The Dogtrot Murder

by Nick Sanders

When Maurice Hutch, a budding mechanic with a small drinking problem, finds himself turned into a vampire, his whole world is turned upside down. A sudden string of grisly murders haunts the town and the residents are looking for someone to blame. Maurice has to swap gears fast if he wants to keep his relationships, his job, and on the right side of the dirt. Enjoy clever turns of phrase and dozens of illustrations by debut author and illustrator Nick Sanders! READ SAFE!! If you require content warnings, please check the list on my website

515 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2023

About the author

Nick Sanders lives in the wilds of Mississippi with his cats and chickens and snakes and lizards. He's been making up stories since he can remember and took a few classes at NEMCC for writing and publishing.

Reviews

[Syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Sanders' first novel is ambitious and clearly a love letter to tiny towns time forgot in the deep south. There's moments of poetic description of farmland, affectionate language for run-down strip malls and a reverence for the calm power of cattle. It's also about a normal guy who becomes a vampire.

It stands up alongside any other original fiction found online, with some chapters that seem to meander a bit and some that really nail it and hook you in (these are primarily the early and late chapters) with a few untied plot threads left around. It's a character driven piece, and some of the characters shine much brighter than others. Maurice's mom, for example, absolutely begs for more time on the page. And resolution with Maurice's coworker comes quite late, but delivers everything I wanted in terms of closure.

Generally I don't like modern vampire stories, but a gas station employee who's just trying to get by with his new supernatural lifestyle is a lot easier to handle than sparkling pretty-boys.

If you can read ebooks, I suggest getting a copy anywhere other than amazon so that the author actually sees more than a penny for his efforts. Here's looking forward to Nick's next book - may it be tighter, creepier, and just as focused on a guy like Maurice. He's easy to like.

[Rey Mehlhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty and original, this is the origin story of an everyday, down on his luck guy entering into the world of the supernatural. It's just good solid writing, vibrant characters, some unexpected twists and turns and a wonderful story. If you like 'Fat White Vampire Blues', the TV series Supernatural, and/or the struggle of the genuine everyman against vast forces you'll enjoy this one! The main character feels very genuine, flawed, a good guy at heart but a product of a very real world that doesn't set everyone up for success in life. As a debut, this is an awesome solid novel, and there was so much more to it than I was expecting! Highly recommend this for readers from teens to adults.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid story with interesting characters. I was torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars. While the basic outline (newly fledged vampire familiar from VtM) might not be the most original, the voice and the cast including the flawed but lovable main character are worth it. Maurice faces undeath in the least glamorous way possible. He stumbles through the mystery of who killed him and it's pretty fun.