Erin McCarthy, Sucker Bet

Sucker Bet

Erin McCarthy

Nine hundred years old vampire Gwenna Carrick has spent the last three centuries hiding from her nasty former spouse Roberto Donatelli. However after three hundred years of ennui, Gwenna cannot take it any longer especially residing in her brother's Vegas hotel and casino. She decides that the Internet is not enough even if she enjoys being part of an on line vampire slayer group. So she finally comes out of her sheltered life to have some fun in the night life of Vegas.

On her first night out on the town, Gwenna meets a corpse drained of his blood; she thinks that is not a very charming way to return to the living. Not long afterward she finds other members of her on line slayer group dead; drained of their blood too. Police detective Nate Thomas leads the investigation, but he rejects the idea of a vampire; instead he assumes a sick human is murdering people and somehow removing their blood. He also knows that Gwenna is the link as she is part of the slayer group and everywhere she goes a body is sure to follow. Gwenna wonders if Roberto is behind the killings even as Roberto vows to keep the beautiful woman safe as he assumes she is the ultimate victim of a deranged serial killer.

The fourth Tale of Vegas Vampires is an amusing entertaining paranormal romantic police procedural. The story line is fast-paced as Gwenna comes out of hiding in spite of having to avoid a bunch of corpses. Nate is a hero who will do anything to keep his beloved safe. Their erotic scenes are worth the price of admission even with a clever whodunit; this is a sure bet for sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner