Description:
Sherry Gottlieb adds a little spice to the tasty bloodsucker stew of vampire fiction. Like Laurell K. Hamilton's excellent Anita Blake series, Gottlieb writes about steamy, erotic power duels between humans and the undead. Gottlieb's Love Bite introduced Los Angeles homicide detective Jace Levy, who falls under the spell of the damnably attractive vampire Risha Cadigan. Worse Than Death plunges Jace still deeper into vampire country in another tale uniting horror, suspense, and never-ending vampire hanky-panky. Retired from the force, Jace still does private investigations, and he takes on a Hollywood extortion case. Producer Robert Brandon may preach clean, moral family fun in his films, but his real-life ethics are filthy. A videotape of his brief encounter with an aspiring actress has fallen into the hands of a blackmailer, and it's Jace's job to expose the felon. Although there is no great mystery novel here, the preternatural elements give the book some fizz. Deeply in love with Risha, Jace faces a life-or-death choice: should he become a vampire himself, allowing him an eternal honeymoon with his undead goddess? Is he prepared to feed on the blood of humans, say goodbye to his reflection, and God forbid, lose his taste for coffee? Jace loves coffee. Worse Than Death is not on the same elevated literary plane as Laurell K. Hamilton's books, but it's at least as sex-obsessed--a quick and dirty read, a supernatural romp that will amuse die-hard vampire fans and voyeurs alike. --Naomi Gesinger
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