Baying for Blood: A Moonriser Werewolf Mystery

by Jeri Westerson

Jeff Chase is finding his way as a werewolf in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California, even though he might have screwed up big with the only woman who can help him navigate this new paranormal world...because he MIGHT have fallen for her— Aw, who is he kidding? He DID fall for her, but the girl isn't having it. She doesn't want to be another notch on his bedpost. Not like the girl he boinked who had just become a werewolf too...and was found dead on the beach. Was it that loser surfer gang, the Cutback Boys? Or is there something new in town, something he doesn’t even want to imagine could be real? Something big IS brewing and he’ll need all his friends—including his Voodoo “aunties” and the hated werewolf pack the Moonrisers—to help him solve this one.

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2021

About the author

Los Angeles native JERI WESTERSON currently writes two new series: a Tudor mystery series, the King’s Fool Mysteries, with Henry VIII’s real court jester Will Somers as the sleuth and a Sherlockian pastiche series called An Irregular Detective Mystery, with one of Holmes’ former Baker Street Irregulars opening his own detective agency. She’s also written fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a series nominated for thirteen awards from the Agatha, to the Macavity, to the Shamus. She’s written several paranormal series (including a gaslamp-steampunk fantasy series), standalone historical novels, and had stories in several anthologies, the latest of which was included in SOUTH CENTRAL NOIR, an Akashic Noir anthology. She has served as president of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), and is also a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society. See JeriWesterson.com for discussion guides, book trailers, and more.

Reviews

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

More adventures of WereJeff! If you have not read Moonrisers yet, this book will have some spoilers, but you can read this one first because you can still pick up on the events of the first book. (but you'll want to read Moonrisers because it's a good book) Set in my hometown of Huntington Beach, Jeff is your average guy - back home after an unsuccessful attempt at winning his ex back after she moves away, loves to surf, owns a tea shop, and happens to be a werewolf. Jeff continues to have conflict with a local wolf pack and now vampires get thrown into the mix, putting somebody he cares about right in the crosshairs. Jeff is a great character, well-rounded and evolving in each book. Static characters that show no change or growth are perhaps my biggest pet-peeve when reading a series and Jeri Westerson is very skillful in how she evolves her characters, from both the main character and the secondary characters. The plot is fast-moving, with plenty of action, and the story will draw you in. Very engaging book and a fun read.

[Lorie Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Baying for Blood" is the second Moonriser Werewolf Mystery by Jeri Westerson, which is a spin-off of her Booke of the Hidden Series. This series follows werewolf Jeff Chase who is still learning how to navigate life as a werewolf, while also running his tea and spice shop in Huntington Beach, California.

Jeff is trying to figure out how to fix things with the only woman who can help him learn more about this new paranormal world—Lauren. She owns the local occult shop and is researching the supernatural for her masters. It doesn’t help that he has fallen in love with her, but she can’t get past his reputation of being a playboy. Hearing a howl in the middle of the night, Jeff goes to check it out and finds the body of the female werewolf that he had slept with. Feeling a sense of responsibility for her, he is determined to find her killer. Could it be the loser surfer gang, the Cutback Boys? Another werewolf? Or could there be a new, scarier threat in town—something Jeff has never encountered before? Could it be a vampire? Do those really exist?

To solve the murder, Jeff has to call on Lauren, the Voodoo “aunties”, and even the local werewolf pack—who he has issues with. He also learns a dark secret about an old friend.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Moonrisers, but this one was even better! I really like watching Jeff grow and learn how to better use his abilities, and continue to become a better man—not only for himself, but also because of his love for Lauren. I loved Woody’s part in this book—he owns the surf shop next door—and Jeff’s employees/slash friends who help him run the tea and spice shop are an interesting pair. Jeri always creates such fascinating and complex characters, combined with compelling plots full of twists and turns.

If you enjoy a mystery/paranormal combination as much as I do, do not miss this book! I highly recommend though that you start with "Moonrisers", or better yet, get to know Jeff first in the Booke of the Hidden series. You won’t regret it!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blonde surfer boy werewolf returns!

Another fun outing for WereJeff, aka Jeff Chase. He's a tea ship owner and surfer dude by day and a blonde werewolf when the moon is out. He's come a long way from the hard drinking playboy whose m.o. was love 'em and leave 'em. He's on his journey to become New Jeff, a nice guy who just wants to become monogamous with his true love. But the murder of a werewolf girl gets in the way. He has to make peace with the Moonrisers pack to solve the murder and to prove to himself he really have changed.