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The Vampire of Kings Street
In this gothic debut novel, perfect for fans of Tread of Angels and Gail Carriger’s Soulless, Miss Radhika Dhingra, a newly minted lawyer in 19th century New York, never expected that her first client would be a vampire accused of murder.
Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
Offering an alternative paranormal history, delightful characters, and insightful social commentary, The Vampire of Kings Street will thrill readers of Deanna Rayburn and Rebecca Roanhorse.
Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
Offering an alternative paranormal history, delightful characters, and insightful social commentary, The Vampire of Kings Street will thrill readers of Deanna Rayburn and Rebecca Roanhorse.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2024
22 people are currently reading
12527 people want to read
About the author
Asha Greyling
2 books55 followersAsha Greyling lives in Maryland with her furry four-footed muses, Gwin the terrier and a guinea pig who thinks she’s a cat. She likes nothing more than swinging in the playground (unless the local children scare her off), collecting acorns, or sitting down with a good book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
July 1, 2024
I enjoy a historical mystery every now and again, but the genre isn't terribly diverse. The author has South Indian heritage and adds that here in the form of the protagonist, Radhika Dhingra, a lawyer in a time when it was difficult to be both a woman and non-white. (Arguably, it is still hard to be these things, but I, as usual, digress.)
So we've got racism. We've got sexism. We even have a vampire as a client. In this alternate history of sorts, vampires are wardens of families. They don't truly have rights. They "live" and die by the family's decision making. In this case, the vampire, Evelyn More, is accused of murdering one of his housemates. No "respectable" lawyer will take him on. Radhika is the last on his list, and the only one that gives him the time of day.
I flew through this. It's not a terribly long book, and parts of it amused more than others. I found myself getting annoyed by the restrictions of the time period, which I often have difficulties with. I also found Evelyn very frustrating. If you're accused of a murder you insist that you didn't commit, perhaps stop lying to your lawyer, the only person that can help you.
Murder aside, this is a fun introduction to this genre if you're not familiar. If you are familiar, and you're into it, perhaps check it out.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
So we've got racism. We've got sexism. We even have a vampire as a client. In this alternate history of sorts, vampires are wardens of families. They don't truly have rights. They "live" and die by the family's decision making. In this case, the vampire, Evelyn More, is accused of murdering one of his housemates. No "respectable" lawyer will take him on. Radhika is the last on his list, and the only one that gives him the time of day.
I flew through this. It's not a terribly long book, and parts of it amused more than others. I found myself getting annoyed by the restrictions of the time period, which I often have difficulties with. I also found Evelyn very frustrating. If you're accused of a murder you insist that you didn't commit, perhaps stop lying to your lawyer, the only person that can help you.
Murder aside, this is a fun introduction to this genre if you're not familiar. If you are familiar, and you're into it, perhaps check it out.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
January 19, 2025
A combination of the paranormal and mystery, two of my favourite genres. As a result I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Greyling turned the table on vampires in her writing, making them extremely dependent on human sufferance in her version of 19th century New York. Hunted nearly to extinction in the 1600s, vampires survive by employment to wealthy families. They own little and receive no wages.
Radhika Dhingra is an orphan of South Asian heritage and a newly minted lawyer. Life is difficult as she has no clients. Who would engage an inexperienced female lawyer? Especially one with a dark complexion? A desperate vampire, that's who. When Mr. Evelyn More arrives on her doorstep one evening, frantic with worry, desiring a will and predicting his immanent arrest and execution, Radhika is determined to treat him like any other client, with kindness and respect.
We learn more along with Radhika, meeting the Frost family who claim Evelyn More as theirs and hearing about the young woman who he is accused of killing. We also meet Jane, Radhika's reporter friend with street smarts and connections and Detective Hitch, a little person who has carved out a place for himself on the police force. Interesting characters, all with disadvantages that they are coping with, as we all do.
I picked this book specifically because the description recommended it for those who enjoy Deanna Raybourn, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Gail Carriger. I'm afraid I don't see any similarities. There is none of Carriger's exaggerated humour (which I love) and none of the witty banter that I expect of Raybourn. The setting and time period couldn't be more different from Roanhorse. I really don't know who wrote those comparisons, but I think they are misleading. Fortunately, I like the book very much on its own merits.
At this point, the novel seems to be a standalone, but the last few paragraphs leave an opening for future investigations for Ms. Dhingra. I hope Greyling has something in mind.
Radhika Dhingra is an orphan of South Asian heritage and a newly minted lawyer. Life is difficult as she has no clients. Who would engage an inexperienced female lawyer? Especially one with a dark complexion? A desperate vampire, that's who. When Mr. Evelyn More arrives on her doorstep one evening, frantic with worry, desiring a will and predicting his immanent arrest and execution, Radhika is determined to treat him like any other client, with kindness and respect.
We learn more along with Radhika, meeting the Frost family who claim Evelyn More as theirs and hearing about the young woman who he is accused of killing. We also meet Jane, Radhika's reporter friend with street smarts and connections and Detective Hitch, a little person who has carved out a place for himself on the police force. Interesting characters, all with disadvantages that they are coping with, as we all do.
I picked this book specifically because the description recommended it for those who enjoy Deanna Raybourn, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Gail Carriger. I'm afraid I don't see any similarities. There is none of Carriger's exaggerated humour (which I love) and none of the witty banter that I expect of Raybourn. The setting and time period couldn't be more different from Roanhorse. I really don't know who wrote those comparisons, but I think they are misleading. Fortunately, I like the book very much on its own merits.
At this point, the novel seems to be a standalone, but the last few paragraphs leave an opening for future investigations for Ms. Dhingra. I hope Greyling has something in mind.
July 23, 2024
1.5 Rounded up
I'm happy to see how many readers liked and loved this book. Perhaps it just has something to do with me - maybe I missed some salient points, which is why this book didn't 'do' it for me. I normally adore vampire novels and thought that this one would be different enough to capture my attention.
I AM a fan of Gail Carriger, and in no way does this book come close. Well, maybe the female journalist who dresses in men's clothes?
It was difficult to understand anything about these vampires until near the end. The idea of a vampire being what amounts to a bulter was unique, but that was it. Unless you want to consider how far you have to suspend your disbelief about a woman being a lawyer in the very early 1900s AND her being Indian, and not American Indian either.
It just didn't do it for me. The female protagonist was too wishy-washy, and the author pounded us with her 'marginalization' rhetoric.
*ARC was supplied by the publisher Crooked Lane Books, the author, and NetGalley.
I'm happy to see how many readers liked and loved this book. Perhaps it just has something to do with me - maybe I missed some salient points, which is why this book didn't 'do' it for me. I normally adore vampire novels and thought that this one would be different enough to capture my attention.
I AM a fan of Gail Carriger, and in no way does this book come close. Well, maybe the female journalist who dresses in men's clothes?
It was difficult to understand anything about these vampires until near the end. The idea of a vampire being what amounts to a bulter was unique, but that was it. Unless you want to consider how far you have to suspend your disbelief about a woman being a lawyer in the very early 1900s AND her being Indian, and not American Indian either.
It just didn't do it for me. The female protagonist was too wishy-washy, and the author pounded us with her 'marginalization' rhetoric.
*ARC was supplied by the publisher Crooked Lane Books, the author, and NetGalley.
September 25, 2024
the clunky prose and info dumping gave me a migraine, which is a shame because i was actually looking forward to reading this one. sigh, onto the next then
May 29, 2024
Overview:
☄️ Slow burn mystery
🧛 Vampires (obviously)
🔮 Quiet fantasy
🚫 No romance
Radhika is a lawyer. Maybe not a well regarded one. Or a well known one. Until the day a vampire comes to her door asking her to represent him, which pulls her into the web of a wealthy family, and a murder within.
The Vampire of Kings Street occupies a pretty unique space in fantasy publishing. Early reviews are calling it "cozy", but what I believe they mean to say is "quiet". This book addresses oppression, slavery, racism, addiction, etc...quietly. It isn't nonstop blows of trauma and horror, but it presents a dark world to the reader, and one ambitious and kind girl navigating her way through it. To me, The Vampire of Kings Street is in a profoundly bleak world that does not get less bleak, it only has a main character who is plucky and graceful despite the setting.
Vampires are basically indentured servants and considered less than people- owned by the ruling class and abused wherever they go. Radhika's mission is to essentially defend someone who lacks personhood despite being a marginalized woman of color herself. She faces many challenges along the way, for the world she lives in, as we have discussed, is not kind. Radhika is a delightful character and we learn so much in so few pages about this world through her eyes.
Then you have Evelyn and the Frost family- the vampire and those he serves. You get some Succession style drama with a bit of a gothic twist here, and even within 300 pages, so much about this family is explored. I was very impressed with how quickly and sharply the author was able to introduce us to this somewhat dysfunctional family and the vampire who lived among them. All of the descriptions and world building were quite vivid and impactful. I found myself constantly wanting to know more, though often the background was quite sad.
The mystery is a bit limited...its a very short book. My only issue with the book itself is that a lot of time is spent talking about if Evelyn the vampire COULD be the murderer and not a whole lot of time advancing the murder mystery. By the time we get to the reveal, its stumbled on more than its investigated..but that does not detract from the great character work done in those 300 pages.
The thing about this book, and I CAN'T STATE THIS ENOUGH. It is not a cozy mystery. It has elements you may find in a cozy (minimal plot just vibes, a quiet storytelling style and muted fantasy elements) but it truly has enough darkness to interest fans of 'edgier' forms of storytelling as well.
Though this is being marketed a certain way, I think its not niche, but rather, a book perfect for anyone who loves gothics, mysteries, vampires, and fantasy. I loved it and will be tuning in for sequel(s).
☄️ Slow burn mystery
🧛 Vampires (obviously)
🔮 Quiet fantasy
🚫 No romance
Radhika is a lawyer. Maybe not a well regarded one. Or a well known one. Until the day a vampire comes to her door asking her to represent him, which pulls her into the web of a wealthy family, and a murder within.
The Vampire of Kings Street occupies a pretty unique space in fantasy publishing. Early reviews are calling it "cozy", but what I believe they mean to say is "quiet". This book addresses oppression, slavery, racism, addiction, etc...quietly. It isn't nonstop blows of trauma and horror, but it presents a dark world to the reader, and one ambitious and kind girl navigating her way through it. To me, The Vampire of Kings Street is in a profoundly bleak world that does not get less bleak, it only has a main character who is plucky and graceful despite the setting.
Vampires are basically indentured servants and considered less than people- owned by the ruling class and abused wherever they go. Radhika's mission is to essentially defend someone who lacks personhood despite being a marginalized woman of color herself. She faces many challenges along the way, for the world she lives in, as we have discussed, is not kind. Radhika is a delightful character and we learn so much in so few pages about this world through her eyes.
Then you have Evelyn and the Frost family- the vampire and those he serves. You get some Succession style drama with a bit of a gothic twist here, and even within 300 pages, so much about this family is explored. I was very impressed with how quickly and sharply the author was able to introduce us to this somewhat dysfunctional family and the vampire who lived among them. All of the descriptions and world building were quite vivid and impactful. I found myself constantly wanting to know more, though often the background was quite sad.
The mystery is a bit limited...its a very short book. My only issue with the book itself is that a lot of time is spent talking about if Evelyn the vampire COULD be the murderer and not a whole lot of time advancing the murder mystery. By the time we get to the reveal, its stumbled on more than its investigated..but that does not detract from the great character work done in those 300 pages.
The thing about this book, and I CAN'T STATE THIS ENOUGH. It is not a cozy mystery. It has elements you may find in a cozy (minimal plot just vibes, a quiet storytelling style and muted fantasy elements) but it truly has enough darkness to interest fans of 'edgier' forms of storytelling as well.
Though this is being marketed a certain way, I think its not niche, but rather, a book perfect for anyone who loves gothics, mysteries, vampires, and fantasy. I loved it and will be tuning in for sequel(s).
September 15, 2024
I’m going to be frank: I didn’t enjoy this book, but I was prepared to give it a pretty average rating until about 65% of the way through. It was at this point that The Vampire of Kings Street really unraveled for me and started to feel like the author had lost control of the plot and her characters.
It’s just a very uneven book. It has a terrific premise, but the execution just isn’t there and the book really could’ve used another pass with structural editing and developmental editing. Radhika, our protagonist, is fickle and mercurial, which isn’t endearing in a character who’s a lawyer and very annoying in how Asha Greyling has written her. Evelyn More, the titular vampire of this story, spends so much time off-page we end up learning most of his story in a large info-dump, which makes the author’s clumsy attempts at romantic chemistry between Radhika and Evelyn even more painful to read.
The third act is just a series of misadventures and events that felt like they came from nowhere, and not in a good way. They came in from nowhere, with no foundation laid or foreshadowing told. I found myself very confused and saying, “How the heck did we get here?”
I hope this novel finds its audience and I wish Greyling the best for her next book.
I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and the author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Reviews rated three stars or under will not be shared on my social media channels. Thank you.
File Under: Historical Fantasy/Historical Mystery/Mystery/Vampire Fiction
It’s just a very uneven book. It has a terrific premise, but the execution just isn’t there and the book really could’ve used another pass with structural editing and developmental editing. Radhika, our protagonist, is fickle and mercurial, which isn’t endearing in a character who’s a lawyer and very annoying in how Asha Greyling has written her. Evelyn More, the titular vampire of this story, spends so much time off-page we end up learning most of his story in a large info-dump, which makes the author’s clumsy attempts at romantic chemistry between Radhika and Evelyn even more painful to read.
The third act is just a series of misadventures and events that felt like they came from nowhere, and not in a good way. They came in from nowhere, with no foundation laid or foreshadowing told. I found myself very confused and saying, “How the heck did we get here?”
I hope this novel finds its audience and I wish Greyling the best for her next book.
I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and the author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Reviews rated three stars or under will not be shared on my social media channels. Thank you.
File Under: Historical Fantasy/Historical Mystery/Mystery/Vampire Fiction
September 19, 2024
The premise of The Vampire of Kings Street is quite compelling! Greyling illustrates prejudice through an alternate history that makes way for the implausible: Vampires are an accepted (although with disgust) part of society, and some are the wards of wealthy white folks. She adds an extra layer to this by making the main character a female attorney in America from East India. What makes the setup especially entrancing is that a vampire is accused of murder, which suggests that they are generally surviving through unconventional means. They are, along with vampire blood addicts, viewed as the lowlifes of society, so it’s easy for the police to set their sights on a vampire target without carefully investigating the crime.
Greyling‘s story makes a statement about class and discrimination. I love what she used to represent these issues, and I think the story is meaningful because of it, but I was more invested in the mystery and pitch perfect gothic tone than anything else. The murder suspect, a vampire named Evelyn More, was quite likable, as well, and this had me rooting for an outcome in his favor.
My only complaint is the repetitiveness, which was present more in the first half than the second. While this novel is on the shorter side, I think some of the redundancy surrounding why Evelyn chose Radhika specifically for representation and where things stood once the matriarch of his home stepped in could have been shaved off. These things only needed to be established once to remain effectively understood. Regardless, it was still an easy book to fly through, and I was sufficiently hooked by the time I hit that halfway point.
I am immensely grateful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
Greyling‘s story makes a statement about class and discrimination. I love what she used to represent these issues, and I think the story is meaningful because of it, but I was more invested in the mystery and pitch perfect gothic tone than anything else. The murder suspect, a vampire named Evelyn More, was quite likable, as well, and this had me rooting for an outcome in his favor.
My only complaint is the repetitiveness, which was present more in the first half than the second. While this novel is on the shorter side, I think some of the redundancy surrounding why Evelyn chose Radhika specifically for representation and where things stood once the matriarch of his home stepped in could have been shaved off. These things only needed to be established once to remain effectively understood. Regardless, it was still an easy book to fly through, and I was sufficiently hooked by the time I hit that halfway point.
I am immensely grateful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
May 22, 2024
I read The Vampire of Kings Street while grappling with neck pain, but even the discomfort while reading didn't stop my enjoyment of this book. It feels like there's been a bit of a dearth of good vampire fiction in recent years, so it was great to come across such a fun vampire tale. The mystery element to the story worked well and held my interest throughout, and both Radhiki and Evelyn were engaging characters I could really get behind. The pacing of the story was good and the prose easy reading. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, especially if it's another vampire tale like this one. I am giving it 4.5 stars and I recommend it to fans for vampire fiction after something different from the standard paranormal romance fare.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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July 25, 2024DNF
I received this ARC but the format makes it hard to read. Will come back if I manage to fix the file
I received this ARC but the format makes it hard to read. Will come back if I manage to fix the file
January 12, 2025
I started reading this book during my lunch break on December 16th while eating my favorite pre-prepared meal from Trader Joe's, the lemon chicken arugula salad (now I want one, lol). Even though the beginning should have been exciting--a new lawyer's first client, a vampire, comes barging into her office, afraid he's going to be declared of murder so he wants a will drawn up--I had trouble getting into the book and decided to come back to the book later after reading romance.
I kept delaying reading this book, renewing it three times from the library, because I feared it would be boring. But I wanted to read it as the premise sounded interesting and I loved the author's Author Pic and wanted to support her. She seemed like a sweet individual, and I thought her picture was so cute with her dog!! (I know lol me, wanting to read a book just because of how the author looks.)
When I started reading it again yesterday, January 10th, the beginning was slow and I could have easily put the book down, though because it's a mystery, one always wants to know who did it. And then around page 50, it got good. So this book came as a surprise to me. I'm also surprised that I'm giving it 4 stars, but it was gripping when the narrative finally took off for me. It was interesting how the main character wasn't even sure that Evelyn, the vampire, was innocent! Radhika and Evelyn's adopted human family were the only ones who thought he was innocent.
I didn't even guess the murderer correctly! On page 103,
My only criticisms regarding the book: I still don't know how vampires, besides Evelyn, became wards of humans after being hunted; I didn't like how suddenly toward the end of the novel, the author seemed to insinuate some romantic feelings between Radhika and Evelyn when Radhika had strictly been very business-like and professional toward him throughout the story (and I'm what you'd call a "romantic girlie"--though I hate the Gen-Z expression "girlie"--too!); and there were multiple places where I didn't think a comma was necessary; having a comma there confused me. I also caught one more egregious error: In the middle of a paragraph, there was a comma instead of a period or semicolon. (I wish I had marked the page where this happened in the hopes that the author or publisher would read my review and fix it, but I can't find it now.) Lastly, the ending was almost wrapped up too quickly/neatly for me. I wanted to find out what happened to the murderer!
I also thought it was sweet that Radhika gave Evelyn's emerald ring back to him (it sounded gorgeous!), but I didn't understand how Agnes Tomson could have cancer for a little under 19 years,
I'm so glad I gave this book a chance as I ended up enjoying it! I would be interested in reading more by Asha Greyling. Even though I don't want more people in this world to be murdered, I would enjoy more stories in this alternate historical world by Asha.
P.S. Ugh, I'm annoyed I can't ask the author questions at the moment, so I'll write my question here: Was the vampire Cleopatra the famous Cleopatra? I didn't think so until Radhika asked another vampire if he was Alexander the Great or Emperor Constantine.
I kept delaying reading this book, renewing it three times from the library, because I feared it would be boring. But I wanted to read it as the premise sounded interesting and I loved the author's Author Pic and wanted to support her. She seemed like a sweet individual, and I thought her picture was so cute with her dog!! (I know lol me, wanting to read a book just because of how the author looks.)
When I started reading it again yesterday, January 10th, the beginning was slow and I could have easily put the book down, though because it's a mystery, one always wants to know who did it. And then around page 50, it got good. So this book came as a surprise to me. I'm also surprised that I'm giving it 4 stars, but it was gripping when the narrative finally took off for me. It was interesting how the main character wasn't even sure that Evelyn, the vampire, was innocent! Radhika and Evelyn's adopted human family were the only ones who thought he was innocent.
I didn't even guess the murderer correctly! On page 103,
My only criticisms regarding the book: I still don't know how vampires, besides Evelyn, became wards of humans after being hunted; I didn't like how suddenly toward the end of the novel, the author seemed to insinuate some romantic feelings between Radhika and Evelyn when Radhika had strictly been very business-like and professional toward him throughout the story (and I'm what you'd call a "romantic girlie"--though I hate the Gen-Z expression "girlie"--too!); and there were multiple places where I didn't think a comma was necessary; having a comma there confused me. I also caught one more egregious error: In the middle of a paragraph, there was a comma instead of a period or semicolon. (I wish I had marked the page where this happened in the hopes that the author or publisher would read my review and fix it, but I can't find it now.) Lastly, the ending was almost wrapped up too quickly/neatly for me. I wanted to find out what happened to the murderer!
I also thought it was sweet that Radhika gave Evelyn's emerald ring back to him (it sounded gorgeous!), but I didn't understand how Agnes Tomson could have cancer for a little under 19 years,
I'm so glad I gave this book a chance as I ended up enjoying it! I would be interested in reading more by Asha Greyling. Even though I don't want more people in this world to be murdered, I would enjoy more stories in this alternate historical world by Asha.
P.S. Ugh, I'm annoyed I can't ask the author questions at the moment, so I'll write my question here: Was the vampire Cleopatra the famous Cleopatra? I didn't think so until Radhika asked another vampire if he was Alexander the Great or Emperor Constantine.
January 6, 2025
A decent historical vampire mystery! I'll admit I don't think it'll end up being very memorable to me, but it was a fun 4 hours of figuring out whodunnit. I was a bit frustrated that Radhika wasn't as...compentent? of a lawyer as I was hoping. I was hoping she'd be sharp and witty and pull aces out of her sleeves in a majestic moment of legal prowess, but she was quite a bit of a hot mess and unprofessional and not really a lawyer I'd want to hire. (And you know what good for her!) I was also frustrated because a lot of the plot felt like it hinged on the vampire Evelyn being exceptionally cagey about literally everything. Nonetheless, I stayed till the end to see how the story got resolved, and I'd be interested in reading more by Greyling.
August 27, 2024
This is an honest review and my opinions on this read. This would an ideal read for those who love vampires, love history and enjoy a slow paced read. It begins with lawyer who isn't very popular and has had a long road with her career. Until one day a vampire walks in and hires her to represent him and plead his case to be innocents. When i say this is a slow paced read i am not kidding you don't find out much until the last few pages. Most of the time it speaks about Evelyn the vampire that could be the murderer and not a lot of the actual murder mystery. In the end the book perfect for anyone who loves gothics, mysteries, vampires, and fantasy and hope for sequel.
April 22, 2025
Meh.
Some cool bits in the middle, and I liked how Greyling drew some comparisons between vampires and the human foibles they represent. Most of all I like how Radika was not a flawless savior, just a human one with shortcomings like the rest.
But the prejudice angle started to grow thin before the end, and the end itself was too contrived and predictable.
Some cool bits in the middle, and I liked how Greyling drew some comparisons between vampires and the human foibles they represent. Most of all I like how Radika was not a flawless savior, just a human one with shortcomings like the rest.
But the prejudice angle started to grow thin before the end, and the end itself was too contrived and predictable.
September 8, 2024
A wonderful debut novel from Asha Greyling!
The Vampire of Kings Street is set in an alternate 19th-century New York where vampires exist in society but only as possessions of the wealthy city elite. Our story begins at the office of Radhika Dhingra—a new, young lawyer trying to establish her own legal practice within a society that is still skeptical of women in her profession, especially women of color. When the vampire of an influential family, Mr. Evelyn More, shows up at her office door asking for her help and saying he thinks he will be accused of murder, Radhika is drawn into a sprawling murder mystery full of family drama, sordid secrets, and forgotten history.
❤️ What I loved: For me, his was a quick, compelling read! I enjoyed the way that the mystery unfolded, I found myself really wanting to unravel the layers of secrets and lies to find out what was going to happen next. I thought there was a great cast of characters in this story, with Radhika an interesting and likable lead.
💔 What I didn’t love: I wish there had been a little more—both in the development around the society (particularly the ways vampires operated within it) and some of the character development. However, for a short book, I think it was just enough for me to make it a success overall!
I would definitely recommend The Vampire of Kins Street to fans of paranormal fiction, particularly with gothic or historical settings. I would love to see more in this world, so I hope Greyling continues Radhkia’s story in the future.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)
Acknowledgments & Disclaimers
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Asha Greyling, and Crooked Lane Books, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.
The Vampire of Kings Street is set in an alternate 19th-century New York where vampires exist in society but only as possessions of the wealthy city elite. Our story begins at the office of Radhika Dhingra—a new, young lawyer trying to establish her own legal practice within a society that is still skeptical of women in her profession, especially women of color. When the vampire of an influential family, Mr. Evelyn More, shows up at her office door asking for her help and saying he thinks he will be accused of murder, Radhika is drawn into a sprawling murder mystery full of family drama, sordid secrets, and forgotten history.
❤️ What I loved: For me, his was a quick, compelling read! I enjoyed the way that the mystery unfolded, I found myself really wanting to unravel the layers of secrets and lies to find out what was going to happen next. I thought there was a great cast of characters in this story, with Radhika an interesting and likable lead.
💔 What I didn’t love: I wish there had been a little more—both in the development around the society (particularly the ways vampires operated within it) and some of the character development. However, for a short book, I think it was just enough for me to make it a success overall!
I would definitely recommend The Vampire of Kins Street to fans of paranormal fiction, particularly with gothic or historical settings. I would love to see more in this world, so I hope Greyling continues Radhkia’s story in the future.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)
Acknowledgments & Disclaimers
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Asha Greyling, and Crooked Lane Books, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.
February 26, 2025
eh it was a cool premise but it was very poorly paced
August 19, 2024
Miss Radhika Dhingra is a newly minted lawyer in New York City in this story. She hasn't been hired by any of the local firms and is eking out a living in a lower-class part of town and living in her office.
When a vampire comes to her door looking for legal advice, she is interested and afraid and conflicted. Mr. Evelyn More fears that he will be accused of the murder of a young woman who was once his ward. Vampires aren't often given the benefit of a doubt when it comes to murder.
Agnes Tomson had been killed in a particularly brutal way in her dressing room at the opera and a bloody glove belonging to More was discovered on site. Things aren't looking good for More. But Radhika is determined to find out the truth even though she's fired by the Frost family who have sheltered More for hundreds of years.
This alternate paranormal history mystery was an interesting look both at vampires and at life in Nineteenth Century New York. I enjoyed it and especially enjoyed Radhika's mixed feeling about defending a vampire.
When a vampire comes to her door looking for legal advice, she is interested and afraid and conflicted. Mr. Evelyn More fears that he will be accused of the murder of a young woman who was once his ward. Vampires aren't often given the benefit of a doubt when it comes to murder.
Agnes Tomson had been killed in a particularly brutal way in her dressing room at the opera and a bloody glove belonging to More was discovered on site. Things aren't looking good for More. But Radhika is determined to find out the truth even though she's fired by the Frost family who have sheltered More for hundreds of years.
This alternate paranormal history mystery was an interesting look both at vampires and at life in Nineteenth Century New York. I enjoyed it and especially enjoyed Radhika's mixed feeling about defending a vampire.
July 4, 2024
I DNFed this after 2 chapters.
This is supposed to be for fans of Soulless by Gail Carriger. She had humour and action in the first chapter. Meanwhile this was dry, without much feeling and seems to be written in the wrong person.
This is supposed to be for fans of Soulless by Gail Carriger. She had humour and action in the first chapter. Meanwhile this was dry, without much feeling and seems to be written in the wrong person.
September 5, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Vampire of Kings Street.
** Minor non-bloody spoilers ahead **
I love the author's unique take on the popular vampire storyline; in her world, vampires are not sparkly, cool, and the dominant species but indentured servants.
When a vampire is falsely accused of a murder, it's up to Radhika, a young, inexperienced lawyer to discover the truth.
But will it be at the cost of her own life?
First, I like the historical, gilded-age like setting, and the old school feel.
Radhika is a likable, relatable character; the child of immigrants who don't fit into the typical mold the patriarchal society expects of her.
She's educated, unmarried, an entrepreneur, and living in a not so great part of the neighborhood.
And she knows what it's like to be disrespected and disregarded.
Evelyn More was less interesting, which was disappointing, since he's the vampire in the book title.
He didn't come across as compelling or interesting.
He doesn't have to be incredibly charming or alluring, but interesting would be nice.
I can't say I wanted to know more about him after I finished this.
I wished I liked the story more but it was more cozy than I anticipated.
The pacing dragged, it was mostly exposition, and I wasn't a fan of the diary excerpts, which is all telling and no showing.
Also, I realize my expectations were very different.
When I saw 'vampire' in the title, I thought of horror and terror, bloody and shrieking, but the narrative was pretty tame.
I expected more bite to the story (pun intended).
** Minor non-bloody spoilers ahead **
I love the author's unique take on the popular vampire storyline; in her world, vampires are not sparkly, cool, and the dominant species but indentured servants.
When a vampire is falsely accused of a murder, it's up to Radhika, a young, inexperienced lawyer to discover the truth.
But will it be at the cost of her own life?
First, I like the historical, gilded-age like setting, and the old school feel.
Radhika is a likable, relatable character; the child of immigrants who don't fit into the typical mold the patriarchal society expects of her.
She's educated, unmarried, an entrepreneur, and living in a not so great part of the neighborhood.
And she knows what it's like to be disrespected and disregarded.
Evelyn More was less interesting, which was disappointing, since he's the vampire in the book title.
He didn't come across as compelling or interesting.
He doesn't have to be incredibly charming or alluring, but interesting would be nice.
I can't say I wanted to know more about him after I finished this.
I wished I liked the story more but it was more cozy than I anticipated.
The pacing dragged, it was mostly exposition, and I wasn't a fan of the diary excerpts, which is all telling and no showing.
Also, I realize my expectations were very different.
When I saw 'vampire' in the title, I thought of horror and terror, bloody and shrieking, but the narrative was pretty tame.
I expected more bite to the story (pun intended).
July 14, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
The blurb compares this to Tread of Angels and Gail Carriger's Soulless, which I haven't read and can't confirm if this is accurate. I will say that the protagonist Radhika reminds me of Phoenix Wright. It's how the police, the PI, and the Frosts all belittle her only to stand mouth agape every time she progresses in the murder case. I really rooted for her throughout the book. The lore surrounding how vampires exist and how they integrated into human society is interesting. The plot does a good job of seeding clues and red hearings throughout, so that when the twist culprit is revealed, it is a surprised but still fits with what we know. I had a great time with this, and I'm hoping this continues as a series.
The blurb compares this to Tread of Angels and Gail Carriger's Soulless, which I haven't read and can't confirm if this is accurate. I will say that the protagonist Radhika reminds me of Phoenix Wright. It's how the police, the PI, and the Frosts all belittle her only to stand mouth agape every time she progresses in the murder case. I really rooted for her throughout the book. The lore surrounding how vampires exist and how they integrated into human society is interesting. The plot does a good job of seeding clues and red hearings throughout, so that when the twist culprit is revealed, it is a surprised but still fits with what we know. I had a great time with this, and I'm hoping this continues as a series.
June 29, 2024
DNF @ 33%
I love a gothic, but the genre's slower pacing can be hit or miss for me, particularly if the atmosphere doesn't draw me in. The concept of The Vampire of Kings Street was interesting enough: a vampire accused of murder and the lawyer contacted to represent him. I struggled to get into this book. I couldn't quite follow the lore regarding patronage/sponsorship of vampires. I found the metaphors on inequality a bit clunky. I felt like I was firmly in the exposition despite being a third of the way through the book. Hopefully this book will be a bigger hit for mystery lovers and vampire fans.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love a gothic, but the genre's slower pacing can be hit or miss for me, particularly if the atmosphere doesn't draw me in. The concept of The Vampire of Kings Street was interesting enough: a vampire accused of murder and the lawyer contacted to represent him. I struggled to get into this book. I couldn't quite follow the lore regarding patronage/sponsorship of vampires. I found the metaphors on inequality a bit clunky. I felt like I was firmly in the exposition despite being a third of the way through the book. Hopefully this book will be a bigger hit for mystery lovers and vampire fans.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNF at 26%
Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me. I was excited for a vampire mystery but it is so hard to get into and I didn't find it gripping at all.
I struggled to care for the MC or her vampire client and the mystery side of things was tepid at best.
The book is short so I thought I'd struggle through it in the hopes that it would get better but there is nothing exciting to keep me going.
I've seen it described as a slowburn mystery but sadly the burn is so slow, it has actually gone out.
DNF at 26%
Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me. I was excited for a vampire mystery but it is so hard to get into and I didn't find it gripping at all.
I struggled to care for the MC or her vampire client and the mystery side of things was tepid at best.
The book is short so I thought I'd struggle through it in the hopes that it would get better but there is nothing exciting to keep me going.
I've seen it described as a slowburn mystery but sadly the burn is so slow, it has actually gone out.
May 23, 2024
The Vampire of Kings Street was a very enjoyable, cozy and historical murder mystery. This is definitely one of those books that is a little bit more vibes than heart-pounding plot, so if you are looking for a book that is more action-filled, this might not be for you. However, I thought it was a very enjoyable read that was very well-written and, while not full of fast-packed action, is also never bogged down with seemingly unnecessary scenes that don't add much to the plot. Every scene seems intentional and helps the reader learn more about the world and its characters.
I also really liked this book's take on vampires. I think it was interesting to portray them as these almost weak creatures that are more often than not servants to humans. The fact that they were also seen as less than by humans was very well explored in this book and really made sense for the time period it took place in. It was a very refreshing take compared to the super sexy super powerful vampires we usually see.
I don't know if I would necessarily say that this is gothic, just because it doesn't have a lot of those spooky vibes I really look for in the gothic genre, but the setting, time period, and supernatural elements do lean towards that genre--so maybe a lighthearted gothic. However, I really don't think this is a bad thing. Again, it was really refreshing to see vampires portrayed in this time period/setting without being these super scary monsters haunting the main character.
Honestly, I really only have two criticisms about this book. First: I got confused about the relationship between all the Frosts. This could have just been me missing/forgetting something, but I was very confused by the end where everyone fit in that family. I know that Michael is Sarah's son, but every time Henry and Meredith were brought up I could not remember what role they played in the family. This wasn't a big deal because they weren't super important characters, but it did irk me a little. Second: I didn't feel a lot of emotion in this book. There were definitely some technically emotional elements, considering the murder victim is someone very important to one of the main characters, but I never really felt that emotion through the pages. There was something about the characters was just a little one-dimensional. Normally, I don't think books could be better if they were longer, but I think this book could have benefited from spending a little more time letting the reader really get to know and connect with the main characters. The potential was definitely there, but needed to be improved and expanded upon.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and well-written read, and even though I don't think this story hit all the emotional beats I like in a book, I would really love to read more from this author, especially if it takes place in this world.
I also really liked this book's take on vampires. I think it was interesting to portray them as these almost weak creatures that are more often than not servants to humans. The fact that they were also seen as less than by humans was very well explored in this book and really made sense for the time period it took place in. It was a very refreshing take compared to the super sexy super powerful vampires we usually see.
I don't know if I would necessarily say that this is gothic, just because it doesn't have a lot of those spooky vibes I really look for in the gothic genre, but the setting, time period, and supernatural elements do lean towards that genre--so maybe a lighthearted gothic. However, I really don't think this is a bad thing. Again, it was really refreshing to see vampires portrayed in this time period/setting without being these super scary monsters haunting the main character.
Honestly, I really only have two criticisms about this book. First: I got confused about the relationship between all the Frosts. This could have just been me missing/forgetting something, but I was very confused by the end where everyone fit in that family. I know that Michael is Sarah's son, but every time Henry and Meredith were brought up I could not remember what role they played in the family. This wasn't a big deal because they weren't super important characters, but it did irk me a little. Second: I didn't feel a lot of emotion in this book. There were definitely some technically emotional elements, considering the murder victim is someone very important to one of the main characters, but I never really felt that emotion through the pages. There was something about the characters was just a little one-dimensional. Normally, I don't think books could be better if they were longer, but I think this book could have benefited from spending a little more time letting the reader really get to know and connect with the main characters. The potential was definitely there, but needed to be improved and expanded upon.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and well-written read, and even though I don't think this story hit all the emotional beats I like in a book, I would really love to read more from this author, especially if it takes place in this world.
January 16, 2025
I enjoy vampire folklore and mythology and through this book had a unique and interesting take on vampires. Far from having the upper hand, vampires have descended into being wards of wealthy families who 'host' the vampire in exchange for services. Essentially, vampires who were previously hunted down and killed by vampire slayers, have evolved into ancient and immortal servants to the wealthy.
This story starts with Evelyn More, vampire ward to a wealthy and powerful family called Frost, calling on the dilapidated offices of Miss Radhika Dhingra. Radhika is an interesting character. The daughter of a couple who'd immigrated from South India, she had chosen to put herself through a college focused on uplifting women and gaining qualification as a lawyer. Naturally, due to her heritage, Radhika had not gained employment with the well-known and powerful firm of attorneys that all lawyers dreamed of working for and had decided to try and build her own practice. Mr More is seeking legal advice and despite her misgivings at acting for a vampire, she is excited to have her first client. Radhika connects to Mr More as vampires are heavily discriminated against by society and have limited legal rights. I thought Radhika's internal conflict about the reputational risks of acting for a being even more disadvantaged than herself, and the enticement of the money, her first case, and also her desire to stay true to her own beliefs and moral values was fascinating. Radhika decides to go ahead and represent Mr More although he has not as yet committed any crime. Mr More is engaging her on the expectation that a crime would be committed that he would be blamed for due to circumstantial evidence.
I enjoyed the character of Radhika very much. I was pleased she stood up for her beliefs and I thought she developed nicely over the course of the story, as both a lawyer and a person. She demonstrated bravery in difficult circumstances and also determination and grit.
Mr More is an ancient being and has been with the Frost family for centuries. The family is not as it initially appears to be and there are lots of egos, desires, and discord at play. I disliked the family matriarch, as I was intended to, and resented her snooty and ungrateful behavior. Sadly, I thought Mrs Frost was entirely believable. As the book unfolds, Mr More's background and how he became a vampire unfolds as a truly tragic story. His backstory gives a lot of insight into who he is and why he is both loved and hated by various characters in the book, both vampirical and otherwise.
The author introduces some unique and intriguing ideas around blood, both human and vampire, and I enjoyed these innovations on the traditional vampire story very much.
In summary, if you enjoy unique slants on mythical creatures and an entertaining story, this book will appeal to you.
This story starts with Evelyn More, vampire ward to a wealthy and powerful family called Frost, calling on the dilapidated offices of Miss Radhika Dhingra. Radhika is an interesting character. The daughter of a couple who'd immigrated from South India, she had chosen to put herself through a college focused on uplifting women and gaining qualification as a lawyer. Naturally, due to her heritage, Radhika had not gained employment with the well-known and powerful firm of attorneys that all lawyers dreamed of working for and had decided to try and build her own practice. Mr More is seeking legal advice and despite her misgivings at acting for a vampire, she is excited to have her first client. Radhika connects to Mr More as vampires are heavily discriminated against by society and have limited legal rights. I thought Radhika's internal conflict about the reputational risks of acting for a being even more disadvantaged than herself, and the enticement of the money, her first case, and also her desire to stay true to her own beliefs and moral values was fascinating. Radhika decides to go ahead and represent Mr More although he has not as yet committed any crime. Mr More is engaging her on the expectation that a crime would be committed that he would be blamed for due to circumstantial evidence.
I enjoyed the character of Radhika very much. I was pleased she stood up for her beliefs and I thought she developed nicely over the course of the story, as both a lawyer and a person. She demonstrated bravery in difficult circumstances and also determination and grit.
Mr More is an ancient being and has been with the Frost family for centuries. The family is not as it initially appears to be and there are lots of egos, desires, and discord at play. I disliked the family matriarch, as I was intended to, and resented her snooty and ungrateful behavior. Sadly, I thought Mrs Frost was entirely believable. As the book unfolds, Mr More's background and how he became a vampire unfolds as a truly tragic story. His backstory gives a lot of insight into who he is and why he is both loved and hated by various characters in the book, both vampirical and otherwise.
The author introduces some unique and intriguing ideas around blood, both human and vampire, and I enjoyed these innovations on the traditional vampire story very much.
In summary, if you enjoy unique slants on mythical creatures and an entertaining story, this book will appeal to you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of The Vampire of Kings Street by Asha Greyling.
This is a solid debut cozy 19th century mystery based in New York. Our main character is lawyer Radhika Dhingra, a now orphaned young woman of Indian parents, trying to get her law firm off the ground in a time of racism and sexism. When she is the last choice for a desperate vampire worried he will be accused of murder, Radhika steps up to try and help. When the murder actually does occur and Radhika is removed from the case, she continues to attempt to solve the murder on her own.
In this version of our world, vampires are mainly house servants and considered a detriment/fearsome element to polite society. They own nothing and are reliant upon their family sponsors for all ability to remain alive and safe. Radhika, also an outsider based on her race, her gender and her single status, has sympathy and empathy even in the face of fear or danger. It is easy to make the connections between the place of both in a world that is blatantly obvious in its rejection of beings that are different.
The mystery in the book is fast paced, but I feel like we never dive deeply into Radhika or Evelyn. Perhaps it's that the motivations for both seem a bit opaque as the story progresses. We spend the entirety of the novel with Radhika and we meet her acquaintances, but even though she knows many people she also seems to be utterly alone in all things. I wish we had seen more introspection on that or more scenes of what friends she does have - like her time in the college or how she came to have a friend as a reporter (are they even friends?). We have a whole chunk of the book that is a flashback for Evelyn, but without it being fully absorbed by Radhika it is difficult to tell how it affects and impacts her. With the book being fast paced and shorter, it makes sense why it doesn't have this - it's just something that I wish we saw more of.
The book summary mentioned comparisons to Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate, Rebecca Roanhorse's Tread of Angels, and Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell. I think those are all very light comparisons (and not in a negative way!). Carriger has vampires, but is too comical in tone and has a lot more romance elements; Roanhorse is the opposite - Tread of Angels is actually pretty dark, and Greyling's work is just more serious than anything, and Raybourn isn't paranormal - just written in the same time period. Maybe sort of similar to JR Dawson's The First Bright Thing? I must have read something that would make more sense here, but it's not quite coming to mind.
This is a solid debut cozy 19th century mystery based in New York. Our main character is lawyer Radhika Dhingra, a now orphaned young woman of Indian parents, trying to get her law firm off the ground in a time of racism and sexism. When she is the last choice for a desperate vampire worried he will be accused of murder, Radhika steps up to try and help. When the murder actually does occur and Radhika is removed from the case, she continues to attempt to solve the murder on her own.
In this version of our world, vampires are mainly house servants and considered a detriment/fearsome element to polite society. They own nothing and are reliant upon their family sponsors for all ability to remain alive and safe. Radhika, also an outsider based on her race, her gender and her single status, has sympathy and empathy even in the face of fear or danger. It is easy to make the connections between the place of both in a world that is blatantly obvious in its rejection of beings that are different.
The mystery in the book is fast paced, but I feel like we never dive deeply into Radhika or Evelyn. Perhaps it's that the motivations for both seem a bit opaque as the story progresses. We spend the entirety of the novel with Radhika and we meet her acquaintances, but even though she knows many people she also seems to be utterly alone in all things. I wish we had seen more introspection on that or more scenes of what friends she does have - like her time in the college or how she came to have a friend as a reporter (are they even friends?). We have a whole chunk of the book that is a flashback for Evelyn, but without it being fully absorbed by Radhika it is difficult to tell how it affects and impacts her. With the book being fast paced and shorter, it makes sense why it doesn't have this - it's just something that I wish we saw more of.
The book summary mentioned comparisons to Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate, Rebecca Roanhorse's Tread of Angels, and Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell. I think those are all very light comparisons (and not in a negative way!). Carriger has vampires, but is too comical in tone and has a lot more romance elements; Roanhorse is the opposite - Tread of Angels is actually pretty dark, and Greyling's work is just more serious than anything, and Raybourn isn't paranormal - just written in the same time period. Maybe sort of similar to JR Dawson's The First Bright Thing? I must have read something that would make more sense here, but it's not quite coming to mind.
February 1, 2025
From the Amazon review: In this gothic debut novel, perfect for fans of Tread of Angels and Gail Carriger’s Soulless, Miss Radhika Dhingra, a newly minted lawyer in 19th century New York, never expected that her first client would be a vampire accused of murder.
Offering an alternative paranormal history, delightful characters, and insightful social commentary, The Vampire of Kings Street will thrill readers of Deanna Rayburn and Rebecca Roanhorse.
From the synopsis: Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
I've never read any of the other authors mentioned in those reviews so can't say how accurate they are, but I can tell you this book is truly enjoyable. I probably would've finished it sooner but kept getting called away to do 'important stuff', like doctor appointments, fixing dinner, doing laundry, taking my walks, etc. Thank goodness the library gives you plenty of time to finish a book before they want it back. However, I liked this one so much I think I want my own copy.
Love the characters (most of them, anyway - there's one you kind of love to hate even though he's not in it very long). Radhika is an absolute gem and I really hope this turns into a series. Her journalist friend, Jane, is excellent support despite having only two fairly brief appearances and I want to see more of Mr. Moore - the vampire. What we see of that poor guy hurts my heart. And I have a suspicion about Detective Inspector Hitch. Want to see a lot more of him as well.
The author keeps descriptions of the setting pretty brief but the details she does give you are great. I expect, in future books, we'll get more of them. That's a hint that I want more books btw.
Offering an alternative paranormal history, delightful characters, and insightful social commentary, The Vampire of Kings Street will thrill readers of Deanna Rayburn and Rebecca Roanhorse.
From the synopsis: Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
I've never read any of the other authors mentioned in those reviews so can't say how accurate they are, but I can tell you this book is truly enjoyable. I probably would've finished it sooner but kept getting called away to do 'important stuff', like doctor appointments, fixing dinner, doing laundry, taking my walks, etc. Thank goodness the library gives you plenty of time to finish a book before they want it back. However, I liked this one so much I think I want my own copy.
Love the characters (most of them, anyway - there's one you kind of love to hate even though he's not in it very long). Radhika is an absolute gem and I really hope this turns into a series. Her journalist friend, Jane, is excellent support despite having only two fairly brief appearances and I want to see more of Mr. Moore - the vampire. What we see of that poor guy hurts my heart. And I have a suspicion about Detective Inspector Hitch. Want to see a lot more of him as well.
The author keeps descriptions of the setting pretty brief but the details she does give you are great. I expect, in future books, we'll get more of them. That's a hint that I want more books btw.
October 31, 2024
This is clearly meant to have a sequel, and that book might get ****; this one is a tad unpolished for that.
We start with yet another plucky woman misfit opening a detective agency that, like all fictional detective agencies, has no clients.
Speaking of OMG not again - on page 38, which is about where it usually happens, we meet the obligatory character with gray eyes, which is the signal that he is Important and Almost Certainly A Good Guy. And we are reminded a few pages later. I don't recall anyone else's eye colour being mentioned. Sigh. Does EVERY author have to do the gray eyes in EVERY book? Grrr. Get off my lawn.
At least it wasn't set in London - although it would hardly have differed if it had been. NYC isn't a character here in any meaningful way.
Greyling has done the homework on the rules of vampires, and the social position she has given them here is interesting, opening up new plot options in a genre that desperately needs them.
An Indian-featured woman in 1900s NYC? Admitted to law school? The author mentions discrimination but surely falls short? Speaking of short, a disabled little person as a respected, liberal detective in a conservative New York police station - unlikely but perhaps not excessively. That said, he'd better be in the next book, and could be a lead character.
More is OK except for the melodramatic "I cannot say" every few pages when he jolly well could say but it would break the mystery.
Dhingra's workable but in future books she's going to need some personality. Idealism and bravery aren't enough.
Halfway or so, the story isn't going anywhere so we are given big info-dump of the "oh, look, how convenient, a diary and notes" variety. Tsk.
And nearer the end, our heroine rushes out into the street, grabs the first carriage she sees, and oh look, how convenient, it's ...... you KNOW who it is ... the author took the trouble to give him gray eyes ... Yes, it's Blacklace. Not an empty carriage, not Lord Wossname, not a business tycoon or a an accountant going home. Sigh. I expected to read next "she sneezed, and as she bent forward a bullet whizzed past where her head would have been."
The ending is acceptable. And I like the way the Dhingra-More connection was resolved. That was a good choice from several options.
I will look for #2. There's promise here.
We start with yet another plucky woman misfit opening a detective agency that, like all fictional detective agencies, has no clients.
Speaking of OMG not again - on page 38, which is about where it usually happens, we meet the obligatory character with gray eyes, which is the signal that he is Important and Almost Certainly A Good Guy. And we are reminded a few pages later. I don't recall anyone else's eye colour being mentioned. Sigh. Does EVERY author have to do the gray eyes in EVERY book? Grrr. Get off my lawn.
At least it wasn't set in London - although it would hardly have differed if it had been. NYC isn't a character here in any meaningful way.
Greyling has done the homework on the rules of vampires, and the social position she has given them here is interesting, opening up new plot options in a genre that desperately needs them.
An Indian-featured woman in 1900s NYC? Admitted to law school? The author mentions discrimination but surely falls short? Speaking of short, a disabled little person as a respected, liberal detective in a conservative New York police station - unlikely but perhaps not excessively. That said, he'd better be in the next book, and could be a lead character.
More is OK except for the melodramatic "I cannot say" every few pages when he jolly well could say but it would break the mystery.
Dhingra's workable but in future books she's going to need some personality. Idealism and bravery aren't enough.
Halfway or so, the story isn't going anywhere so we are given big info-dump of the "oh, look, how convenient, a diary and notes" variety. Tsk.
And nearer the end, our heroine rushes out into the street, grabs the first carriage she sees, and oh look, how convenient, it's ...... you KNOW who it is ... the author took the trouble to give him gray eyes ... Yes, it's Blacklace. Not an empty carriage, not Lord Wossname, not a business tycoon or a an accountant going home. Sigh. I expected to read next "she sneezed, and as she bent forward a bullet whizzed past where her head would have been."
The ending is acceptable. And I like the way the Dhingra-More connection was resolved. That was a good choice from several options.
I will look for #2. There's promise here.
August 30, 2024
Radhika Dhingra is an Indian woman at the close of the 19th century who has chosen to turn to law in what—at times—seems to be a misguided hope in providing justice to those who need it most. Her only client is a vampire named Evelyn who comes to her in desperation with nowhere else to turn, and nothing to offer her by way of payment, except for a ring he has had for centuries. He is facing a charge of murder for the killing of a girl he knows, and the law always treats vampires who have committed crimes in the same way—with death.
This book was pretty good. It deals with racism and othering by paralleling Radhika’s experience in struggling to be taken seriously with the vampires being seen as inferior, as servants with only the property they can keep on them, forever tied to families as a symbol of status. They’re feared and hated, not unlike the immigrant experience. I liked the classical use of some vampire tropes, such as crying tears of blood, needing permission to enter, and turning to smoke and vanishing. I enjoyed the cast of various characters, such as Radhika, Jane, the intrepid reporter who wears men’s clothes, and Hitch, the little person with a physical disability who works on the police force. I understand some people are eye rolling over this, but we’ve got vampires. If we can suspend disbelief for the undead, I think we can believe a few people could claw their ways into positions that would ordinarily be closed to them.
I think my major gripe would be that the book was advertised as Radhika becoming friends with Evelyn, but that “friendship” didn’t really start to happen until VERY late in the book—at 2/3 of the way through, Radhika and Evelyn had only interacted twice, once at the beginning of the book and then in prison. So it definitely was not as strong as I would have hoped, but it did have sweet moments.
Anyway! It’s got a mystery in the form of the murder (I guessed one person and then switched to the correct person) and would be a perfect little cosy read to curl up with in October.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was pretty good. It deals with racism and othering by paralleling Radhika’s experience in struggling to be taken seriously with the vampires being seen as inferior, as servants with only the property they can keep on them, forever tied to families as a symbol of status. They’re feared and hated, not unlike the immigrant experience. I liked the classical use of some vampire tropes, such as crying tears of blood, needing permission to enter, and turning to smoke and vanishing. I enjoyed the cast of various characters, such as Radhika, Jane, the intrepid reporter who wears men’s clothes, and Hitch, the little person with a physical disability who works on the police force. I understand some people are eye rolling over this, but we’ve got vampires. If we can suspend disbelief for the undead, I think we can believe a few people could claw their ways into positions that would ordinarily be closed to them.
I think my major gripe would be that the book was advertised as Radhika becoming friends with Evelyn, but that “friendship” didn’t really start to happen until VERY late in the book—at 2/3 of the way through, Radhika and Evelyn had only interacted twice, once at the beginning of the book and then in prison. So it definitely was not as strong as I would have hoped, but it did have sweet moments.
Anyway! It’s got a mystery in the form of the murder (I guessed one person and then switched to the correct person) and would be a perfect little cosy read to curl up with in October.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2025
So, I really liked the theme of this book. I just wish the author didn't beat me over the head with it.
I never really clicked with the writing. The pacing left something to be desired. The first half dragged after an intriguing beginning. I remember several times just wanted Rathika to stop inner-monologing and DO something. If I'm gonna have a slower paced atmospheric mystery, I need a better cast, better atmosphere, or a very sarcastic or otherwise entertaining narration and this does not have that. The narration is whole other topic I'll touch on later. Anyways, the very ending was better, though I was pissed off because there was no possible way the reader could've figured out the mystery (unless I'm very stupid and missed it but I don't think so). There were a lot of info-dump sections.
A break in negativity - I really love how the concept of vampires was turned on it's ass. I liked the twist of how vampire blood could be abused too, it was interesting. Evelyn Moore was interesting too. Also, Own Voices!! Hell yeah! The whole concept of an Indian-Anerican lawyer opening up shop is awesome too.
Okay, now, Radhika.... I don't know. I don't hate her but if I was forced between re-reading this book with extended introspection and the entire dictionary I'd probably brush up on vocabulary without too much thought. It's not any one thing or a clash of morals - I just have no warmth towards her after 300 pages. She irked me at times. The repetition of the equality morals got annoying and I'm on her side. She'd start up and I started tuning out until the plot came up again. I get her indecision about vampires is supposed to be realistic but I guess I wasn't in the mood for it because reading it was just frustrating. Then when she does turn around and is ready to lay down her life because he told her a story is just... I dunno. Didn't work for me. Your mileage may very.
This review came out very negative. I didn't hate this book. I also didn't love it and I was happy to see the end of it. So, I wouldn't really recommend it but I'm not angry I read it either, just for the unique concepts.
I never really clicked with the writing. The pacing left something to be desired. The first half dragged after an intriguing beginning. I remember several times just wanted Rathika to stop inner-monologing and DO something. If I'm gonna have a slower paced atmospheric mystery, I need a better cast, better atmosphere, or a very sarcastic or otherwise entertaining narration and this does not have that. The narration is whole other topic I'll touch on later. Anyways, the very ending was better, though I was pissed off because there was no possible way the reader could've figured out the mystery (unless I'm very stupid and missed it but I don't think so). There were a lot of info-dump sections.
A break in negativity - I really love how the concept of vampires was turned on it's ass. I liked the twist of how vampire blood could be abused too, it was interesting. Evelyn Moore was interesting too. Also, Own Voices!! Hell yeah! The whole concept of an Indian-Anerican lawyer opening up shop is awesome too.
Okay, now, Radhika.... I don't know. I don't hate her but if I was forced between re-reading this book with extended introspection and the entire dictionary I'd probably brush up on vocabulary without too much thought. It's not any one thing or a clash of morals - I just have no warmth towards her after 300 pages. She irked me at times. The repetition of the equality morals got annoying and I'm on her side. She'd start up and I started tuning out until the plot came up again. I get her indecision about vampires is supposed to be realistic but I guess I wasn't in the mood for it because reading it was just frustrating. Then when she does turn around and is ready to lay down her life because he told her a story is just... I dunno. Didn't work for me. Your mileage may very.
This review came out very negative. I didn't hate this book. I also didn't love it and I was happy to see the end of it. So, I wouldn't really recommend it but I'm not angry I read it either, just for the unique concepts.
August 5, 2024
It's the 1870's in London and vampires have been integrated into society by becoming wards to some of the city's most powerful and wealthy families. For the families to host a vampire is an honour - even though some fear and dislike them, they protect their host families and act almost as servants. Despite their status, they are still considered outsiders and have very little legal standing.
Radhika is a brown-skinned young lawyer who also feels like an outsider. She is not wealthy, having put all her money into her failing practice, and she doesn't look the same as her peers. She has a strong sense of justice, so when a vampire appears on her doorstep one evening, she is compelled (not by the vampire) to help him despite his strange story.
Evelyn More is the ward of the Frost's on Kings Street - a prestigious family and address. He turns to Radhika in desperation as he feels he will soon be arrested for murder. Despite being a vampire, he has compassion and admiration for humans. And he does not want to suffer the punishment of eternal death, should he be convicted.
As Radhika learns more about Evelyn, his origins and his host family, she too finds compassion for him. Despite being warned to exercise caution with Evelyn, she is drawn to his case and becomes his champion.
There's so much going on in this relatively short read. Themes of racism, persecution of minorities and exploitation are the obvious ones to point out. But the story is never preachy. Radhika and Evelyn are wonderfully complex characters. They are both relatable and their friendship is heartwarming. I loved the other characters as well, especially the indefatigable reporter and Mr Blacklace.
There's no cliffhanger ending but I really hope this is the start of a series, as I would hate to say goodbye to this world when it seems like their stories are just beginning.
I received an ARC of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Radhika is a brown-skinned young lawyer who also feels like an outsider. She is not wealthy, having put all her money into her failing practice, and she doesn't look the same as her peers. She has a strong sense of justice, so when a vampire appears on her doorstep one evening, she is compelled (not by the vampire) to help him despite his strange story.
Evelyn More is the ward of the Frost's on Kings Street - a prestigious family and address. He turns to Radhika in desperation as he feels he will soon be arrested for murder. Despite being a vampire, he has compassion and admiration for humans. And he does not want to suffer the punishment of eternal death, should he be convicted.
As Radhika learns more about Evelyn, his origins and his host family, she too finds compassion for him. Despite being warned to exercise caution with Evelyn, she is drawn to his case and becomes his champion.
There's so much going on in this relatively short read. Themes of racism, persecution of minorities and exploitation are the obvious ones to point out. But the story is never preachy. Radhika and Evelyn are wonderfully complex characters. They are both relatable and their friendship is heartwarming. I loved the other characters as well, especially the indefatigable reporter and Mr Blacklace.
There's no cliffhanger ending but I really hope this is the start of a series, as I would hate to say goodbye to this world when it seems like their stories are just beginning.
I received an ARC of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
September 17, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Asha Greyling for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Vampire of Kings Street coming out September 17, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
I really love vampire stories, and I enjoyed that this was set in the past. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the vampires and humans. I think they were supposed to be viewed as sort of monsters And less than humans. There weren’t too many people who admired them besides Radhika. She seemed to want to help them because she knew what it was like to be an outsider and different than other people. I loved that she was had Indian heritage and was different. There weren’t a lot of women lawyers at that time. I was hoping there would be a little more backstory for the vampires. A lot of the rules came at the end, so it felt a little rushed. I think the book was also lacking a little chemistry. I wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be more romance. But this is a debut book and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely check out more books by this author!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire stories!
Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light.
Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him.
With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.
I really love vampire stories, and I enjoyed that this was set in the past. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the vampires and humans. I think they were supposed to be viewed as sort of monsters And less than humans. There weren’t too many people who admired them besides Radhika. She seemed to want to help them because she knew what it was like to be an outsider and different than other people. I loved that she was had Indian heritage and was different. There weren’t a lot of women lawyers at that time. I was hoping there would be a little more backstory for the vampires. A lot of the rules came at the end, so it felt a little rushed. I think the book was also lacking a little chemistry. I wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be more romance. But this is a debut book and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely check out more books by this author!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire stories!
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