THE CASE OF THE VIRTUOUS VAMPIRE

Author: Monette Michaels ISBN: 1553165543 12/2004 PARANORMAL/MYSTERY Publisher: LTDBooks

Abigail Merriweather Gooden isn’t your typical Austin, Texas lawyer. Sure she has the so very chic law offices on West 6th Street and the prominent social status that comes from old Texas money, but she also has magic with a “k.” Abbie, after all, is a witch. So it isn’t surprising that the preternatural community sends all its legal matters to her. Such is the case with Jurnik Golub, owner of Exotica, a popular Austin gentlemen’s club. Jurnik is a vampire--and someone has attempted to frame him for the murder of one of his strippers. All lawyers like innocent clients—and Jurnik is definitely innocent, being that he was sleeping the sleep of the undead during the time of the murder. Abbie, along with Lucan Knight, the shape-shifter private detective Jurnik has hired, must race to find “whodunnit” before the Austin police haul Jurnik in—and he becomes one crispy client.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

What do you get when you mix together a half-witch, half wizard female lawyer with a part-wizard, part-shape-shifter PI, one viciously brutal murder, and a murder suspect who happens to be a " blood bank only" fed vampire? Well, to answer, you get a pretty interesting paranormal romance with a bit of mystery and suspense, some drama laced with humor, and one heck of a yummy hunk-to-panther-to-whatever-else-he-needs-to-be sexy leading male character.

Actually, the focus in THE CASE OF THE VIRTUOUS VAMPIRE is more on Abbie, a reluctant witch more interested in her career than casting spells and flaunting her powers. When she decides to become more involved in her client's case, and crosses the line by invading that to-die-for shape-shifter Luc's murder investigation into who's killed a pole dancer at the local strip club, that's when this book starts to get interesting.

A bit slow to start, this story really picked up for me about half way through. The whodunit and why wasn't that much of a mystery to me—of course, the villain would have to be after more than just some nameless nobody the reader wouldn't relate to—but his motives behind it were just a bit weak for me. However, it's more the mix of characters and way the mortals and supernaturals fit together in this story that held my interest, as did the evolving relationship between Abbie and Luc. A couple of the secondary characters were a bit over-the-top, but again, there's no denying that electric current that sparks between Abbie and Luc.

Overall, THE CASE OF THE VIRTUOUS VAMPIRE is sure to please anyone who enjoys a romance filled with an assortment of supernaturals, murder, and suspense.

Nancy Davis