Francesca Marinelli is having to get used to the afterlife. Having been turned into a vampire in the early 1800s and then trapped underground for 200 years, she is
playgin catch-up with culture and history, mostly through watching films. Cesca is living with her friend Maggie and working on her education, along with taking a new job as a Ghost Tour
guide in St. Augustine, Florida.
Francesca's first day as a tour guide hardly goes smoothly: one of her guests turns out to be a vampire killer. When another guest turns up dead with evidence of vampire bites, Cesca is considered a suspect. When it becomes clear that her life is in danger, one of the policemen, Deke Saber, has to act as bodyguard.
Will Cesca's awakening hormones and wildly-changing life be able to keep up with
all the events going on?
La Vida Vampire is a really good, fun book, lighthearted and quirky yet also interesting. The murder mystery
is well-written with a wide variety of suspects, magic, and other vampires all playing their part.
A side plot about a giant Cat and a wizard working to protect Cesca feels rather incomplete, but that
is, I presume, setting the ground for a future novel. The story of Cesca is well-resolved, and there
are amusing moments as Cesca surprises those around her by not conforming to vampire norms. This is the author's debut novel, and she's clearly
one to watch.