress and Annie's mother-in-law seem enamored of his ways. Annie must tread a fine line, then: she tries to help her mother-in-law while circumventing her unwanted father. An charismatic characterization, the familiar island, and an excellent plot that is nicely knit together.
