by Josh Winning
First published 2026
Bastian wants nothing more than a peaceful vacation in the Italian coastal village of Vernazza. He gave up biting people long ago, and now he dreams of dancing in village squares with cute boys while his magical talking cat Whitby offers commentary. Then a girl's body washes up on the beach, killed by vampire fangs. The local police chief suspects Bastian immediately and assigns detective Nico De Luca to watch him. Bastian finds himself torn between attraction to the gorgeous, brooding detective and terror at the approaching Vampire Council, summoned to investigate the crime. More bodies appear as someone continues killing and framing vampires. Bastian must prove his innocence and find the real murderer before the Council arrives and punishes the entire town. With Whitby's help and De Luca's reluctant partnership, he races to uncover who in Vernazza wants to destroy the fragile peace between vampires and humans.
Genres: romance, mystery, fantasy, adult-fiction, thriller
Vibes: darkly-comedic, fast-paced, romantic-tension, suspenseful, witty
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, found-family, framed-for-crime
Setting: Vernazzo, Italy
336 pages · Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: murder, violence