The Sun Also Bites: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery

by Isabel Campbell, Michael Anderle

A vampire walks into a retirement community. Someone's already dead.

The dead man had a clean bill of health. Three weeks earlier, he'd had a pool bar confrontation in front of the whole community. That was all it took.

Penelope Covens has one never stay long enough to be remembered. Eighty years of packed suitcases, scrubbed apartments, carefully unremarkable cars. The next city was already mapped when Frankie called—family, the way his mother was family—asking her to come to Palm Springs. Now.

By the time Penny arrived at Crimson Canyon Estates, the community had already decided. No police. No charges. Just cancelled card nights and an HOA review with Frankie's name written between every line.

Penny has walked into harder rooms than a Palm Springs retirement community. She's cleared people before, in places where the stakes were measured in wars. But she's never investigated a gated community where every resident is armed with a casserole dish and an opinion.

Can Penny clear her oldest friend before the community turns its quiet, polite attention on her? Or has she finally walked into the one place she can't afford to leave?

Pick up THE SUN ALSO BITES and step inside the gates.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There are multiple authors by this name in the Goodreads database. This profile may contain works from multiple authors.

Reviews

[Dallass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I got. The main character originally comes across as a bland, almost emotionless sort of woman. Moving, yet again, when a phone call changes everything. Now she's off to help the son of an old friend, and dodging the California sun as she uses her ability to read people and situations to help get Frankie out a jam. Loved the characters, especially the sunlight adverse Penny, Frankie and his partner Martin, then there is Sal and Dom (BFFs) and all the other quirky people that we meet at the Retirement Village. Can't wait to see what happens in the next instalment. I mean, a vampire in the Coachella Valley... what could go wrong?

4 stars

[Sandy Schleich · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

This book was kind of fun and a little goofy. I felt bad for Penelope because being a vampire she doesn’t stay in one place very often because she doesn’t like making friends. Penny did make a friend with a child and she is known as aunt Penny. Now she is going to a retirement community in Palm Springs to help out Frankie.

[Gill Charlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

i always love everything that Isabel writes, it's always perfect, the characters are wonderful.
Penelope is absolutely brilliant, can't wait to read the next book in the series. I want to read more about her history and how things will develop next...

Thank you so much Isabel

[Marc Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short story for the summer.