Review: Going to Vegas? Bring Your Wallet...and a Wooden Stake
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2013
Las Vegas can be a tough town. You never know from one day to the next whether you're going to lose your shirt, or even your life. That's what happens to Eden Sayers, the reluctant heroine of Liz Newman's terrifying funny novel, Vampire Eden.Eden's journey to rock bottom has been slow and agonizing: from the co-dependent girlfriend of Kevin, an abusive loser, to "exotic dancer" and soon-to-be stripper. She doesn't want to turn tricks, but with Kevin chronically ill and the bills piling up, she needs a way to make cash fast.  She considers herself lucky when her first "john" is a handsome guy named Patrick.  But it's Patrick's eleven-hundred-dollar casino chip that convinces her to follow him into the dark Vegas alley.  As it turns out, Eden's luck with paying customers isn't so good either. Patrick's sole purpose is to deliver Eden to a group of female vampires. Eden is supposed to be their meal, but she convinces Aoleon, the beautiful and evil ringleader, to turn her into a vampire instead.There are some things about becoming a vampire that appeal to Eden; for one, it will solve that pesky aging problem. As soon as Aoleon's venom enters her bloodstream, she is once more in the full bloom of youth. On the other hand, she must deliver fresh victims to Aoelon or face an agonizing death. As if that isn't enough, the super-secret Paranormal Investigations department of the CIA will throw her in jail--for eternity--if she doesn't help them bring Aoleon down. Eden learns that whether you're alive or undead, the world can be a real drag.Part Ann Rice part Christopher Moore, Vampire Eden will scare you to death one minute and make you laugh out loud the next.