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Theodora Zed, Queen of the Vampires, is a dangerous sensual woman who just happens to be a fairly successful midlist author. In contrast, Mary Kate Flaherty, the woman behind the make-up and the pen-name, is a mousy suburban mommy who never has half the fun of either her heroines or her reputation. Until recently, Mary Kate thought she had a pretty good life. She had a stable husband, the standard two kids, a home in a good neighborhood, a pet, and a hobby that allowed her some creative release and brought in decent money. It's been so blissful that she doesn't seem to mind that her husband is distant, her sons are sullen, her neighbors think only a pervert could write vampire sex novels, and her writing friends aren't as warm towards her as she imagined. But her hollow happiness shatters when she becomes a suspect in the 'vampire murder' of the wannabe writer who was last seen heckling her at a horror convention. Perhaps she could have put it behind her, if only the attacks hadn't continued -- with someone sending her taunting notes after each one. The flyleaf advertises Ferrenz' connection to the horror and suspense genres, but despite the goths, vampires, and multiple murders, WORSE THAN DEATH isn't so much a horror novel as a chick lit mystery. It's as much about relationships and Mary Kate finding her true self as it is about her tracking down the psycho who is stalking her. The fate that is 'worse than death' could refer equally to either her homicidal harassment or her empty life. That's a little unexpected, considering the author's advertised background and the setting. However, WORSE THAN DEATH is pleasant, plausible, and quite entertaining; a competent cozy mystery to be enjoyed with a cup of cocoa on a rainy day.
Reviewed by Linnea Dodson, August 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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