Vampyres of Hollywood: A Novel

Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott
Thomas Dunne Books (2008)
ISBN 9780312367220
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/08)

 

A maniacal serial killer, aka the Cinema Slayer, is on the loose in Hollywood.  The first three deaths draw attention to the legendary screen queen Osvanna Moore because they were affiliated with her production studio.  Five-hundred-sixty-year-old, beautiful Osvanna, who also happens to be the vampire Chatelaine of Los Angeles, does not want this attention.  Neither do some other very powerful vampires.  When more bodies start piling up, and I mean that literally, it appears that Osvanna is being targeted.  The vampires let her know that she has 48 hours to figure out who is doing the murders or they will have to take action against her.

Handsome Beverly Hills Detective Peter King is assigned to the case.  He finds himself both drawn to Osvanna and suspicious of her. He knows that she is hiding something and he is determined to find out the truth.  Little does he know how much he is about to discover about Osvanna and her kind. 

 I loved this book!  It combines all of my favorite elements into a great novel; mystery, adventure, romance, sex, and the paranormal. An alternate history is created that has had vampires influencing our mundane world for centuries.  These influences range from altering major historical events to allowing the secret vampires in Hollywood to give us false beliefs about vampirism.  This made the book so much more fun because their powers are much greater than can be imagined, which also makes them harder to destroy. 

Another positive aspect of the book was the inclusion of famous Hollywood actors as characters, including some of those who have passed on.  Or who have supposedly passed on.  This special touch brought forth the magical feeling of Tinsel town.  It is very interesting to note that a beautiful Hollywood actress, who does not appear to be aging, is writing about a vampire actress who also is not aging.  Hmmh, kind of makes me think, “What if?”   Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott have formed a winning writing team with “Vampyres of Hollywood.”. I truly hope that they continue to collaborate together.

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