The Very Bloody Marys (Paperback)

by M. Christian (Author) "It was one of those awful San francisco nights: a heartbreaker wrapped up in a smothering fog smelling like diesel oil hulking from a busted-up..." (more)
Key Phrases: rogue vamps, ring dial tone, cryptic sign, The Chef, Bloody Marys, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Combines several of M. Christian's strengths, writing queer and supernatural / horror fiction, with only occasional touches of his other strength, erotica. Vampire protagonist Valentino is a reluctant trainee in the supernatural international law enforcement organization, Le Counseil Carmin. He half-heartedly assists his mentor, Pogue, in enforcing the rules in San Francisco--that is, until Pogue goes missing and Valentino must strive to rise to the occasion to rid the City by the Bay of trouble in the form of The Very Bloody Marys and a deadly faery or two, using what he recalls of his training and the limited resources at his disposal. Readers will never view night life in San Francisco quite the same way. A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE VAMPIRE NOIR GENRE. -- Maryelizabeth Hart, Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego

"M. Christian speaks with A TOTALLY UNIQUE AND TRULY FASCINATING VOICE. There are a lot of writers out there who'd better protect their markets--M.

Christian has arrived!" -- Mike Resnick, Hugos and a Nebula award winning author of more than 40 novels, 200 stories, 12 collections, and editor of 30 anthologies

"Interesting and modern characters, a bit of local San Francisco color, and a clever mystery twist." -- Brian Youmans, editor, Suddenly Press

"M. Christian is a hybrid artist and knockout stylist on the order of Jonathan Lethem. HARD-BOILED, SHARP-EDGED, FUNNY AND FIERCE." -- Jim Gladstone, author, The Big Book of Misunderstanding

Product Description
He's the only vampire cop around--and a gang of Vespa-riding vampires threaten to drain San Francisco dry!

Big trouble at night in the city. A gang of Vespa-riding vampires are killing San Franciscans so indiscriminately they threaten to not only drain the city dry--but risk the discovery of vampires everywhere. Gay vampire cop Valentino is called upon to stop the group calling themselves The Very Bloody Marys before the situation gets worse. Unfortunately, it already has. You see, Valentino is still only a trainee who is in way over his head now that Pogue, his mentor, is missing. And this brutal gang is tough, smart, and very, very bloodthirsty. To do his job, Valentino must move quickly--and carefully--otherwise he may just get himself killed. What can a creature of the night do? The only thing he can, track the gang through the haunts of some very odd characters, unravel the mystery, and try to stay out of the sun.

The Very Bloody Marys is a comic horror novel about vampires, ghouls, faeries, and the undead that move around after dark. Part chase, part gallows humor, part shivery excitement, this new story from the wildly imaginative M. Christian is funny, frightening, and very entertaining.

An excerpt from The Very Bloody Marys:

Rising (whee!) and falling (ouch!) with the crest and descent of the city's well-known manic-depressive geography, the faded and split upholstery squeaking, squeaking, squeaking with failing springs each time, Mariah piloting, me hanging on for dear life, we headed away from downtown and out towards the fog belt. For the daylight people, the regular folks, the Sunset and Richmond were two sides of the same coin, separated by the green of Golden Gate Park. For the nighttime people, the irregular folks-the shadows, the shades, the spooks-the Sunset and the Richmond were the hesitant lands, the transforming acres, tentative real estate. Places where this could be that, and that might even be this.

The fog that slipped between the row houses, that blurred the edges of Doegler's repetitive architecture, spinning and twisting among the alphabetically named avenues, made more than concrete and brick driveways and bay windows vague and uncertain. The white rolling, the ghostly churning similarly pushed the already permeable barrier to its limit. Was that a Plywood Specialty Woodnymph (paneled skin and knotty eyes) coming out of that Chinese market? Could that have been the Sacred Locomotive of Kioram taking the place of the N Judah light rail vehicle (gleaming gold, flashing diamond, and deeply lustrous plutonium)?Might that have been a Lantern of Aristophanes regally perambulating across an intersection (shimmering silks and opulent velvets trailing behind like ornate smoke)? Could be, might be, perhaps, maybe, possibly . . .

I hated it. Bad enough to prowl the halls and corridors of downtown, where the shadows nipped at your ankles and-according to Pogue-Things That Shouldn't Be Named looked at you with sly schemings and horrible ponderings. They think with minds of maggots and icky corruption: would his soul be good straight or on a nice point of perfectly browned toast? But back there, at least the map didn't change from block to block. As bad as they were, things stayed where they were. Out in the Avenues though, the definitions were way too slick, too hesitant, too damned foggy.

The Very Bloody Marys takes you on a surreal and very weird ride through San Francisco's dark side--the side of the undead.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 171 pages
• Publisher: Harrington Park Press (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560235357
• ISBN-13: 978-1560235354
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,627,885 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vespa Riding Vampires, May 6, 2007

By	Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Christian, M. "The Very Bloody Marys", The Haworth Press, 2007.

Vespa Riding Vampires

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

The homoerotic nature seems to appeal to gay people. Anne Rice had a career based upon the blood sucking creatures until she turned to Jesus. Other vampire novels and movies have won us over but "The Very Bloody Marys" is M. Christian is headed to be our new favorite. Christian is a new voice in the field and he is unique and fascinating. His arrival on the vampire scene gives us an entire new way to look at the demons. He is funny and fierce at the same time and will keep you entertained throughout the 171 pages of his new book.
Christian is not new to the gay writing scene having been responsible for over fourteen anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in over 200 books as well as one novel and several collections. "The Very Bloody Marys", however, is about to become his breakthrough novel.
Christian is not new to the supernatural and horror genre and in this book he has mustered up all of his strengths and given us a wonderful read. San Francisco is undergoing major woes with a clan of Vespa riding vampires killing citizens without seeming cause and it looks like the city is about to go through a "dry spell" as they threatened to drain the place of blood. Valentino, our hero and a gay cop is undergoing training through a supernatural law enforcement agency, "Le Counseil Carmin" and is swept up into the whole blood-sucking business. When Pogue, his mentor, becomes missing, Valentino is called upon to rid the town of the menace but the "Bloody Marys" are very clever and very thirsty and Valentino must use all he knows and do so quickly or possibly be done away with himself. He realizes that in order to dispose of the vampires, he must go into areas he never dreamed of, deal with some very strange characters and learn what the mystery of them is.
This is not only a horror book but a romp which deals with many aspects of supernatural life. Apart from the vampires, there are also fairies and the undead and ghouls. The fear evoked by the novel often gives way to comedy and the mixture of the two is a wonderful way to spend some time reading. You embark upon a journey and a ride through the dark side of San Francisco and get a view of the tow you have probably never had before.
Christian gives us a whole new way of reading and I absolutely loved it. Almost equal amounts of fear and fun make this one of the books to be read this summer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Off-beat vampire tale, May 14, 2008

By	Jane (Canada) - See all my reviews

M.Christian has given the reader some very interesting and strange characters in this slightly off-beat story of an incompetant vampire who works in a police force for vampires. A lot of backstory about Valentine and the missing Pogue.
The dialogue was on the light-hearted/horror side of things. I found the plot slighty confusing and I thought M.Christian's repititions of phrases and words too much at times.
But it was enjoyable, bloody,horror-filled with bad and good vampires. Always a good thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Not Easy Being Undead, July 29, 2007

By	A. F. Waddell (California USA) - See all my reviews

M. Christian creates quirky, imaginative yet realistic worlds in which palpable danger threatens to instantaneously whisk one off dark streets. The Very Bloody Marys humorously and deftly blends vampires, demons, faeries, a police force of the undead . . . capturing a complex daily reality in gay vampire cop Valentino --- as Valentino searches for his missing boss. Energetic, erotic, atmospheric . . . a unique read!