Book Review: Blood Bar

Blood Bar by Norm Applegate

Description:Kim Bennett (who is featured in Applegate's other books as well) is a woman who is sure of herself. She is a madame who is into the S&M game and has recently delved into solving murders. When an acquaintance calls her and asks her to help because her lover - a vampire - was murdered, Kim runs to her side.

This takes her on an adventure that has Kim (and many others) looking for this vampire book - The Black Testament. The Black Testament was supposedly written by Jack the Ripper and has all sort of secrets in it. As far as Kim is concerned vampires don't really exist. So this is all some weird story. But as she gets deeper into the world Kim has to start to wonder. Maybe they do exist.

Thoughts: What a unique book. The theme of vampires is something I have read a lot about over the last few years and is something I enjoy - but I really have a hard time comparing this book to anything else that I have read. And that is a good thing. The heroine Kim isn't necessarily likable. She is a hard woman that has a past that has caused her to be the way she is. She likes sex -and she likes it the way she likes to have it (but mind you this book isn't about the sex though it is a theme that winds its way through the story).

But despite Kim not being a character I would want to be friends with the story has so much of a different twist to it that I just didn't mind. This isn't a story that I wanted to identify with. But the theme of it, the way it progresses still keeps me entertained.

I was curious how I would like a female main character in a book written by a man. In earlier posts I have written about how men writing from men perspectives are interesting and not something I see often enough (except with action books). I have heard some people mention that they think that women writing men can be off (and since I am a woman I can't say one way or another for sure). I think this book is written in a way that it is ok that a man is writing it - and in fact maybe gives it a refreshing outlook. This woman is hard on the outside. She has had to be. I wouldn't consider her feelings or emotions the same as a the generic woman's (mainly out of hope that no one has gone through the things she has). The writing style displays this more than anything else.

Applegate's first book Into the Basement is going to be a movie. And I definitely will take a look to see what I have missed by not reading that first book.

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal

Overall: