Book Review | May Day by Josie Jeffrey

About the Book

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If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective.
Just maybe not this one.
It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.

Goodreads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

May Day is a dark detective story with a pinch of grit and a lot of sass.

What I Liked

The fact that the detectives in this story are vampires kindles my fantasy-loving heart. Vampires take keeping their existence secret very seriously, and detectives called Seekers to investigate whether a vampire has potentially exposed their existence to humans. They have their justice system with a hierarchy that is much different from their human counterparts but just as definitive and intolerant.

I found the love life of vampires fascinating. I’m not sure that I fully understand it, but it seems that any time two vampires become romantically inclined, it marks them in a way all vampires can see. The mark only lasts for 24 hours and makes the two vampires yearn to spend more time together. This is a pretty original attribute from my experience with paranormal fiction, and I found it intriguing.

This is a slowly unfolding mystery with a leisurely pace until about the last third when the pace steadily picks up. I enjoyed the increase in the speed as I want stories that keep me glued to the pages from the sheer impact of needing to know who did it.

I loved the sassy main character, Jack, short for Jacqueline, and all her intricate nuances. She was 18 when she became a vampire, and she has been one for 20 years. Sometimes she stills acts like a young adult, especially where her love life is concerned, but other times she’s a hard and fast adult who will stop at nothing to catch the criminal. Her spunk and sass drew me into her story and held me there until the pages ended.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a detective story that is just as strong of a paranormal fiction story, you will love this series by Josie Jaffrey. It’s a different take on a vampire story that has a lot of grit.