Hard Day's Knight by John Hartness
I received this book (digital copy) at no charge in exchange for an honest review and participation in the blog tour. The blog tour is being hosted by The Bookish Snob Tours and will run May 16 - June 10, 2011.
Amazon Product Description:
Children are missing.
The police are stumped.
Halloween is coming, with an ancient evil on the horizon.
The vampires are the good guys.
This is not your ordinary fall weekend in Charlotte, NC. Vampire private detectives Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood have been hired to keep a young client from being cursed for all eternity, but end up in a bigger mess than they ever imagined.
Suddenly trapped in the middle of a serial kidnapping case, Jimmy and Greg uncover a plot to bring forth an ancient evil into the world, and enlist the help of a police detective, a priest, a witch, a fallen angel and strip club proprietor to save the world. This unlikely band of heroes battles zombies, witches, neuroses and sunburn while cracking jokes and looking for the perfect bag of O-negative.
My Thoughts:
These are GREAT characters! This is my first ever 20th century throw-back vampire story!
Jimmy and Greg are such interesting guys, using their super vampire powers and mojo to help people as private detectives. (Here is a quick quote from the book:
"Because we're not vampires, the beasties that give people nightmares and make them
think twice about walking down that alley alone, we're detective vampires. We're the
good guys. Like Batman, only with dietary restrictions."
They are cut to the chase, tell it like it is, realists. I found my self just loving them for their personalities. Jimmy, the super skinny tough guy is the muscle of the dynamic duo and Greg, the slightly overweight chubby guy is the brainiac smart guy with enough ideals and moral to go around a big room.
I love their view on being vampires, and of course that their best friend is a priest who has dinner once a week with a witch.
(Here's another quote, just to give you a quick peek...)
"Greg pretty much never eats out, but every so often I feel the need for a nibble. It reminds me exactly where I stand on the food pyramid - at the absolute top."
I was thrilled with Phil (the fallen angel), Lil, and all the others. Sabrina is FANTASTIC (she handcuffs Jimmy to a chair in a bowling alley).
John does a wonderful job with all the characters. The bad guys - - - SUPER BAD and the good guys are amazing.
The storyline is very creative. I love the 'Big Bad' guy idea...
The book is well-written and the story flows along.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this one up - - I was so pleased with what I found that I find myself checking to see what else John has written.
The book is 196 pages so it's a fast read - - be sure to go check it out!
Attorney Andy Carpenter is about to represent an adorable Bernese mountain dog puppy, whose owner was brutally murdered, in a custody fight. Few can rival Andy's affection for dogs, and he's determined to keep Waggy from falling into the wrong hands. But this playful pup possesses a valuable secret that some people will resort to violence to obtain. It will take more than Andy's usual courtroom theatrics to save Waggy, including help from the lawyer's golden retriever, Tara. Andy soon discovers that everyone around him is in danger, including his longtime girlfriend, Laurie--and only some high-risk new tricks will save those he cherishes most.
