If you’re anything like me, you might have a knee-jerk reaction to the title—vampire book, really? But hang tight and take a moment to read the book blurb like I did, and you’ll find yourself intrigued. I stumbled upon this gem at the Indie Pavilion at the Tucson Festival of Books. The cover caught my eye first, then the blurb gave me a nudge, and finally, a chat with the soft-spoken author sealed the deal.

Yes, it’s a vampire book, but it defies the usual expectations. In this world, vampires are a common part of society, facing unique challenges but finding ways to adapt. Sunblock companies have really stepped up their game! Here, being a vampire is almost like being lactose intolerant—a condition I can personally relate to.

The first chapter hit me like a freight train, and I needed a breather before diving back into Allison’s fascinating world. She’s an agent dealing with a high-profile, top-secret case, and her sharp mind sometimes gets her into more trouble than she anticipates.

This book, the first in the VBI Trilogy, is perfect for fans of detective stories or FBI dramas who also have a taste for the supernatural. It elevates the vampire genre beyond the usual fare, and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the trilogy takes us.

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SUMMARY

Blood Machines is the award-winning first novel in J.K. Gravier’s VBI trilogy. Writer’s Digest called Blood Machines “tight, tense and emotional,” “hard to put down,” and “the kind of read where you just need to strap yourself in and hold on for a tense, plot twisting story that has it all—horror, thriller, conspiracies and murder.”

Allison Drew is a smart and ambitious government agent whose career is stagnating. Then she is surprisingly assigned a high-profile case that could get her attention. But she isn’t prepared for the web of intrigue and corruption that confronts her when she tries to disentangle a wide-spread string of crimes involving too much murder and more than a little blood. As her investigation hits dead ends and questions proliferate, Allie is forced to face the possibility that the organization to which she has pledged herself may have a secret agenda. To survive, she needs to question everything she believes and revisit some demons of her own.

If you just want a good procedural, thriller or horror story, this novel is that. But if you’re also dissatisfied with how bureaucracy works, feel undermined by increasingly illogical administration and are frustrated with your place in North America’s late-capitalist economy, you might identify with the challenges Allie faces as she tries to just do her job.