Grave New Day by Lina Gardiner
The fast-paced Grave New Day begins a week after the events at the end of its predecessor in the exciting Jess Vandermire series. Reeling over the loss of Britt, vampire Jess decides to quit the police force and give up her command of the Black Ops team of vampire hunters. Chief Brown reminds Jess of her sworn duty to protect New York City and refuses to accept her resignation. Meanwhile, Jess’ elderly, though younger, brother, Regent, has to contend with a priest visiting to do an inspection, attempting to keep his secret activities as a vampire hunter and Jess’s protector hidden from the prying eyes of Bishop Brooks.
Though both brother and sister have the aforementioned concerns and considerations to deal with, they also have Britt’s burial to arrange, though his body has not been recovered. At the funeral, Jess talks to a mysterious man who speaks of Britt in the present tense, but no one else can see him. James, Jess’s vampire partner on the team, and his human wife, Terry, are strangely absent from the funeral. Shortly thereafter, Regent receives an odd phone call from a man who claims to have lost his memory but believes his name is Britt. Jess and Regent attempt to untangle the peculiar events while at the same time seeking to determine any connections between the incidents.
Gardiner skillfully balances the various plot threads, moving back and forth between them without missing a beat, resulting in a smooth reading experience despite the chaos depicted within the narrative. Full of action, some romance, and with even a bit of philosophical reflection thrown in, this enjoyable novel contains something for everyone. Both primary and secondary characters add heart and substance to the story.
In Gardiner’s series, “vampires are intrinsically bad” (Ch. 13), and the only factor keeping Jess (and James) from succumbing to the darkness remains the prayers and blessings of Regent. This religious, though not preachy, aspect provides a unique approach to the genre. The intriguing tease of an ending promises a sequel, and this reviewer looks forward to its arrival.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 184 pages
- Publisher: ImaJinn Books (June 15, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1933417560
- ISBN-13: 978-1933417561
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Books in the Jess Vandemire Vampire Hunter series in the order they should be read:
Grave Illusions
Beyond the Grave
Grave New Day
Fabulous review! Having read the book, I can especially apprciate the reviewer’s skillful stickhandling around potential spoilers! Lina’s take on the vampire world IS very unique. I love the relationship between Jess and her brother Regent. Great ending, too! Very much looking forward to the next instalment.
Thanks Norah! I love your books too!
so glad not preachy. I am gonna be playing catch up here have to get all the books in order. Really looking forward to when I do.
Be sure to email me on my webpage when you do, Koren. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
I love it when the vamp is in law enforcement and even better when he is hunting her own kind. Makes for some definite conflict
So true! Angst is very important.
Good non-spoilery review that sounds intriguing. Given similar vampire-hunting elements, how does it compare to the mystery solving in the early Anita Blake novels? (that would be a question I’d have and would make me want to read it).
What an awesome review. I can hardly wait to get Lina’s new book.(this weekend). I am sure it will be as good as the last two, which made me cry. And looking forward to her future books. Keep up the excellent work, Lina.
Maybe someone else can answer this. I’ve never read Anita Blake (yet)
Hi Louise! Oops, sorry I made you cry.
Quite informative review, thanks. I like books with dark and conflicted characters.
Me too, Yum!
Excellent review, definitely whets my appetite to check out this series. I think the approach to vampires is certainly fairly unusual in our world of oh-vamps-are-so-sexy! I’ve never particularly agreed with that, which makes this series even more intriguing to me. The fact there’s only “some” romance might be intriguing too. I love my romances, but it might be nice to read something more “mainstream,” lol.
I’m a mystgery writer at heart, so I think you’ll find lots of that in my books.
The review was good. I still don’t know who Brit is but I would pick up the book to find out. Lisa D.
Britt is the hero. The tough ex-cop who becomes Jess’s partner and is being groomed by Jess’s brother to be her protector.
What a review!! I have really not been interested in this new vampiers concept because the book I tried to read was really erotic and I got through the first 50 or so pages (with alot of skiming) and put it down. I remember watching Dark Shadows on tv in the early 70′s (I think) so I was not prepared for the book I tried to read.
After reading this review I believe I will like this book about vamps and am adding to my wish list.
Brendah
Glad to hear it, Brenda (Misskallie2000). Hope you enjoy. Be sure to email me at my website and let me know if you liked it.
WOW!!!!! I got “Grave New Day” Sunday, and finished at 2 this morning. I could not put it down. AWESOME. You certainly made my day, knowing Brit is back… I love the romance/mystery and —to be continued— OMG,it is going to be a long wait.. but definitely worth it. Thanks Lina, I see you have another book coming out, or is it out already? Louise
OMG To be continued! When is the new book (number four in the Jess Vandermire series) coming out??? Can not wait to see what Jess and Britt get up to