There will likely be many vampire sightings about town this week, especially at Monday's parade. You can always find a few back in the mystery fiction corner.
Charlie Huston says his vampire detective Joe Pitt is "... a kind of a detective. Kind of. In the same way he's kind of alive." His are dark stories set in a Manhattan filled with warring vampire clans. The newest book in the series, Half the Blood of Brooklyn, is due out in December. Huston adds: "Perfect for the holidays. Or the Apocalypse. Whichever."
Decidedly cozier in tone, Dean James's American transplant Simon Kirby-Jones has made a home for himself in the small English village of Snupperton-Mumsley. Writer by day and vampire by night, Simon is becoming - much to the chagrin of the local constabulary - quite the successful and sought after sleuth.
If you enjoy Tony Hillerman's Navaho country mysteries, you might like the Aimee and David Thurlo Lee Nez series. Nez, a New Mexico State Policeman, is a half-vampire - what Navajos call a "nightwalker." He hunts the "skinwalkers," Navajo witches with the ability to shape-shift into wolves or mountain lions, who prey upon his people. He also takes a bite out of real crime on the reservation, finding missing plutonium, shutting down a child pornography ring, and handling a fair share of the night shift DWIs.
Charlaine Harris's enormously popular Sookie Stackhouse novels (aka The Southern Vampire mysteries) are being adapted into a series for HBO - True Blood - which is expected to go into production this fall. Sookie is a waitress at Merlotte's Bar and Restaurant in Bon Temp, Louisiana, who can read minds. One night she meets a vampire in the bar and realizes that she can't hear a single thing from his mind. She is drawn into his thrilling and terrifying world, although the books are actually more funny than they are scary.
Any of the above will do for a satisfying Halloween read.
If you can't wait for True Blood (and perhaps miss Buffy and Angel) CBS has a new original series called Moonlight, which features Mick St. John, a captivating, charming and immortal private investigator from Los Angeles, who fills his infinite days protecting the living.
Real live people will find suggestions for many new career paths in Blythe Camenson's Careers for Mystery Buffs & Other Snoops and Sleuths. Apparently puzzle lovers have the basic skill set to qualify for all sorts of jobs including, but not limited to, law enforcement, news reporting, genealogy, art authenticating and - are you ready? - paranormal research.