Molly Harper, Nice Girls Have Fangs

Nice Girls Have Fangs

Molly Harper

Pocket, Apr 2009, $7.99

ISBN: 1416589422

It comes as a stunning blow to half Moon Hollow's librarian Jane Jameson, who has the official title of Director of Juvenile Services, to be fired. Instead of severance pay, she receives a gift certificate at Shenanigans where she gets drunk. Her car breaks down in the woods near her home and she starts to walk home. A drunken driver thinks she is a deer, shoots her, and drives away. Jane knows she is dying, but when she awakens she finds herself in the bed of Gabriel whom she met at the bar.

He is a vampire and converted her so she would not die. It takes Jane a while to adapt to her new undead existence; she informs no one about her new lifestyle except her best friend Zeb. One of her new vampiric peers gives her a care package with a reference book, The Guide for the New Undead. Jane is brought before the Vampire Council on trial for killing the vampire Walter; she insists she did not do it. Rumors spread about her sexual practices even though she is chaste. Someone writes a horrible message on her car window and tries to kill her dog by putting antifreeze in his water bowl. She is framed for another homicide. That unknown adversary keeps stalking her, but Jane is confused as she has not had any time or incident to make such a persistent enemy willing to kill others to stake her.

As a somewhat reticent mortal Jane was prim and proper; but as a vampire she has a new sense of her sexuality especially when she is near Gabriel. She also communicates with the ghost of her Aunt Jettie; these dialogues are jocular yet poignant. Molly Harper has written a bloody good vampire tale with a touch of mystery and plenty of suspense that will enthral romantic urban fantasy fans.