Deadly Assessments by Drew Hayes

 This is the fifth book about Fred the vampire accountant and his motley crew of friends. Click the link for or my review of the first book. 

The plot

The house of Turva (from the third book) are back and has decided to rather than face Fred head they should report him and the clan to the Blood council. They being the organization ruling the vampires specifically. Claiming he is unfit to act as a clan leader and that a clan shouldn't be made up of non vampires.

The Blood council sends Deborah to assess Fred as a vampire and clan leader. But also raking the time to teach him what he should know as a vampire and acting as his bodyguard.Of course the punishment should he fail the assessment is death for Fred and all the other members of his clan. 

My thoughts

The fifth book and like the others it's made up of several shorter stories. But with Deborah and her assignment being the over arching plot tying them together. It also sheds some more light on vampires their abilities as Deborah teaches Fred. 

Despite her mission Deborah doesn't really read as an antagonist. Being generally good humored and helpful both as a teacher and bodyguard. The reason for Fred needing a body guard being things that happened at the end of the last book. But all in all it makes her feel more like a part of the gang all be it one they keep secrets from.

The book also has an interesting take on power and kindness. That it takes power to be kind and that Fred in trying to help people when he doesn't have the power to back it up is putting them in more danger. But also that his kindness makes other people think he is stronger than he is assuming he is on par with the other members of his clan. 

The fangs of freelance by Drew Hayes

Plot

Everyone's favorite vampire accountant is back in this fourth book in the Fred series. At the end of the last book Bloody Aquisitions Fred and friends created the new vampire house and Fred signed up as a freelance asset for The agency. Hoping to gain their protection against the encroaching house of Turva. 

Bureaucratic wheels turn slowly but now the agency is calling on Fred to fulfill his end of the deal. But before he can officially work for them he is taken to their headquarters for a skill assessment. Along with agents Arch and Krystal who decided to tag along Fred will meet not only His prospective boss Roderick but also run into September Windbrook brother of June Windbrook and Krystals ex fiancee. 

My thoughts

Did I actually manage to make guy going on a job interview sound exciting? I think so. Like the others its a collection of chronological short stories. And the first is literally just Fred going for a job interview and meeting some of Krystals coworkers. The other stories follows Fred and co going on assignments, some for The Agency others helping out friends. Of course in a world of  magic assignments for accountants can still involve lovecraftian wizard ghosts in a crumbling castles and other dangers. 

There is less of an over arching plot to this one but there is a theme though one in the background of the plots. It's about how moving forward and not stagnating becomes more of a conscious choice as an immortal or undead creature. But also what happens for those that don't make do that choice. Although sort of immortal Fred and his friends are all quite young by supernatural standards. Fred and Krystal are in their ... early thirties? Neil and Albert are nineteen. Bubba and Amy are probably older than Fred but I don't think by much. So this is all a bit new to them.

All in all it's good but it is mostly Fred doing more or less accountant things. I'm not saying this as a bad thing it's just a bit of calm and return to a new normal after the last book and before the next. 

  

Bloody aquisitions by Drew Hayes

Disclamer this book is the third in the series. If you haven't read the previous check out my review of the first one here.

Plot

A new clan of vampires (the house of Turva) are moving to Winslow. Meeting the local big wigs and investigating any vampires who lives there. Having heard rumors about Fred and his exploits they are naturally curious. Except the rumors are though not wrong certainly taken out if context. Fred, who so far has had very limited and mostly violent interactions with other vampires, are not happy about this development. He is even considering leaving Winslow to avoid them. 

Even so unlife goes and between helping friends move, and work he is quite busy. Apparently there was a severe lack of accountants and now Fred and his assistant are swamped with more work than they can handle. 

Then The House of Turva asks for a meeting.

My thoughts

Again this is a collection of shorter stories these ones however are more connected than the earlier books which is why I'm describing the overarching plot rather than the first story like I've done for the others. The second story is basically just the gang traveling to a small town and Fred considering moving there. It works well in the book as a whole but not as a stand alone story.

Like the others this expand on the bodybuilding mostly it give some more insight to how vampires work. Fred who haven't really met one before (unless one count Quinn trying to kill him) and hadn't realized how out of the norm he was. Now we see just how ruthless vampire clans can be and we get a bit more insight into why vampires in particularly are feared and mistrusted. It does do this in a rather nuanced way. It could easily have gone the route of all vampires are evil except for Fred. Instead it introduced Lilian who is part of Turva and sent there to spy on him but ends up befriended instead.

There is also a bit more considerations to the long term. Most of the main characters are sort of immortal though still young Fred has only been a vampire for maybe two years but it's nice that they are starting to acknowledge it. 

But mostly everything I liked about the last ones still apply for this one. 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here:

Amazon

Bokus

Adlibris

A review of Undeath and taxes by Drew Hayes

 Disclaimer Undeath and taxes is the second book in the series about Fred the vampire accountant and his friends and this review will contain spoilers. I wrote a review about the first book, so read that and maybe the book first. 

Plot

In the last book mild mannered accountant Fred got turned into a vampire. This opens the door to a whole new world of different creatures and people but also friends. 

Having learned that the Parahuman (supernatural) community is rather more organized than he had anticipated. Fred has spent the time between the books learning about the parahuman tax code. Getting his diploma his first job is for Richard Alderson head of the local therians (werecreatures). 

While trying to make sense of the mess that is Richards receipts he is interrupted by kidnappers. They are there for Richards daughter Sally and thinking Fred is her bodyguard they take him as well. Taking advantage of both Richard being in a meeting and Gideon (Sally's ancient dragon playmate) being away Fred is feeling very much out of his depth.

My thoughts

Again this is a collection of short stories the plot section only talks about the first of them. If the first book was about Fred getting friends this one focuses more on world-building. Specifically we learn about the agents. We meet some of Krystal's coworkers and learn some of how it operates. 

Fred acclimatizes to violence and adventure very fast. This is a bit of a double edged sword, the book telling us he avoids confrontation but never shoving it. But I have a preference for active characters so if he had taken the outs he is given and left others to die it would have made for a worse story. 

Though considering this is all written as a memoir by Fred there is the possibilities that this is just him having a negative self image. An image that doesn't necessarily reflect the person he has become but rather the one he was in the beginning of the first book (when he did try to run away and leave people to die). 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Undeath.

The utterly uninteresting and unadventurous tales of Fred the vampire accountant by Drew Hayes

 Plot

 Recently turned vampire Fred Fletcher is disappointed to realize how little how little this changes things. He can no longer go out into the sun or touch silver he is also still socially awkward and scared of any kind of conflict. 
For lack of anything better to do he also keeps his job as a accountant though now freelance since nine to five isn't an option. 
Dismayed by how mundane his unlife is he decides to take a risk and go to his high school reunion.   
The reunion goes bad his former bullies are there and he didn't actually have any friends back then to reconnect with, even fellow former social outcasts Krystal disappears on him after a few minutes of conversation. It's not looking great and then it gets worse as the light cuts out, the doors are looked and the party is attacked by werewolves. 

But this is the start of a whole new unlife for Fred filled with wereponies, LARPing mages and jovial zombies but most importantly friends.

My thoughts.

Written as a memoir by the titular Fred the book contains five chronological stories. The plot part above mostly just describes the first of them the rest is mostly him getting dragged into trouble by mostly Krystal. Forcing him to get out of his shell and be a bit more social.
Sounds harsh but its good for him. 

Although I described him as as scared of conflict he also doesn't back down even when faced with opponents a lot stronger than himself as long as its to help someone. I was going to say to help his friends but its more friends of friends or strangers he just meet. This does help to make him more likable at least for me.

It's a clever book most of the solution to the trouble facing Fred gets solved not by force but by thinking outside the box and being clever, which I like. It's also an interesting mix of the fantastical and the mundane. In a way that's very refreshing, there aren't many uncool vampires in fiction which clearly is a shame. 

The book is a very quick read. This is partially down to it being several short stories. I like stopping at the next chapter and even more so at the end of a story. Also you are never more than 50 pages from a climax so that too helps. 

If you have read it what did you think? Leave a comment. If you haven't read it you can check it out here Utterly.