New York, sometime in the Future

It’s just another day in the life of Detective Tess Monterey when she is called in on her day off to investigate a homicide. Sara Greenwood was found dead in her bed by her fiancé, and it looks as if the last person to see her alive was the vampire escort she hired the previous evening. The case has barely opened for Tess and already the web is tangled with suspects. It doesn’t help that her partner, Darwin Renaldi, is also her cheating ex-boyfriend, or that she seems to be inexplicably attracted to one of the primary suspects, Devante Matiero. After the breakup with Renaldi, Tess has avoided men, preferring to be alone. So her attraction to Devante must be the result of his using his vampire charisma on her, something she refuses to stand for.

Devante Matiero is a highly exclusive and selective escort with Blood Bytes. By choice, he only works by word-of-mouth and at the reference of one of his previous clients. Becoming a ‘person of interest’ to the police is annoying, but he puts up with it if just to spend more time with the charming Tess. But Devante has his own secrets, and Tess is very aware that he is hiding something. Can Tess separate her feelings for Devante from the job?

BLOOD BYTES is a futuristic romance somewhat reminiscent of JD Robb’s In Death series – female cop investigating murder falls in lust/love with primary suspect. While it’s certainly not on the same level as Robb’s writing, the story is entertaining. The plot has several twists and turns, keeping the suspense high and readers guessing as to the identity of the murderer. There are a few inconsistencies that detract from the overall tale: Tess is supposed to be a seasoned cop, but makes rookie (i.e., stupid) choices in my opinion, like going undercover with no backup; after Tess goes to The Black Rose, it seemed as though a whole scene was missing -- one minute she’s in the bar, the next she’s on her way home remembering what happened in the bar. These made the story a little choppy and hard to understand.

There are a slew of secondary characters in the story, friends, cops, and suspects. Each has a specific role to play that adds to the intrigue surrounding the murder. Jealousy, betrayal, and revenge are underlying themes to the story, and Tess and Devante must wade through the mess if they are to be together.

Although it has its problems, BLOOD BYTES still delivers the goods. Check it out and see for yourself.

Kathy Samuels